TTFT, sponsored by Brent Campbell
Sponsored by Brent Campbell, Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 1998. Brent is a Commercial Real Estate Broker, serving all of Central Texas and specializing in sales, leasing & development. He leads a retail acquisition and sales team and was recognized by the Austin Business Journal as a Commercial Real Estate Heavy Hitter in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 & 2023.
In the last 22 years, he has closed deals with a total transactional value of over $375 million and has leased more than 4.5 million square feet. Brent currently serves as the president of the board of directors for Habitat Homes, Inc. and Pathways Youth and Family Services. He is a former president of the Heart of Round Rock Neighborhood Association and a former member of the Round Rock Zoning Advisory Committee, the Round Rock Business and Retention Committee, and the City of Round Rock Ethics Commission, which has led him to begin developing in Williamson and Travis County.
An Austin native, Brent lives in Round Rock where he and his wife have raised four boys. Brent works for Don Quick and Associates, Inc. in Round Rock, TX and can be reached at brent@donquick.com.
1. Hitchock WR Kelshaun Johnson is waiting on power and some semblance of calm in his hometown before announcing his commitment. I don't think that Johnson has any thoughts in his mind about changing his choice, he's just doing what's right for his family and his community.
2. A&M has announced their three player reps for SEC Media Days: Taurean York, Trey Zuhn and Shemar Turner. The first two were obvious choices, but Turner's a great one as well. He's a senior, he's been a key piece for each of his first three years and he's not going to say or do anything outrageous, unless an Ole Miss offensive lineman kicks him first.
3. Turner is also an intriguing piece of the puzzle. Nic Scouton and Shemar Stewart are set at defensive end, so Turner has moved back inside to tackle. He and DJ Hicks are going to have to be strong against the run and effective pass rushers for this defense to work the way it should. If there is one player up front who should be in the spotlight -- and should get the most interesting questions from people who know what they're talking about -- it's him.
4. Most reporters at media days don't know anything beyond the teams they cover. And that's if you're just dealing with the locals. The national guys tend not to know anything period. I am hoping that we'll be rid of some of the columnists who would just show up to needle Jimbo over something real or imagined, but knowing our luck, they'll want to ask Mike Elko about replacing him.
5. Troy Wansing is back, and that means A&M has plenty of pitching options. A weekend starter in 2023, Wansing only pitched 1/3 of an inning this year due to injuries. But he was expected back and he made it official today. With Wansing joining Shane Sdao, Justin Lamkin and new arrival Myles Patton, the Aggies could have all their weekend starters and their Tuesday starter throwing from the left side.
6. This may not be a popular opinion, but I think I like sophomore RHP Clayton Freshcorn as much as any new pitching addition so far. Patton will be good, I have no doubt, but Freshcorn could be a back end of the bullpen guy. If he's throwing 95-97 consistently with command AND he has a slider to back it up, he could be real trouble for opposing hitters. And, if A&M has a weakness right now, it's not having established arms at the back end of the pen -- except for Josh Stewart.
7. I envy Michael Earley, but only to an extent. He's got more bats than positions now. He's got to find the right mix for Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, Hayden Schott, Gavin Kash, Caden Sorrell, Jamal George, Wyatt Henseler, Matt Bergevin, Kaeden Kent, Ben Royo and Jacob Galloway. Do you play the hot hand? Do you go with a lineup of preppy first names? Do you go Caden/Kaeden and Gavin/Gavin and work around that? It's only funny until you realize he's got to find enough at-bats for everyone in the locker room to be happy.
8. I don't like picking on the Big 12, but...wait, yes I do. Especially when Commissioner Brett Yormark fires off this doozy in Vegas today: "I will not stop until we're the number one conference in America... I like where we're going."
Yormark deserves great credit for saving the Big 12, which I expected would implode by 2025. But he pulled the rug out from under the PAC-12, and it's the one who died. But buddy, your conference is a distant third to the SEC and the B1G. In everything. I know you're supposed to be the big booster, but come on. Comments like that just make you look foolish.
9. Speaking of looking foolish, Mike Gundy may look more outright stupid after what he said today. Even though he claims he wasn't talking about "anything specific," he explained away not suspending RB Ollie Gordon (DWI arrest) by saying he'd done the same thing a thousand times.
Being specific, Mike, what in the world are you thinking saying something like that? It doesn't minimize the offense or make it go away -- it makes you look like a full-fledged moron. Driving drunk is not cool. It's not something you laugh at. People get killed by drunk drivers daily. And to say something like that just days after Vikings rookie DB Khyree Jackson was killed by an alleged drunk driver shows -- I don't know. Tone-deafness at best.
10. One thing the Big 12 did do right is put their Media Days in Vegas. I have no idea how the SEC would pull that stunt, but I'd love it if they did.