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Published Aug 20, 2024
TTFT, sponsored by Brent Campbell
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Mark Passwaters  •  AggieYell
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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.

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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.

We're going all over the place in this week's 10 Things for Tuesday:

1. Marcel Reed is probably the backup quarterback right now

Reed only played a little bit last year, but he made it count by airing it out for an A&M season-high 363 yards against Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl. And he's gotten better since then -- noticeably better. He's got remarkable physical gifts and can toss a ball 50 yards like it's nothing. He's gotten more accurate and more patient, even if there's still work to do.

So what about Jaylen Henderson? He was great last year, but Reed is just a bit better as a passer and a faster runner. I could see a scenario where, if Conner Weigman were to get hurt in a game, the Aggies turn to Henderson as the more experienced player to steady the ship, then turn things over to Reed after a full week of practice.

2. Neither may start week 1, but DJ Hicks and Gabe Dindy look like the future at defensive tackle

And they'd better be.

Shemar Turner is set at one spot, and Albert Regis has had an excellent camp to take the lead at the other spot. But Hicks remains a superior talent and Dindy has come on strong in the second half of camp. There's no question he (Dindy) looks the part; he's built like a brick wall.

Turner's gone after this season, as is Rodas Johnson. Regis could go if he so desires, as he's a redshirt junior. So A&M needs these guys in the present and the future, and I expect their playing time will go up as the season goes on.

3. Cornerback depth? What's that?

For one thing, it's something A&M hasn't had in a long, long time. Even when they won the Orange Bowl in 2020, it was a three-man rotation. This year, they've got five they believe they can trust to do the job. Hopefully, they're right, because that would be a major change for this team.

4. The weapon that's getting overlooked

Transfer tight end Tre Watson has looked really good (at least, to me) since he arrived this spring. He's looked especially good as a receiver, which is a very big deal in Collin Klein's offense. After seeing what Ben Sinnott did last year, Watson could put up some solid numbers this year.

5. Flashing danger sign going into week 1

Isn't necessarily the A&M offensive line against Notre Dame's defensive front, though that'll be a challenge -- it's the other way around. Notre Dame's offensive line against A&M's defensive line.

The more I've seen of A&M's front, the more I'm convinced it's a top five-caliber group. Nic Scourton could be the best defensive end in college football. And, right now, Notre Dame is toying with the idea of putting a true freshman across from him at left tackle. The grouping they've been going with lately has a total of six combined starts -- 3 each at center and right guard. They have more experienced players, but apparently feel like they're limited talent-wise.

So they can take their pick: start a group with very little experience, or the group that has experience and has probably reached their ceiling. Either way, the Aggie defensive is probably going to be in attack mode.

6. Just a guess, but...

Based off of the past M.O. of Riley Leonard at Duke, he's going to look to run a lot against the Aggies. And, judging from point 5, he may have to.

Because of that, I'm thinking A&M may start Daymion Sanford next to Taurean York in the opener. Sanford may be the fastest of the linebackers, which could be an asset when it comes to handling Leonard. I think Solomon DeShields and Scooby Williams will play, and I wouldn't be shocked if either one started instead of Sanford, but that's my gut feeling on it.

7. Fast mover could be fast riser

And that fast mover is Terry Bussey. Bussey isn't as fast as Devon Achane, but he's still very, very fast. Since he moved to wideout last week, he's moved quickly up the depth chart. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see him play week 1, and his playing time continue to increase as the year goes on.

8. A major change from past years (sorry, Mike)

I know Mike Elko doesn't want us talking about the past, at least to his players, but one thing that has to do with his players is different from the past. And that thing is playing freshmen. Right now, I only have one -- Bussey -- in the two-deep anywhere.

It's not that the class of 2024 wasn't talented; it has some guys I think are going to be excellent in time (Solomon Williams, Dealyn Evans, Izaiah Williams and Blake Ivy just to name a few). But for once, the Aggies don't need these guys to go out there and be ready immediately. They have depth across the board.

9. More talent? Maybe not. Better team? Maybe so

The depth I'm talking about has made this a more solid roster than A&M has had in the past several years. Top to bottom, it may be the roster with the fewest weaknesses that I've seen since covering the team in 2012. It doesn't have a Johnny Manziel or a Mike Evans or Myles Garrett -- though Scourton could be close. But it also doesn't have true freshman at corner waiting to be bombed by Miami or Ole Miss, or just three linebackers or two defensive tackles who can play. The only place I think they're truly thin is offensive tackle, but having Dametrious Crownover and Deuce Fatheree as your backups is not the worst thing ever.

10. Hoops has a fun schedule

Most fans don't travel to away basketball games, but A&M's got a pretty fun schedule if you like away games. They've got three in Vegas Nov. 26-29, open at UCF (Orlando) Nov. 4, and have roadies to Indianapolis (ok, that's a little different) and Columbia, S.C. Columbia means you can check out Charleston, one of the most beautiful cities in the nation.

Of course, there are also roadies to Austin, Norman and Baton Rouge, which are...not quite as glamorous.

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