Last summer, it looked like cornerback was a position of both strength and depth for Texas A&M. That was then.
The Aggies have been hit hard by a combination of early draft entries and transfers. Junior Jaylon Jones, who had an excellent 2022 campaign, decided to head to the NFL; Myles Jones, Brian George, Denver Harris, Josh Moten and Smoke Bouie are transferring.
In the case of Harris and Moten, there was little choice in the matter but to leave. Bouie seems likely to follow former A&M analyst Nick Williams to Colorado, while Myles Jones and George look for increasing playing time in their final seasons.
The cupboard isn't bare for A&M, but the pickings are much slimmer than they were a year ago. Rising junior Tyreek Chappell is the only certainty of a group that includes Deuce Harmon, Bobby Taylor and Marquis Groves-Killebrew. Harmon, Taylor and Killebrew are all coming off of injuries.
So what can the Aggies do to rebuild? Unsurprisingly, it's a three-step process.
1. Keep who you have and get them ready
So long as he's healthy, Chappell (44 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 8 passes broken up) is CB 1. He's been very good his first two seasons and has the most experience of any corner on the roster.
Harmon (8 tackles, 1 forced fumble) only played in four games last year, but started two of them. He was able to work his way through the large group of defenders to the front of the line. An ankle injury cost him much of the year, but he'll get another shot this spring.
Taylor and Killebrew, both 4-stars in the 2022 class, received little to know playing time. Both spent much of last season rehabbing knee injuries, though Killebrew was healthy by season's end. Both will be expected to compete for playing time this year.
2. Lock down your recruits
The Aggies have two very good corner commits in Bravion Rogers of La Grange and Jayvon Thomas of Dallas South Oak Cliff. Rogers is one of the best corners in the nation and continues to get some support for a fifth star, while Thomas missed all of the regular season only to return and dominate in the playoffs.
Rogers, who decommitted over the summer only to come back, seems solid. Thomas continues to listen to overtures from the likes of TCU. The Aggies could certainly use both of them as they add depth and, hopefully, let the incoming freshmen develop.
The Aggies also may not be done; they're hosting Alabama commit Tony Mitchell this weekend and have high hopes of making him a late addition to the class.
3. Hit the portal
This is already happening. Grimes gave A&M serious consideration when he committed to UNC out of high school and the Aggies may lead for him now; they've also gone heavily after Cypress, an All-ACC selection at Virginia this season. And those are the ones we know of. There are likely other players who have also been offered by A&M as well.
