"(The criticism) pisses us off and makes us work harder," he said at SEC Media Days. "We want to be the best offensive line to protect whoever’s in the backfield and win games for us this season."

After two disastrous seasons under former offensive line coach Steve Addazio, the offensive line is getting a fresh start under new head coach Mike Elko and offensive line coach Adam Cushing. Zuhn, a third team preseason All-SEC selection, said Elko's approach varies greatly from the attention-grabbing habits of Fisher.

"I just think that with the way Mike Elko runs the program, there’s no need for anything flashy, none of the extra stuff. It’s just come in every day and do your work. I love it that way," Zuhn said. "We love working in silence. We’re going to get our work done, we’re going to grind every single day. We don’t need to talk about it; we’re going to show what we need to show on the field for Notre Dame."

A&M's starting left tackle also had praise for his new position coach, saying Cushing pushes for perfection in every rep.

"I love coach Cushing. He’s really detail-oriented; he makes sure you do your job right," Zuhn explained. "Even if you get the job done, he wants it to be perfect. That’s what matters on the field, to do it right every single time."

Named one of two team captains for this season, along with linebacker Taurean York, Zuhn has taken his leadership to a new level this year. He said that he is working to be a more vocal presence and has helped organize extra training sessions for the offensive line.

"We have been doing extra meetings what the coaches allow, just player-led, because we want to make sure we’re on the same page … I feel like we’re there now," he said.

The A&M offensive line will have a different look this year, with Chase Bisontis likely moving to left guard and transfers Ar'maj Reed-Adams and Koli Faaiu potentially taking over at right guard and center, respectively. Still, Zuhn said the group has meshed quickly.

"We’ve got a lot of experience coming into this year, so I’m excited for that," he said. "We’ve had a lot of time to gel together and get our connection stronger with each other, so we’ll be fighting for each other. We know each other now, so we’ll be playing a lot better."

For Zuhn, this offseason was different for another key reason -- he was healthy. During his first two seasons in College Station, he was recovering from knee surgery and a torn labrum. The difference, he said, is night and day.

"It’s the best thing, being healthy," Zuhn said. "Being able to play healthy, working out with nothing hurting, it’s easy to go 100% every single day."

With a healthy body, a new position coach and a new group of linemen, Zuhn has allowed himself to have a different perspective. This year, he believes, the Aggie offense is ready to exceed expectations instead of disappointing.

"I think we have threats all over the field. With the playbook and the coaches we have, we can run the ball, throw the ball – we can do whatever we want, and we’re going to be getting yards every single game," he said.