Demond Demas' future at A&M in doubt
Former 5-star wide receiver Demond Demas finds his future at Texas A&M in question after he was arrested and jailed on a domestic assault charge.
As first reported by Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle, Demas was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault causing bodily injury/family violence. He was later released on $5,000 bond.
The incident in question allegedly occurred on Feb. 26 and involved Demas's girlfriend. According to the probable cause statement, Demas "pushed her head into the wall," at which point she bit him on the shoulder. The unnamed female said Demas threw her off the bed onto the floor, which caused her top front teeth to go through her bottom lip.
Demas has been suspended by the university and is currently separated from the football program. The team's spring practice begins March 7.
High-powered Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing Demas, said the redshirt sophomore turned himself in after hearing there was a warrant out for his arrest.
"Demond has been accused of a misdemeanor and has now been released on a minimal bond," Buzebee said in a statement. "We look forward to to demonstrating that this was all an unfortunate misunderstanding."
Buzbee said Demas "looks forward to clearing his name and moving on to be the best student and athlete he can be."
In 10 games last season, Demas had 15 catches for 235 yards (15.7 YPC) and 1 touchdown. The lone touchdown came on his first career catch, a 70-yarder against New Mexico. His season was shortened by a broken leg suffered late in the season.
What this means for the team moving forward
Unfortunately for Demas, this isn't the first disciplinary issue he's dealt with during his time at A&M. He was suspended for two games in 2020 for reasons that were never disclosed, then was arrested last offseason for possession of marijuana. Zwerneman also reported this morning that Demas was investigated, but not charged, in another alleged domestic battery incident.
As a result, it would not be a shock if his time with the Aggie football team is at an end -- even though Buzbee's statement seems to indicate he thinks otherwise.
In any event, it seems extremely unlikely that Demas is with the team when spring practice starts next week -- if he ever is again. That means there is a starting receiver position that needs to be filled quickly.
With Jalen Preston and Ainias Smith currently the starters at the other receiver slots, the obvious choice is another tall and fast receiver who has struggled to stay on the field -- Caleb Chapman. The redshirt senior averaged 16.1 yards per catch last year, but only managed 13 receptions in 6 games.
Another candidate to fill the job is Moose Muhammad. The redshirt sophomore came on strong in the second half of 2021, with 10 catches and four touchdowns. Even though he is primarily considered a slot receiver, there's no reason he couldn't fill an outside receiver position.
Five-star freshman Evan Stewart is definitely a player to watch. The highly-talented newcomer proved he's more than capable of getting open during the Under Armour All-American game, and he's on campus for spring practice.
If the competition continues into the summer, another true freshman becomes a factor. Four-star Chris Marshall shot up the recruiting rankings last fall and dominated at the Under Armour game. At 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds, Marshall is big, fast and physical.
While losing Demas would unquestionably be a blow, it's one that the Aggies appear better positioned to shrug off in 2022 than they have in past years.