AggieYell Mailbag, sponsored by Tres Hermanos 1850

Q: What the hell is going on inside our program?? How did things turn so quickly and so sharply? Sign the best class in history, all things pointing up, and then this sh*t show. Did this sneak up or did Jimbo and everyone else kind of fall asleep at the wheel? (Crupitch03)

A: I think there are several things that collided all at once. One, the offense has reached its expiration date and needs changing. Part, if not all, of that has to do with the ineptitude of the offensive line, and there needs to be changes there as well. I’m not talking about personnel, either. And when you go all out for elite talent, you’re going to get some bad acts. A&M’s not the first program to find that out the hard way. As painful as all this is right now, I think I’d rather rip off the bandaid and get it all taken care of at once.

Q: Can you share any names on the OC(s) they are considering? (TAMU_Fan)

A: Can I? Yes. Will I? No. At least, not right now.

Q: Based off our current offensive personnel, what OC and system would be the best fit or hire to bring in immediate success for the next two years? (Mcamp79)

A: I’m not going to get into OC names just yet, except to say I’d love Joe Brady (and he’s not coming). But here’s what I’d want. Your quarterback next year is likely Conner Weigman or Haynes King, so I want someone who knows how to utilize a mobile quarterback. I want someone who knows how to put together an efficient running game, and knows how to get the ball out quickly to receivers in space. For instance, I think TCU’s offense checks all the boxes for me.

Q: For a positive change of topic, how about a basketball question. Which player or players will be expected to carry the load scoring the basketball since Jackson has departed? (Mozilla)

A: Great question. I think that most people are looking towards Manny Obaseki to take on a lot of that responsibility, but I think you can get more out of Henry Coleman too. And don’t be surprised if Wade Taylor IV takes a big step this year. A lot of guys were talking him up this week.

Q: Its been reported that teammates turned in the suspended players. I've also heard that these guys were talking to others about transferring out. If these things are true, how do you see the rest of the team responding to them being suspended and how Jimbo is handling things? Also, the suspensions have all been "from sources" but not confirmed by the program. When do you expect the athletic department to confirm the suspensions? (Maddog83)

A: I think the rest of the players have largely had enough with the repeat offenders. Even some of their buddies have come out and made it clear they’re on board with the program. Though nobody’s in the portal yet, I think there are a couple of players, at least, who have overstayed their welcome in the locker room and are finished here.

Q: Will GBD see the field this year?

A: I don’t know. We’re getting to the point where we could see him. I think he’s close to fully healthy and has dressed out, and what we’ve seen from Adarious Jones and Albert Regis the last couple of weeks has not been inspiring.

Jimbo still calling plays or Coley? (Tschaar)

A: Jimbo is.

Q: Jimbo is going to be with us for awhile due to the buyout requirements. I agree with your assessment that $86M essentially keeps him with us at the present time. Realistically how many years do we have to go until the buyout gets in the doable range? (GCJC)

A: Look, a buyout is not feasible anytime soon. So let’s see what the guy can do with a revamped staff.

Q: What happened to putting Achane in the slot and getting Amari Daniels in the lineup? That guy looked the part last year in limited carries, looked great in the Spring, and has disappeared. Anything going on with him? I would imagine some of these guys get tired of only practicing because they know they will never see the field. I'm not saying that's right, but it has to be frustrating to watch the terrible offensive output each week and know that you aren't going to get a chance to do anything about it. You can only do so much in practice. At some point, you have to be given opportunities to show what you can do in games. It can't be any worse!! (Crupitch03)

A: Yeah it can. And you want to know what happened to Amari Daniels? Le’Veon Moss happened to him.

Q: if you had complete control over the program, what changes would you make to maximize wins this season? (Chandler Bhang)

A: Simplify the offense, make the defense more aggressive and find a faith healer.

Q: are we expecting to see other O-linemen in the game such as Strickland, Nabu (?) or any other fish or RS fish? Why not try any/all of them to see which ones at least can get lined up correctly or get in the way of oncoming DL to hold them up a count? OL is a complete dumpster fire why not let the incoming OL, QB, and RB coach get some tape during live bullets as well as the incoming stud OC we are pulling in. Especially since money is not an object...such as Addazio and his child protege coming in and lighting the world on fire?

A: No. Just flat no. It’s bad enough as it is, and these guys are still well ahead of the backups.

second - why not CW? are we worried about losing a 5th or 6th game this season which is circling the toilet bowl? I've seen enough of King throwing picks to know what we can expect. Love to CW get some first team reps and grow a bit. Worked for Kurt Warner (who I was in college with) and his time in arena football learning how to handle unbelievable pressure? (Rooster77)

A: I think you’ll see Weigman and soon.

Q: 1. Your guess at the 2 deep on the OLine this Saturday?

A: Same as last week. What’re you going to change?

2. Any important recruits to attend the game at Kyle this Saturday?

A: Most are coming for Florida, but I believe DJ Lagway will be there.

3. Your thoughts about the game/stadium experience last Saturday at USC compared to other SEC venues like Jordan-Hare and others? (BoxsterBoy72)

A: Williams-Brice is now the most techno-funk school in the SEC. In other words, whatever.

Q: This point of the season, after all this crap this week, we are bit like the Apollo 13 mission where Flight Director Gene Krantz said “let’s look at this from an aspect of status, what doe we have on the craft which works?” So from a perspective of status, what on the team is still working? (BC93)

A: The secondary is really good. The safeties are much better than I expected. Donovan Green’s coming on. Devon Achane is still churning out yards, even with little help.

Q: Have seen different rumors/reports about suspensions & dismissals from the team. Can you clarify which players are suspended and who is gone? (Mozzila)

A: There have been no dismissals as of yet. Denver Harris, PJ Williams and Chris Marshall are suspended. That’s it.

Q: Trey Zuhn looked like he was injured. Frankenstein had more flexibility and lateral movement.

Was Zuhn injured? What explains the huge drop in performance? (Richard23)

A: I think you’re on to something. I don’t know if it was residual from his initial injury or something else, but he definitely seemed a step slow last weekend.

Q: 1) In your opinion, what % of the O line woes should be attributed to Addazio and what % to the inexperience & inconsistencies from injuries?

A: I don’t know about percentages, but they’ve been ravaged by injuries. Obviously, Jordan Moko, Aki Ogunbiyi and Bryce Foster are gone for the year, Trey Zuhn has missed a game, Layden Robinson is nowhere near healthy and is gutting it out and it’s just bad. But even when guys are healthy, their play has regressed. That I put fully on coaching.

2) Assuming we're not savaged by injuries again next year, do you think the O line problems can be fixed by simply replacing Addazio and not relying on the portal?

A: Yeah, I do. But even if the five guys they have back next year — and I do expect them all back, now — you’ve still got depth issues at tackle. That’s my big issue and they need to address it both with incoming freshmen and the portal.

3) Will Addazio be the O Line coach next year? (Bear_P_I)

A: I’ll let you check out my previous comments and see if you can guess what I think.

Q: Coaching changes at the end of the year...what is your best guess on who will still be here or who do you think will be asked to move on? (X-Ray Ag)

A: I see no reason to make changes on the defensive side of the ball unless someone gets promoted elsewhere. On offense, I think there are at least two guys in serious jeopardy.

Q: Is Jimbo's buyout lump sum or is it spread out across the length of the contract? It's obviously more doable if spread out if he doesn't turn the program around with the changes that should be happening after this season. (CharlesAg12)

A: Kill me now.

Q: Media are jumping all over JImbo with all sorts of claims. Cannot turn on the computer without seeing another article about the 'dumpster fire in CS'. Media are trying to make themselves relevant but jumping on him. Presume other teams have ramped up the negative recruiting.

This team is still loaded, and the defense just needs to get healthy to play to their strengths. Is there a way to fix the OL for the rest of the season or what do they do offensively to end on a positive note.

I could see this team being much better next year and if there are some offensive changes, they could be very good. Thoughts? (DentonAg80)

A: I think they can be very good in 2023. I’m expecting it. And if they are, the number of people who will have to shut up will be delightfully large.

Q: Any thoughts on what specific position(s) will be our focus regarding building a serviceable OL for 2023...from the transfer portal? LT? LG? RG? (Pebbycree)

A: First, get Layden Robinson back and 100% healthy. Get Bryce Foster back at 100%. Get Kam Dewberry as many snaps as possible at LG because he’s likely going to be the starter there next year unless Moko or Ogunbiyi make real fast recoveries from their injuries. Then find either solid backups or competition for the tackles. And then make them work as a unit.

Q: Can you sum up the facts about these suspensions and the situation last weekend? There is a lot of jibber jabber from folks acting like they know what really went down and I'm having a hard time discerning what the truth is and what things look like going forward. (thompsonryans)

A: Officially, we’re like Sgt. Schultz in Hogan’s Heroes: We know nothing, nothinnnnnnng at all. Unofficially, there are three players suspended (at least three). Their names are known. Apparently they got on the vape pen after the game Saturday night, while still in the locker room, and some of their teammates turned them in. At least one, and maybe two, of the suspended players are on extremely thin ice with their teammates and the coaching staff.

Q: Original reports said four players had been booted off the team. Later reports said one game suspensions and others had variations. What are the facts if you know?

A: Ok, the reports of four players getting booted are what Bess Truman spent 50 years trying to get Harry to call cow manure. There are indefinite suspensions, and what is “indefinite”? We don’t know. It could be a game, could be more.

Other reports say LJ Johnson and Dindy have entered the portal. True or false? (Hogtide)

A: Absolutely false. Johnson may not be happy, but that’s on him if he’s not. He had a job to do Saturday night and didn’t get it done. Dindy came out Wednesday night (I think it was Wednesday) and tweeted that he’s 100% locked in with A&M.

Q: Assuming that Marshall is gone, what do you project the two deep at WR to be on Saturday?

A: Doesn’t matter if he’s gone, he’s not going to play. The guys who will are Evan Stewart, Moose Muhammad, Chase Lane, Yulkeith Brown and, to a lesser extent, Noah Thomas and Jalen Preston.

is the remaining WR depth such that we may see more RB playing as situational slot receivers?

A: By RB, you mean Achane. And why the heck not?

in case you haven’t already answered this …. HK or CW at QB to start? (dad_in_TX)

A: I don’t see how you can send a quarterback who had his shoulder pop out of joint back out a week later. So Weigman.

Q: Where is Aaron Judge playing baseball next year and who is the bridesmaid? (Colt_Seavers)

A: I think he’ll be back in the Bronx, but I’d love the complete meltdown if he ended up in San Francisco. I don’t want him in LA.

Q: Running back rotation question. Recent years lots of success with Spiller and then rotating in Achane. This year all Achane, nobody else rotating in at all, incredibly limited carries for Le’Veon Moss looks like he could be the real deal.

Thoughts on why nobody else is getting any carries at all? (Maroon1)

A: I think there’s a simple answer to this one, unfortunately: they’re not holding onto the ball long enough for Achane to get tired. So far, Achane has 117 carries. Last year, as a backup, he had 130. Isaiah Spiller had 179. The team had 413 total rushing attempts in 2021; this year, they’re at 210. In other words, they could play 14 games and just barely get over last year’s total.

Q: What differences do you see this weekend? Offensively, anything defensively, etc.

A: Got to key on the running game of Ole Miss this weekend. That’s the big thing. Hopefully they can get Tunmise back and he can bookend with Shemar Turner for a very big front four.

Have you heard anything from or about the team leaders and how they're trying to handle the adversity?

A: I think they, and a lot of other guys, are just tired of the crap that’s going on. A lot of players have come out to publicly show support for the program, and like I said, some guys are on thin ice.

Do you think Weigman gets the start? (Tsipdespiser)

A: I do.