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  • Elmer_Fudd
    Elmer_Fudd

  • Scholz
    Scholz

    Y’all go easy on bizzle. This is the best part of the season for him.

  • closetojumping
    closetojumping

    The man knows his audience. He's a master of propaganda, I have to give it to him. The way he just pompously asserts that Texas fans would want to have a bunch of the guys on the ATM roster wearing bu

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  • Popular Post
1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

I guess Taurean York's issues weren't of his own making is a true statement...in the context of he's slow, undersized and not in control of his own genetics. It's his parent's fault. 

York's problem is that he is not Anthony Hill.  York was their replacement for Hill, and they've done everything they can do to convince the world that York is as good, if not better than Hill.  Maybe not in measurables like tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, QB pressures, interceptions, but in the intangibles like "getting" TAMU.  So they have that going for them, which is nice.  

But Wiltfong just put a flip pick in for him to Bama', so who knows?  Sounds like he ain't sticking with aggy regardless.

21 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

But Wiltfong just put a flip pick in for him to Bama', so who knows?  Sounds like he ain't sticking with aggy regardless.

Their NIL deal with Carhart and Grainger isn't what it used to be

  • Popular Post

 

Re: the Trashawn Ruffin decommitment - 

 

"major programs" ... welcome to the big time,  UNC ... 

image.thumb.png.fc0ea94dc857aa8a55f515429a0c11ad.png

 

Good thing they don't have too many other out of state commits in their current class.  

Here is their entire current commitment list, with the out of state commits marked with an X.

 

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On 3/16/2025 at 6:24 PM, Elmer_Fudd said:

Bill Belichick Wink GIF by New England Patriots

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Trashawn looks much heavier than I would expect a “Trashawn” to look. 

I was expecting Trashawn to have more of a WR/ DB/ basketball PG/SG/Wing player build.

If feel like most of the Trashawns that I have met have been more slender & agile.

It goes to show that you can’t just stereotype Trashawns going forward. 

2 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

Re: the Trashawn Ruffin decommitment - 

 

"major programs" ... welcome to the big time,  UNC ... 

image.thumb.png.fc0ea94dc857aa8a55f515429a0c11ad.png

 

Good thing they don't have too many other out of state commits in their current class.  

Here is their entire current commitment list, with the out of state commits marked with an X.

 

image.thumb.png.76fa448487383a4ee2c965b01856ff5a.png

 

 

From what I've seen so far about the reat of the commits is Tafua is looking at/may have already visited USC.

Kinsler has already said he will take other visits/OV's.

Moala has other teams coming after him.

Gregory is scheduled for a Texas OV.  If he bolts, Carter is his HS teammate and doubt he sticks around.  Probably doesn't anyway.

5 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

Re: the Trashawn Ruffin decommitment - 

 

"major programs" ... welcome to the big time,  UNC ... 

image.thumb.png.fc0ea94dc857aa8a55f515429a0c11ad.png

 

Good thing they don't have too many other out of state commits in their current class.  

Here is their entire current commitment list, with the out of state commits marked with an X.

 

image.thumb.png.76fa448487383a4ee2c965b01856ff5a.png

 

 

It’s early, but wow. Not even one commit from someone one or two states away from Texas.

5 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

Re: the Trashawn Ruffin decommitment - 

 

"major programs" ... welcome to the big time,  UNC ... 

image.thumb.png.fc0ea94dc857aa8a55f515429a0c11ad.png

 

Good thing they don't have too many other out of state commits in their current class.  

Here is their entire current commitment list, with the out of state commits marked with an X.

 

image.thumb.png.76fa448487383a4ee2c965b01856ff5a.png

 

 

Must have the finest Polynesian ties. 

5 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

From what I've seen so far about the reat of the commits is Tafua is looking at/may have already visited USC.

Kinsler has already said he will take other visits/OV's.

Moala has other teams coming after him.

Gregory is scheduled for a Texas OV.  If he bolts, Carter is his HS teammate and doubt he sticks around.  Probably doesn't anyway.

Ummm, it says "hard commits" to A&M.  They're not going anywhere.

Remember those all important February recruiting rankings! Elko is killing it!

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Why people care about early  mid-season  NSD commitments  recruiting rankings is beyond me.  Wake me up in the fall  winter  spring  Meat Judging Season.

The Elk’s national recruiting strategy is eerily similar to Sumlin’s last few years and it’s what ultimately got him fired. I understand why The Elk would do it, it’s smart from a personal perspective. Aggy doesn’t care about actual, meaningful results; they only care about meaningless headlines.  This strategy will certainly buy The Elk another year as he ingratiates himself to the Aggy fan base.

Plus, they won’t win many battles against us head-to-head right now. It’s easier for them to pick up guys we aren’t after so they can pretend they’re not taking Ls.

Kind of the same concept of them jumping to the SEC and acting like losing there was better than losing in the Big 12. 

Plus, they won’t win many battles against us head-to-head right now. It’s easier for them to pick up guys we aren’t after so they can pretend they’re not taking Ls.

Kind of the same concept of them jumping to the SEC and acting like losing there was better than losing in the Big 12. 
 

Turdition. 

11 hours ago, Tex Pete said:

Plus, they won’t win many battles against us head-to-head right now. It’s easier for them to pick up guys we aren’t after so they can pretend they’re not taking Ls.

Kind of the same concept of them jumping to the SEC and acting like losing there was better than losing in the Big 12. 

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You just have to take out of state kids who don't know what aggy is really about and hope they don't find out before signing day. 

12 hours ago, Tex Pete said:

Kind of the same concept of them jumping to the SEC and acting like losing there was better than losing in the Big 12. 

Succinct even if repeated.

1 hour ago, Deej said:

You just have to take out of state kids who don't know what aggy is really about and hope they don't find out before signing day. 

In aggie hive mind I agree, but in reality its better to have them self-eject button before rather than coming in, having the staff build around the talent they have, then hit the road. The staff would at least know the reality of the situation. However, in aggie mind, whether they stay or not, recruiting rankings have to be high to best perpetuate the never ending "next year" aggie mythos. For that, I admit a ton of gratitude for that entire "great" recruiting class - current players bailing like a house on fire - those weren't "aggie mindset players" - we're gonna win the SEC - rinse repeat allows for the roller-coaster. Without which, my world would be a little less complete.

Edited by BurntEyes

9 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

"aggie mindset players"

White guys?

1 hour ago, Deej said:

White guys?

Lunchpail types. Coaches on the field. The kind you’d like your daughter to date. High motor. Sneaky fast. 

  • Popular Post

Here's another sad update from the 247 team. This time, it's Carter Karels attempting to smear lipstick all over the porcine hulk that is the ATM 2025 football outlook and roster.

Highlights:

-WR is a total rebuild and that Concepcion guy better be the fucking balls, because it's a dumpster fire around them. Hudson is gone and the Craver guy is currently suspended due to a drug bust. 

-DL isn't in much better shape. Outside of Regis, it's also a total rebuild. They're relying on players from lesser programs or guys who haven't played much at better programs. I don't even think Hicks was mentioned in the article. 

-Elko will not discuss injuries, so that have no clue whether or not most of the injured players from 2024 are even going to play this spring. 

-Lots of dependency on scrubs named Zeno, Bisontis, and Crownover. 

Bottom line, ATM has an experienced, if mediocre, OL coming back, along with a bad LB room and an even worse secondary. And Marcel "The Man" Reed. TE, WR, TB, DE, DT are all either question marks or outright fucked. Inevitably, Liucci will make the rounds this summer and tout their experience and work to convince folks "not to sleep on ATM" and voters will take the bait, as always. They'll enter the year ranked and not have a fucking prayer of being in that spot at season's end. 

Spoiler

Eight storylines for Texas A&M football going into its 2025 spring practices

The Texas A&M football team will hold its first of 15 spring practices Friday. Here are eight storylines surrounding the Aggies before they begin their second spring football campaign under coach Mike Elko.

Carter KarelsMar 18th, 7:00 AM5

The Texas A&M football team will hold its first of 15 spring practices Friday. Here are eight storylines surrounding the Aggies before they begin their second spring football campaign under coach Mike Elko, which will end on April 19 with the Maroon and White Game in Kyle Field.

Elko's plan to improve the defense

Fresh off a 35-31 loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl last December, Elko did not mince words about his defense. He said the group "can't defend the forward pass" and "(does) not understand how to play zone coverage" before expressing optimism about their outlook in 2025 and beyond.

"I won't watch a defense play like this ever again," Elko said.

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A&M certainly left a lot to be desired defensively late last season, contributing heavily to its 1-4 finish. The issues were all around for the Aggies, too. The group struggled with tackling, underachieved up front, proved to be porous against the run at times and committed a glaring number of coverage busts in the secondary.

In an attempt to clean up those problems, the defensive-minded Elko will now be more involved on that side of the ball. He also hired James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, who assumed the role of associate head coach (defense) and will collaborate with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jay Bateman.

With the way A&M holds limited and controlled viewing windows of its practices to the media, there might not be much to learn this spring about the new approach Elko devised. But a snapshot of the dynamic among Elko, Bateman and Hemphill should be insightful nonetheless.

Newcomers galore

Prepare to see a lot of fresh faces this spring. 

A&M added 14 scholarship players from the NCAA Transfer Portal over the winter. Of the 25 scholarship players the Aggies signed to their 2025 class, only one of them, five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles, did not enroll a semester early in January. Myles will arrive in June.

One of those transfers, wide receiver Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), stepped away from the team in January for undisclosed reasons. Another receiver transfer, Mario Craver (Mississippi State), was arrested by Texas A&M police earlier this month for possession of a penalty group 2 controlled substance between one to four grams. Their status with the team will likely be addressed when Elko holds a press conference Wednesday for the first time since the Las Vegas Bowl.

Of the 12 remaining transfers for the Aggies, receiver KC Concepcion (NC State) seems poised to make the biggest impact. He proved to be highly productive in his two seasons with the Wolfpack, recording a combined 124 catches for 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns while turning 60 carries into 356 yards and two scores. UAB quarterback transfer Jacob Zeno, who is expected to fill the backup role behind starter Marcel Reed, will be another player to watch.

Among the 24 early-enrolled freshmen, offensive tackle Lamont Rogers garnered the most hype from a recruiting rankings standpoint. The Mesquite (Texas) Horn product joined Myles as the two five-star recruits (per the 247Sports Composite) A&M signed in the 2025 cycle. The Aggies also signed two three-star quarterbacks: Brady Hart of Cocoa (Fla.) High and Eli Morcos of Montgomery (Texas) Lake Creek.

Marcel Reed is the man

For the first time in his career, Reed entered this offseason as the starter for the Aggies. It remains to be seen, though, what the next step looks like for the redshirt sophomore.

Reed showed promise last season, especially for a redshirt freshman and when considering he needed to unexpectedly replace an injured, struggling Conner Weigman. For a single season among freshmen in A&M history, Reed finished second in passing yards (1,864) and completions (147), third in passing touchdowns (15), tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns (seven) and 14th in rushing yards (547) despite making only eight starts.

Still, Reed could not produce enough to prevent the Aggies from collapsing late last fall. He also underwhelmed as a passer at times, particularly with his deep ball. Through 11 games, Reed never reached 300 passing yards. Among the 110 FBS quarterbacks who threw at least 35 passes of 20-plus yards from beyond the line of scrimmage (per Pro Football Focus), Reed ranked 97th in completion percentage (27.8%) and 98th in yards per attempt (9.4).

Fortunately for Reed, A&M will support him with a strong running back group and one of the more experienced offensive lines in the country. This spring will offer a glimpse of how much he benefits from those advantages.

Maroon Goons step into the spotlight

The Aggie offensive line seems ready to live up to their "Maroon Goons" nickname this fall. It will likely be their best offensive line since they finished as one of three finalists for the Joe Moore Award in 2020.

Under its offensive line coach, Adam Cushing, last season, A&M showed significant progress up front. Among FBS teams in each of their previous two seasons, the Aggies were 70th or worse in sacks allowed and outside the top 75 in rushing yards per game. They finished last season 12th in tackles for a loss allowed, 26th in rushing yards per game and 55th in sacks allowed.

All seven key contributors from that group returned to A&M after last season: left tackle Trey Zuhn III, left guard Chase Bisontis, centers Mark Nabou Jr. and Kolinu'u Faaiu, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams and right tackles Dametrious Crownover and Reuben Fatheree II. They bring significant experience collectively, combining to appear in 226 games with 156 starts in their careers.

Zuhn leads the unit and is coming off a third-team All-SEC season. He boasts the highest number of career starts for the Aggies, tallying 37 through 41 games. Reed-Adams might be the best prospect on the team for the 2026 NFL Draft. PFF ranked him as the best returning offensive guard in the country.

While Zuhn, Bisontis and Reed-Adams are expected to be entrenched as starters, the center and right tackle spots will be positions to watch. 

Nabou began last fall as the starting center but suffered a season-ending lower body injury in game one, paving the way for Faaiu to replace him. Crownover received most of the work at right tackle but shared some of his duties with Fatheree.

Who steps up at receiver?

The receiver position could be an issue for the Aggies.

No A&M player reached 600 receiving yards last season, and only one, receiver Noah Thomas, totaled at least 400. It marked the fifth straight season the Aggies did not have a player who recorded at least 800 receiving yards. 

Making matters worse, A&M lost an overwhelming majority of its receiver production after last season: 85.1% of receptions, 85.3% of receiving yards and 81.3% of receiving touchdowns.

Thomas, the towering 6-foot-6 red zone target who led the team in catches (39), receiving yards (574) and receiving touchdowns (eight), transferred to Georgia. Sophomore Terry Bussey is the only returning receiver who has at least five career receptions. Redshirt freshmen Ashton Bethel-Roman, Izaiah Williams and Ernest Campbell were the only other scholarship receivers for the Aggies who came back. 

The four transfer receivers A&M landed – KC Concepcion (NC State), Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and Jonah Wilson (Houston) – are collectively impressive on paper. But with Hudson stepping away from the team and Craver getting arrested, they are not off to an ideal start.

Former five-star recruit Jerome Myles leads the trio of incoming freshmen receivers for the Aggies, joining four-stars Kelshaun Johnson and Tristan Norman. Whether the Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon product will be ready to make a significant impact immediately, though, remains unclear. Myles will not arrive at A&M until June and suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his knee last August.

Elko also added a veteran coach, Rutgers senior analyst John Perry, to the Aggie receiver room this offseason. Assistant wide receivers coach is his title. The two have had a relationship since being on the same coaching staff at Hofstra in 2007, serving as the defensive and offensive coordinator, respectively.

Given his proven production, Concepcion will be expected to lead the group. How the rest of the unit shapes up is still to be determined.

First impression of the new-look defensive line

Like receiver, the defensive line group for the Aggies experienced quite a bit of turnover.

Their starting defensive ends last season, Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, opted to forgo their final season of eligibility as projected first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Another key loss, defensive tackle Shemar Turner, is expected to be drafted in the later rounds.

A&M also took a hit from a depth perspective. Top defensive tackle backup Rodas Getachew-Johnson expired his eligibility. Various other reserves departed via the portal: defensive ends Malick Sylla (Mississippi State) and Enai White, and defensive tackles Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (South Carolina) and Samu Taumanupepe (Baylor).

To help fill that void, the Aggies added four defensive line transfers: defensive ends Sam M'Pemba (Georgia), TJ Searcy (Florida) and Dayon Hayes (Colorado), and defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State). While M'Pemba spent his two seasons with the Bulldogs viewed as a project with high upside, Onyedim, Searcy and Hayes all bring proven production and experience.

Onyedim should make for a suitable option next to incumbent starting defensive tackle Albert Regis, who is coming off the best season of his A&M career. Fifth-year senior Cashius Howell and junior Rylan Kennedy, the top returning defensive ends for the Aggies, will be in the mix for significant roles while competing with Searcy, Hayes and M'Pemba.

This defensive line group might be far from establishing cemented roles. But this spring could be informative, particularly with answering whether A&M made enough moves to effectively replace all of the departures from its defensive line. The Aggies might need to prioritize transfer defensive linemen again during the 10-day portal window this spring, which begins April 16.

Avoid significant injuries

Perhaps the biggest goal with any spring football campaign is to remain healthy. It also is worth noting where A&M is from an injury standpoint going into its first spring practice.

Three starters for the Aggies – center Mark Nabou Jr. (lower leg vs. Notre Dame on Aug. 31), running back Le'Veon Moss (right knee vs. South Carolina on Nov. 2) and nickel Tyreek Chappell (knee in practice on Sept. 11) – are coming off season-ending injuries. Elko never offered a timetable for their return.

Several other scholarship players missed the Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC for undisclosed reasons, including four key contributors: running back Amari Daniels, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams, linebacker Scooby Williams and cornerback Will Lee III. After the game, Elko said Daniels underwent surgery and will miss four to six months. Reed-Adams wore a sling around his left arm during the game. Williams tore the meniscus in his knee during last season.

Two of the new transfers, quarterback Jacob Zeno (non-throwing shoulder) and defensive end Dayon Hayes (undisclosed), appeared in only four games last fall before suffering season-ending injuries.

Stay tuned for a more substantive injury update from Elko when he meets with the media Wednesday.

The Maroon and White Game lives!

Several major programs – including Texas, Florida State, Nebraska, Missouri and Ohio State – recently canceled their annual spring games this year for various reasons, including tampering concerns. While the Aggies will still hold their Maroon and White Game, the format for what has traditionally been an intrasquad scrimmage remains to be seen.

In its first Maroon and White Game under Elko last April, A&M emulated a real game with conventional scoring. Zuhn and linebacker Taurean York, the team captains last season, drafted players and coaches for the two Aggie teams.

Unlike last year, though, the Maroon and White Game this time will occur during the spring portal window (April 16-25). So to mitigate tampering and avoid having depth issues at certain positions throughout the scrimmage, A&M might opt to use a different format.

 

2 hours ago, nnm said:

Lunchpail types. Coaches on the field. The kind you’d like your daughter to date. High motor. Sneaky fast. Mercenaries.

FTFY You forgot an important one to add in the day of NIL. If they come to Texas or leave aggie "Mercenaries" is the new popular word for "not aggie mindset".

7 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Here's another sad update from the 247 team. This time, it's Carter Karels attempting to smear lipstick all over the porcine hulk that is the ATM 2025 football outlook and roster.

Highlights:

-WR is a total rebuild and that Concepcion guy better be the fucking balls, because it's a dumpster fire around them. Hudson is gone and the Craver guy is currently suspended due to a drug bust. 

-DL isn't in much better shape. Outside of Regis, it's also a total rebuild. They're relying on players from lesser programs or guys who haven't played much at better programs. I don't even think Hicks was mentioned in the article. 

-Elko will not discuss injuries, so that have no clue whether or not most of the injured players from 2024 are even going to play this spring. 

-Lots of dependency on scrubs named Zeno, Bisontis, and Crownover. 

Bottom line, ATM has an experienced, if mediocre, OL coming back, along with a bad LB room and an even worse secondary. And Marcel "The Man" Reed. TE, WR, TB, DE, DT are all either question marks or outright fucked. Inevitably, Liucci will make the rounds this summer and tout their experience and work to convince folks "not to sleep on ATM" and voters will take the bait, as always. They'll enter the year ranked and not have a fucking prayer of being in that spot at season's end. 

  Reveal hidden contents

Eight storylines for Texas A&M football going into its 2025 spring practices

The Texas A&M football team will hold its first of 15 spring practices Friday. Here are eight storylines surrounding the Aggies before they begin their second spring football campaign under coach Mike Elko.

Carter KarelsMar 18th, 7:00 AM5

The Texas A&M football team will hold its first of 15 spring practices Friday. Here are eight storylines surrounding the Aggies before they begin their second spring football campaign under coach Mike Elko, which will end on April 19 with the Maroon and White Game in Kyle Field.

Elko's plan to improve the defense

Fresh off a 35-31 loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl last December, Elko did not mince words about his defense. He said the group "can't defend the forward pass" and "(does) not understand how to play zone coverage" before expressing optimism about their outlook in 2025 and beyond.

"I won't watch a defense play like this ever again," Elko said.

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A&M certainly left a lot to be desired defensively late last season, contributing heavily to its 1-4 finish. The issues were all around for the Aggies, too. The group struggled with tackling, underachieved up front, proved to be porous against the run at times and committed a glaring number of coverage busts in the secondary.

In an attempt to clean up those problems, the defensive-minded Elko will now be more involved on that side of the ball. He also hired James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, who assumed the role of associate head coach (defense) and will collaborate with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jay Bateman.

With the way A&M holds limited and controlled viewing windows of its practices to the media, there might not be much to learn this spring about the new approach Elko devised. But a snapshot of the dynamic among Elko, Bateman and Hemphill should be insightful nonetheless.

Newcomers galore

Prepare to see a lot of fresh faces this spring. 

A&M added 14 scholarship players from the NCAA Transfer Portal over the winter. Of the 25 scholarship players the Aggies signed to their 2025 class, only one of them, five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles, did not enroll a semester early in January. Myles will arrive in June.

One of those transfers, wide receiver Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), stepped away from the team in January for undisclosed reasons. Another receiver transfer, Mario Craver (Mississippi State), was arrested by Texas A&M police earlier this month for possession of a penalty group 2 controlled substance between one to four grams. Their status with the team will likely be addressed when Elko holds a press conference Wednesday for the first time since the Las Vegas Bowl.

Of the 12 remaining transfers for the Aggies, receiver KC Concepcion (NC State) seems poised to make the biggest impact. He proved to be highly productive in his two seasons with the Wolfpack, recording a combined 124 catches for 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns while turning 60 carries into 356 yards and two scores. UAB quarterback transfer Jacob Zeno, who is expected to fill the backup role behind starter Marcel Reed, will be another player to watch.

Among the 24 early-enrolled freshmen, offensive tackle Lamont Rogers garnered the most hype from a recruiting rankings standpoint. The Mesquite (Texas) Horn product joined Myles as the two five-star recruits (per the 247Sports Composite) A&M signed in the 2025 cycle. The Aggies also signed two three-star quarterbacks: Brady Hart of Cocoa (Fla.) High and Eli Morcos of Montgomery (Texas) Lake Creek.

Marcel Reed is the man

For the first time in his career, Reed entered this offseason as the starter for the Aggies. It remains to be seen, though, what the next step looks like for the redshirt sophomore.

Reed showed promise last season, especially for a redshirt freshman and when considering he needed to unexpectedly replace an injured, struggling Conner Weigman. For a single season among freshmen in A&M history, Reed finished second in passing yards (1,864) and completions (147), third in passing touchdowns (15), tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns (seven) and 14th in rushing yards (547) despite making only eight starts.

Still, Reed could not produce enough to prevent the Aggies from collapsing late last fall. He also underwhelmed as a passer at times, particularly with his deep ball. Through 11 games, Reed never reached 300 passing yards. Among the 110 FBS quarterbacks who threw at least 35 passes of 20-plus yards from beyond the line of scrimmage (per Pro Football Focus), Reed ranked 97th in completion percentage (27.8%) and 98th in yards per attempt (9.4).

Fortunately for Reed, A&M will support him with a strong running back group and one of the more experienced offensive lines in the country. This spring will offer a glimpse of how much he benefits from those advantages.

Maroon Goons step into the spotlight

The Aggie offensive line seems ready to live up to their "Maroon Goons" nickname this fall. It will likely be their best offensive line since they finished as one of three finalists for the Joe Moore Award in 2020.

Under its offensive line coach, Adam Cushing, last season, A&M showed significant progress up front. Among FBS teams in each of their previous two seasons, the Aggies were 70th or worse in sacks allowed and outside the top 75 in rushing yards per game. They finished last season 12th in tackles for a loss allowed, 26th in rushing yards per game and 55th in sacks allowed.

All seven key contributors from that group returned to A&M after last season: left tackle Trey Zuhn III, left guard Chase Bisontis, centers Mark Nabou Jr. and Kolinu'u Faaiu, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams and right tackles Dametrious Crownover and Reuben Fatheree II. They bring significant experience collectively, combining to appear in 226 games with 156 starts in their careers.

Zuhn leads the unit and is coming off a third-team All-SEC season. He boasts the highest number of career starts for the Aggies, tallying 37 through 41 games. Reed-Adams might be the best prospect on the team for the 2026 NFL Draft. PFF ranked him as the best returning offensive guard in the country.

While Zuhn, Bisontis and Reed-Adams are expected to be entrenched as starters, the center and right tackle spots will be positions to watch. 

Nabou began last fall as the starting center but suffered a season-ending lower body injury in game one, paving the way for Faaiu to replace him. Crownover received most of the work at right tackle but shared some of his duties with Fatheree.

Who steps up at receiver?

The receiver position could be an issue for the Aggies.

No A&M player reached 600 receiving yards last season, and only one, receiver Noah Thomas, totaled at least 400. It marked the fifth straight season the Aggies did not have a player who recorded at least 800 receiving yards. 

Making matters worse, A&M lost an overwhelming majority of its receiver production after last season: 85.1% of receptions, 85.3% of receiving yards and 81.3% of receiving touchdowns.

Thomas, the towering 6-foot-6 red zone target who led the team in catches (39), receiving yards (574) and receiving touchdowns (eight), transferred to Georgia. Sophomore Terry Bussey is the only returning receiver who has at least five career receptions. Redshirt freshmen Ashton Bethel-Roman, Izaiah Williams and Ernest Campbell were the only other scholarship receivers for the Aggies who came back. 

The four transfer receivers A&M landed – KC Concepcion (NC State), Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and Jonah Wilson (Houston) – are collectively impressive on paper. But with Hudson stepping away from the team and Craver getting arrested, they are not off to an ideal start.

Former five-star recruit Jerome Myles leads the trio of incoming freshmen receivers for the Aggies, joining four-stars Kelshaun Johnson and Tristan Norman. Whether the Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon product will be ready to make a significant impact immediately, though, remains unclear. Myles will not arrive at A&M until June and suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his knee last August.

Elko also added a veteran coach, Rutgers senior analyst John Perry, to the Aggie receiver room this offseason. Assistant wide receivers coach is his title. The two have had a relationship since being on the same coaching staff at Hofstra in 2007, serving as the defensive and offensive coordinator, respectively.

Given his proven production, Concepcion will be expected to lead the group. How the rest of the unit shapes up is still to be determined.

First impression of the new-look defensive line

Like receiver, the defensive line group for the Aggies experienced quite a bit of turnover.

Their starting defensive ends last season, Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, opted to forgo their final season of eligibility as projected first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Another key loss, defensive tackle Shemar Turner, is expected to be drafted in the later rounds.

A&M also took a hit from a depth perspective. Top defensive tackle backup Rodas Getachew-Johnson expired his eligibility. Various other reserves departed via the portal: defensive ends Malick Sylla (Mississippi State) and Enai White, and defensive tackles Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (South Carolina) and Samu Taumanupepe (Baylor).

To help fill that void, the Aggies added four defensive line transfers: defensive ends Sam M'Pemba (Georgia), TJ Searcy (Florida) and Dayon Hayes (Colorado), and defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State). While M'Pemba spent his two seasons with the Bulldogs viewed as a project with high upside, Onyedim, Searcy and Hayes all bring proven production and experience.

Onyedim should make for a suitable option next to incumbent starting defensive tackle Albert Regis, who is coming off the best season of his A&M career. Fifth-year senior Cashius Howell and junior Rylan Kennedy, the top returning defensive ends for the Aggies, will be in the mix for significant roles while competing with Searcy, Hayes and M'Pemba.

This defensive line group might be far from establishing cemented roles. But this spring could be informative, particularly with answering whether A&M made enough moves to effectively replace all of the departures from its defensive line. The Aggies might need to prioritize transfer defensive linemen again during the 10-day portal window this spring, which begins April 16.

Avoid significant injuries

Perhaps the biggest goal with any spring football campaign is to remain healthy. It also is worth noting where A&M is from an injury standpoint going into its first spring practice.

Three starters for the Aggies – center Mark Nabou Jr. (lower leg vs. Notre Dame on Aug. 31), running back Le'Veon Moss (right knee vs. South Carolina on Nov. 2) and nickel Tyreek Chappell (knee in practice on Sept. 11) – are coming off season-ending injuries. Elko never offered a timetable for their return.

Several other scholarship players missed the Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC for undisclosed reasons, including four key contributors: running back Amari Daniels, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams, linebacker Scooby Williams and cornerback Will Lee III. After the game, Elko said Daniels underwent surgery and will miss four to six months. Reed-Adams wore a sling around his left arm during the game. Williams tore the meniscus in his knee during last season.

Two of the new transfers, quarterback Jacob Zeno (non-throwing shoulder) and defensive end Dayon Hayes (undisclosed), appeared in only four games last fall before suffering season-ending injuries.

Stay tuned for a more substantive injury update from Elko when he meets with the media Wednesday.

The Maroon and White Game lives!

Several major programs – including Texas, Florida State, Nebraska, Missouri and Ohio State – recently canceled their annual spring games this year for various reasons, including tampering concerns. While the Aggies will still hold their Maroon and White Game, the format for what has traditionally been an intrasquad scrimmage remains to be seen.

In its first Maroon and White Game under Elko last April, A&M emulated a real game with conventional scoring. Zuhn and linebacker Taurean York, the team captains last season, drafted players and coaches for the two Aggie teams.

Unlike last year, though, the Maroon and White Game this time will occur during the spring portal window (April 16-25). So to mitigate tampering and avoid having depth issues at certain positions throughout the scrimmage, A&M might opt to use a different format.

 

Sounds like the pile of shit that Sark inherited but with a lot more questions and JAGs.

@closetojumping much love for the synopsis of the dumpster fire. It still impresses me how voters are fooled, over and over again, into giving aggie the benefit of the doubt. Speaks to their overall knowledge about programs. Coach's eh.. they have other shit, I expect them to know fuck all preseason outside of opponents on their schedule. AP... fucking comical. 

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Here's another sad update from the 247 team. This time, it's Carter Karels attempting to smear lipstick all over the porcine hulk that is the ATM 2025 football outlook and roster.

Highlights:

-WR is a total rebuild and that Concepcion guy better be the fucking balls, because it's a dumpster fire around them. Hudson is gone and the Craver guy is currently suspended due to a drug bust. 

-DL isn't in much better shape. Outside of Regis, it's also a total rebuild. They're relying on players from lesser programs or guys who haven't played much at better programs. I don't even think Hicks was mentioned in the article. 

-Elko will not discuss injuries, so that have no clue whether or not most of the injured players from 2024 are even going to play this spring. 

-Lots of dependency on scrubs named Zeno, Bisontis, and Crownover. 

Bottom line, ATM has an experienced, if mediocre, OL coming back, along with a bad LB room and an even worse secondary. And Marcel "The Man" Reed. TE, WR, TB, DE, DT are all either question marks or outright fucked. Inevitably, Liucci will make the rounds this summer and tout their experience and work to convince folks "not to sleep on ATM" and voters will take the bait, as always. They'll enter the year ranked and not have a fucking prayer of being in that spot at season's end. 

  Reveal hidden contents

Eight storylines for Texas A&M football going into its 2025 spring practices

The Texas A&M football team will hold its first of 15 spring practices Friday. Here are eight storylines surrounding the Aggies before they begin their second spring football campaign under coach Mike Elko.

Carter KarelsMar 18th, 7:00 AM5

The Texas A&M football team will hold its first of 15 spring practices Friday. Here are eight storylines surrounding the Aggies before they begin their second spring football campaign under coach Mike Elko, which will end on April 19 with the Maroon and White Game in Kyle Field.

Elko's plan to improve the defense

Fresh off a 35-31 loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl last December, Elko did not mince words about his defense. He said the group "can't defend the forward pass" and "(does) not understand how to play zone coverage" before expressing optimism about their outlook in 2025 and beyond.

"I won't watch a defense play like this ever again," Elko said.

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A&M certainly left a lot to be desired defensively late last season, contributing heavily to its 1-4 finish. The issues were all around for the Aggies, too. The group struggled with tackling, underachieved up front, proved to be porous against the run at times and committed a glaring number of coverage busts in the secondary.

In an attempt to clean up those problems, the defensive-minded Elko will now be more involved on that side of the ball. He also hired James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, who assumed the role of associate head coach (defense) and will collaborate with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jay Bateman.

With the way A&M holds limited and controlled viewing windows of its practices to the media, there might not be much to learn this spring about the new approach Elko devised. But a snapshot of the dynamic among Elko, Bateman and Hemphill should be insightful nonetheless.

Newcomers galore

Prepare to see a lot of fresh faces this spring. 

A&M added 14 scholarship players from the NCAA Transfer Portal over the winter. Of the 25 scholarship players the Aggies signed to their 2025 class, only one of them, five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles, did not enroll a semester early in January. Myles will arrive in June.

One of those transfers, wide receiver Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), stepped away from the team in January for undisclosed reasons. Another receiver transfer, Mario Craver (Mississippi State), was arrested by Texas A&M police earlier this month for possession of a penalty group 2 controlled substance between one to four grams. Their status with the team will likely be addressed when Elko holds a press conference Wednesday for the first time since the Las Vegas Bowl.

Of the 12 remaining transfers for the Aggies, receiver KC Concepcion (NC State) seems poised to make the biggest impact. He proved to be highly productive in his two seasons with the Wolfpack, recording a combined 124 catches for 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns while turning 60 carries into 356 yards and two scores. UAB quarterback transfer Jacob Zeno, who is expected to fill the backup role behind starter Marcel Reed, will be another player to watch.

Among the 24 early-enrolled freshmen, offensive tackle Lamont Rogers garnered the most hype from a recruiting rankings standpoint. The Mesquite (Texas) Horn product joined Myles as the two five-star recruits (per the 247Sports Composite) A&M signed in the 2025 cycle. The Aggies also signed two three-star quarterbacks: Brady Hart of Cocoa (Fla.) High and Eli Morcos of Montgomery (Texas) Lake Creek.

Marcel Reed is the man

For the first time in his career, Reed entered this offseason as the starter for the Aggies. It remains to be seen, though, what the next step looks like for the redshirt sophomore.

Reed showed promise last season, especially for a redshirt freshman and when considering he needed to unexpectedly replace an injured, struggling Conner Weigman. For a single season among freshmen in A&M history, Reed finished second in passing yards (1,864) and completions (147), third in passing touchdowns (15), tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns (seven) and 14th in rushing yards (547) despite making only eight starts.

Still, Reed could not produce enough to prevent the Aggies from collapsing late last fall. He also underwhelmed as a passer at times, particularly with his deep ball. Through 11 games, Reed never reached 300 passing yards. Among the 110 FBS quarterbacks who threw at least 35 passes of 20-plus yards from beyond the line of scrimmage (per Pro Football Focus), Reed ranked 97th in completion percentage (27.8%) and 98th in yards per attempt (9.4).

Fortunately for Reed, A&M will support him with a strong running back group and one of the more experienced offensive lines in the country. This spring will offer a glimpse of how much he benefits from those advantages.

Maroon Goons step into the spotlight

The Aggie offensive line seems ready to live up to their "Maroon Goons" nickname this fall. It will likely be their best offensive line since they finished as one of three finalists for the Joe Moore Award in 2020.

Under its offensive line coach, Adam Cushing, last season, A&M showed significant progress up front. Among FBS teams in each of their previous two seasons, the Aggies were 70th or worse in sacks allowed and outside the top 75 in rushing yards per game. They finished last season 12th in tackles for a loss allowed, 26th in rushing yards per game and 55th in sacks allowed.

All seven key contributors from that group returned to A&M after last season: left tackle Trey Zuhn III, left guard Chase Bisontis, centers Mark Nabou Jr. and Kolinu'u Faaiu, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams and right tackles Dametrious Crownover and Reuben Fatheree II. They bring significant experience collectively, combining to appear in 226 games with 156 starts in their careers.

Zuhn leads the unit and is coming off a third-team All-SEC season. He boasts the highest number of career starts for the Aggies, tallying 37 through 41 games. Reed-Adams might be the best prospect on the team for the 2026 NFL Draft. PFF ranked him as the best returning offensive guard in the country.

While Zuhn, Bisontis and Reed-Adams are expected to be entrenched as starters, the center and right tackle spots will be positions to watch. 

Nabou began last fall as the starting center but suffered a season-ending lower body injury in game one, paving the way for Faaiu to replace him. Crownover received most of the work at right tackle but shared some of his duties with Fatheree.

Who steps up at receiver?

The receiver position could be an issue for the Aggies.

No A&M player reached 600 receiving yards last season, and only one, receiver Noah Thomas, totaled at least 400. It marked the fifth straight season the Aggies did not have a player who recorded at least 800 receiving yards. 

Making matters worse, A&M lost an overwhelming majority of its receiver production after last season: 85.1% of receptions, 85.3% of receiving yards and 81.3% of receiving touchdowns.

Thomas, the towering 6-foot-6 red zone target who led the team in catches (39), receiving yards (574) and receiving touchdowns (eight), transferred to Georgia. Sophomore Terry Bussey is the only returning receiver who has at least five career receptions. Redshirt freshmen Ashton Bethel-Roman, Izaiah Williams and Ernest Campbell were the only other scholarship receivers for the Aggies who came back. 

The four transfer receivers A&M landed – KC Concepcion (NC State), Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and Jonah Wilson (Houston) – are collectively impressive on paper. But with Hudson stepping away from the team and Craver getting arrested, they are not off to an ideal start.

Former five-star recruit Jerome Myles leads the trio of incoming freshmen receivers for the Aggies, joining four-stars Kelshaun Johnson and Tristan Norman. Whether the Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon product will be ready to make a significant impact immediately, though, remains unclear. Myles will not arrive at A&M until June and suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his knee last August.

Elko also added a veteran coach, Rutgers senior analyst John Perry, to the Aggie receiver room this offseason. Assistant wide receivers coach is his title. The two have had a relationship since being on the same coaching staff at Hofstra in 2007, serving as the defensive and offensive coordinator, respectively.

Given his proven production, Concepcion will be expected to lead the group. How the rest of the unit shapes up is still to be determined.

First impression of the new-look defensive line

Like receiver, the defensive line group for the Aggies experienced quite a bit of turnover.

Their starting defensive ends last season, Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, opted to forgo their final season of eligibility as projected first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Another key loss, defensive tackle Shemar Turner, is expected to be drafted in the later rounds.

A&M also took a hit from a depth perspective. Top defensive tackle backup Rodas Getachew-Johnson expired his eligibility. Various other reserves departed via the portal: defensive ends Malick Sylla (Mississippi State) and Enai White, and defensive tackles Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (South Carolina) and Samu Taumanupepe (Baylor).

To help fill that void, the Aggies added four defensive line transfers: defensive ends Sam M'Pemba (Georgia), TJ Searcy (Florida) and Dayon Hayes (Colorado), and defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State). While M'Pemba spent his two seasons with the Bulldogs viewed as a project with high upside, Onyedim, Searcy and Hayes all bring proven production and experience.

Onyedim should make for a suitable option next to incumbent starting defensive tackle Albert Regis, who is coming off the best season of his A&M career. Fifth-year senior Cashius Howell and junior Rylan Kennedy, the top returning defensive ends for the Aggies, will be in the mix for significant roles while competing with Searcy, Hayes and M'Pemba.

This defensive line group might be far from establishing cemented roles. But this spring could be informative, particularly with answering whether A&M made enough moves to effectively replace all of the departures from its defensive line. The Aggies might need to prioritize transfer defensive linemen again during the 10-day portal window this spring, which begins April 16.

Avoid significant injuries

Perhaps the biggest goal with any spring football campaign is to remain healthy. It also is worth noting where A&M is from an injury standpoint going into its first spring practice.

Three starters for the Aggies – center Mark Nabou Jr. (lower leg vs. Notre Dame on Aug. 31), running back Le'Veon Moss (right knee vs. South Carolina on Nov. 2) and nickel Tyreek Chappell (knee in practice on Sept. 11) – are coming off season-ending injuries. Elko never offered a timetable for their return.

Several other scholarship players missed the Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC for undisclosed reasons, including four key contributors: running back Amari Daniels, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams, linebacker Scooby Williams and cornerback Will Lee III. After the game, Elko said Daniels underwent surgery and will miss four to six months. Reed-Adams wore a sling around his left arm during the game. Williams tore the meniscus in his knee during last season.

Two of the new transfers, quarterback Jacob Zeno (non-throwing shoulder) and defensive end Dayon Hayes (undisclosed), appeared in only four games last fall before suffering season-ending injuries.

Stay tuned for a more substantive injury update from Elko when he meets with the media Wednesday.

The Maroon and White Game lives!

Several major programs – including Texas, Florida State, Nebraska, Missouri and Ohio State – recently canceled their annual spring games this year for various reasons, including tampering concerns. While the Aggies will still hold their Maroon and White Game, the format for what has traditionally been an intrasquad scrimmage remains to be seen.

In its first Maroon and White Game under Elko last April, A&M emulated a real game with conventional scoring. Zuhn and linebacker Taurean York, the team captains last season, drafted players and coaches for the two Aggie teams.

Unlike last year, though, the Maroon and White Game this time will occur during the spring portal window (April 16-25). So to mitigate tampering and avoid having depth issues at certain positions throughout the scrimmage, A&M might opt to use a different format.

 

shame.gif | BigFooty Forum

Innovation at A&M. Look and learn, ye lesser programs!

image.png.04991b9561ae59598bebcd0f098a886f.png

Here's a biggy:

image.png.d5c7de9fff02ca355600413df5e9c909.png

The plan? It's pretty complicated. I hope you can understand it.


image.png.380b7d070a3ee693bc1f1e4349013d75.png

I'm scared.

image.png.b4f6f34081bd17d0cdade00476f7e03a.png

They're wearing this notion of the importance of Reed being the announced starter thus receiving more reps and improving beyond your wildest dreams completely out. He was just a baby when he went in for the Aggies. A little baby.

image.png.9c7f25a402c3830206cae081d9f050ab.png

Widely known, but I laughed at the below as an example of understatement in the name of copium.

image.png.0d83e50c4f7d18423d18b563f2c6d235.png

But so close to one. So close.

A last revelatory goal.

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I guess somebody told him he absolutely had to have eight storylines. He likely negotiated down from 12.

Edited by RomaVicta

6 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Here's another sad update from the 247 team. This time, it's Carter Karels attempting to smear lipstick all over the porcine hulk that is the ATM 2025 football outlook and roster.

Highlights:

-WR is a total rebuild and that Concepcion guy better be the fucking balls, because it's a dumpster fire around them. Hudson is gone and the Craver guy is currently suspended due to a drug bust. 

-DL isn't in much better shape. Outside of Regis, it's also a total rebuild. They're relying on players from lesser programs or guys who haven't played much at better programs. I don't even think Hicks was mentioned in the article. 

-Elko will not discuss injuries, so that have no clue whether or not most of the injured players from 2024 are even going to play this spring. 

-Lots of dependency on scrubs named Zeno, Bisontis, and Crownover. 

Bottom line, ATM has an experienced, if mediocre, OL coming back, along with a bad LB room and an even worse secondary. And Marcel "The Man" Reed. TE, WR, TB, DE, DT are all either question marks or outright fucked. Inevitably, Liucci will make the rounds this summer and tout their experience and work to convince folks "not to sleep on ATM" and voters will take the bait, as always. They'll enter the year ranked and not have a fucking prayer of being in that spot at season's end. 

  Reveal hidden contents

Eight storylines for Texas A&M football going into its 2025 spring practices

The Texas A&M football team will hold its first of 15 spring practices Friday. Here are eight storylines surrounding the Aggies before they begin their second spring football campaign under coach Mike Elko.

Carter KarelsMar 18th, 7:00 AM5

The Texas A&M football team will hold its first of 15 spring practices Friday. Here are eight storylines surrounding the Aggies before they begin their second spring football campaign under coach Mike Elko, which will end on April 19 with the Maroon and White Game in Kyle Field.

Elko's plan to improve the defense

Fresh off a 35-31 loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl last December, Elko did not mince words about his defense. He said the group "can't defend the forward pass" and "(does) not understand how to play zone coverage" before expressing optimism about their outlook in 2025 and beyond.

"I won't watch a defense play like this ever again," Elko said.

The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard

A&M certainly left a lot to be desired defensively late last season, contributing heavily to its 1-4 finish. The issues were all around for the Aggies, too. The group struggled with tackling, underachieved up front, proved to be porous against the run at times and committed a glaring number of coverage busts in the secondary.

In an attempt to clean up those problems, the defensive-minded Elko will now be more involved on that side of the ball. He also hired James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, who assumed the role of associate head coach (defense) and will collaborate with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jay Bateman.

With the way A&M holds limited and controlled viewing windows of its practices to the media, there might not be much to learn this spring about the new approach Elko devised. But a snapshot of the dynamic among Elko, Bateman and Hemphill should be insightful nonetheless.

Newcomers galore

Prepare to see a lot of fresh faces this spring. 

A&M added 14 scholarship players from the NCAA Transfer Portal over the winter. Of the 25 scholarship players the Aggies signed to their 2025 class, only one of them, five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles, did not enroll a semester early in January. Myles will arrive in June.

One of those transfers, wide receiver Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), stepped away from the team in January for undisclosed reasons. Another receiver transfer, Mario Craver (Mississippi State), was arrested by Texas A&M police earlier this month for possession of a penalty group 2 controlled substance between one to four grams. Their status with the team will likely be addressed when Elko holds a press conference Wednesday for the first time since the Las Vegas Bowl.

Of the 12 remaining transfers for the Aggies, receiver KC Concepcion (NC State) seems poised to make the biggest impact. He proved to be highly productive in his two seasons with the Wolfpack, recording a combined 124 catches for 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns while turning 60 carries into 356 yards and two scores. UAB quarterback transfer Jacob Zeno, who is expected to fill the backup role behind starter Marcel Reed, will be another player to watch.

Among the 24 early-enrolled freshmen, offensive tackle Lamont Rogers garnered the most hype from a recruiting rankings standpoint. The Mesquite (Texas) Horn product joined Myles as the two five-star recruits (per the 247Sports Composite) A&M signed in the 2025 cycle. The Aggies also signed two three-star quarterbacks: Brady Hart of Cocoa (Fla.) High and Eli Morcos of Montgomery (Texas) Lake Creek.

Marcel Reed is the man

For the first time in his career, Reed entered this offseason as the starter for the Aggies. It remains to be seen, though, what the next step looks like for the redshirt sophomore.

Reed showed promise last season, especially for a redshirt freshman and when considering he needed to unexpectedly replace an injured, struggling Conner Weigman. For a single season among freshmen in A&M history, Reed finished second in passing yards (1,864) and completions (147), third in passing touchdowns (15), tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns (seven) and 14th in rushing yards (547) despite making only eight starts.

Still, Reed could not produce enough to prevent the Aggies from collapsing late last fall. He also underwhelmed as a passer at times, particularly with his deep ball. Through 11 games, Reed never reached 300 passing yards. Among the 110 FBS quarterbacks who threw at least 35 passes of 20-plus yards from beyond the line of scrimmage (per Pro Football Focus), Reed ranked 97th in completion percentage (27.8%) and 98th in yards per attempt (9.4).

Fortunately for Reed, A&M will support him with a strong running back group and one of the more experienced offensive lines in the country. This spring will offer a glimpse of how much he benefits from those advantages.

Maroon Goons step into the spotlight

The Aggie offensive line seems ready to live up to their "Maroon Goons" nickname this fall. It will likely be their best offensive line since they finished as one of three finalists for the Joe Moore Award in 2020.

Under its offensive line coach, Adam Cushing, last season, A&M showed significant progress up front. Among FBS teams in each of their previous two seasons, the Aggies were 70th or worse in sacks allowed and outside the top 75 in rushing yards per game. They finished last season 12th in tackles for a loss allowed, 26th in rushing yards per game and 55th in sacks allowed.

All seven key contributors from that group returned to A&M after last season: left tackle Trey Zuhn III, left guard Chase Bisontis, centers Mark Nabou Jr. and Kolinu'u Faaiu, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams and right tackles Dametrious Crownover and Reuben Fatheree II. They bring significant experience collectively, combining to appear in 226 games with 156 starts in their careers.

Zuhn leads the unit and is coming off a third-team All-SEC season. He boasts the highest number of career starts for the Aggies, tallying 37 through 41 games. Reed-Adams might be the best prospect on the team for the 2026 NFL Draft. PFF ranked him as the best returning offensive guard in the country.

While Zuhn, Bisontis and Reed-Adams are expected to be entrenched as starters, the center and right tackle spots will be positions to watch. 

Nabou began last fall as the starting center but suffered a season-ending lower body injury in game one, paving the way for Faaiu to replace him. Crownover received most of the work at right tackle but shared some of his duties with Fatheree.

Who steps up at receiver?

The receiver position could be an issue for the Aggies.

No A&M player reached 600 receiving yards last season, and only one, receiver Noah Thomas, totaled at least 400. It marked the fifth straight season the Aggies did not have a player who recorded at least 800 receiving yards. 

Making matters worse, A&M lost an overwhelming majority of its receiver production after last season: 85.1% of receptions, 85.3% of receiving yards and 81.3% of receiving touchdowns.

Thomas, the towering 6-foot-6 red zone target who led the team in catches (39), receiving yards (574) and receiving touchdowns (eight), transferred to Georgia. Sophomore Terry Bussey is the only returning receiver who has at least five career receptions. Redshirt freshmen Ashton Bethel-Roman, Izaiah Williams and Ernest Campbell were the only other scholarship receivers for the Aggies who came back. 

The four transfer receivers A&M landed – KC Concepcion (NC State), Micah Hudson (Texas Tech), Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and Jonah Wilson (Houston) – are collectively impressive on paper. But with Hudson stepping away from the team and Craver getting arrested, they are not off to an ideal start.

Former five-star recruit Jerome Myles leads the trio of incoming freshmen receivers for the Aggies, joining four-stars Kelshaun Johnson and Tristan Norman. Whether the Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon product will be ready to make a significant impact immediately, though, remains unclear. Myles will not arrive at A&M until June and suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his knee last August.

Elko also added a veteran coach, Rutgers senior analyst John Perry, to the Aggie receiver room this offseason. Assistant wide receivers coach is his title. The two have had a relationship since being on the same coaching staff at Hofstra in 2007, serving as the defensive and offensive coordinator, respectively.

Given his proven production, Concepcion will be expected to lead the group. How the rest of the unit shapes up is still to be determined.

First impression of the new-look defensive line

Like receiver, the defensive line group for the Aggies experienced quite a bit of turnover.

Their starting defensive ends last season, Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, opted to forgo their final season of eligibility as projected first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Another key loss, defensive tackle Shemar Turner, is expected to be drafted in the later rounds.

A&M also took a hit from a depth perspective. Top defensive tackle backup Rodas Getachew-Johnson expired his eligibility. Various other reserves departed via the portal: defensive ends Malick Sylla (Mississippi State) and Enai White, and defensive tackles Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (South Carolina) and Samu Taumanupepe (Baylor).

To help fill that void, the Aggies added four defensive line transfers: defensive ends Sam M'Pemba (Georgia), TJ Searcy (Florida) and Dayon Hayes (Colorado), and defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State). While M'Pemba spent his two seasons with the Bulldogs viewed as a project with high upside, Onyedim, Searcy and Hayes all bring proven production and experience.

Onyedim should make for a suitable option next to incumbent starting defensive tackle Albert Regis, who is coming off the best season of his A&M career. Fifth-year senior Cashius Howell and junior Rylan Kennedy, the top returning defensive ends for the Aggies, will be in the mix for significant roles while competing with Searcy, Hayes and M'Pemba.

This defensive line group might be far from establishing cemented roles. But this spring could be informative, particularly with answering whether A&M made enough moves to effectively replace all of the departures from its defensive line. The Aggies might need to prioritize transfer defensive linemen again during the 10-day portal window this spring, which begins April 16.

Avoid significant injuries

Perhaps the biggest goal with any spring football campaign is to remain healthy. It also is worth noting where A&M is from an injury standpoint going into its first spring practice.

Three starters for the Aggies – center Mark Nabou Jr. (lower leg vs. Notre Dame on Aug. 31), running back Le'Veon Moss (right knee vs. South Carolina on Nov. 2) and nickel Tyreek Chappell (knee in practice on Sept. 11) – are coming off season-ending injuries. Elko never offered a timetable for their return.

Several other scholarship players missed the Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC for undisclosed reasons, including four key contributors: running back Amari Daniels, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams, linebacker Scooby Williams and cornerback Will Lee III. After the game, Elko said Daniels underwent surgery and will miss four to six months. Reed-Adams wore a sling around his left arm during the game. Williams tore the meniscus in his knee during last season.

Two of the new transfers, quarterback Jacob Zeno (non-throwing shoulder) and defensive end Dayon Hayes (undisclosed), appeared in only four games last fall before suffering season-ending injuries.

Stay tuned for a more substantive injury update from Elko when he meets with the media Wednesday.

The Maroon and White Game lives!

Several major programs – including Texas, Florida State, Nebraska, Missouri and Ohio State – recently canceled their annual spring games this year for various reasons, including tampering concerns. While the Aggies will still hold their Maroon and White Game, the format for what has traditionally been an intrasquad scrimmage remains to be seen.

In its first Maroon and White Game under Elko last April, A&M emulated a real game with conventional scoring. Zuhn and linebacker Taurean York, the team captains last season, drafted players and coaches for the two Aggie teams.

Unlike last year, though, the Maroon and White Game this time will occur during the spring portal window (April 16-25). So to mitigate tampering and avoid having depth issues at certain positions throughout the scrimmage, A&M might opt to use a different format.

 

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I hope Sark is up for the challenge of facing a defense coached exclusively by The Elk. Many teams have tried, few have succeeded.

As long as Elko isn't defending the buffet at Golden Corral, I think Sark will be just fine.

18 minutes ago, Deej said:

As long as Elko isn't defending the buffet at Golden Corral, I think Sark will be just fine.

Like he’d ever turn his back to it

3 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

Widely known, but I laughed at the below as an example of understatement in the name of copium.

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But so close to one. So close.

A last revelatory goal.

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I guess somebody told him he absolutely had to have eight storylines. He likely negotiated down from 12.

So, on the WR post, I find it extremely amusing that he include Micah Hudson in the aspect of being "collectively impressive on paper" (whatever the fuck that means) and in the next breath notes Micah Hudson is "Stepping away from the team" (Nice word choices there). So.. uh, why did you mention him in the last sentence, dumb fuck??

Next, he talks about avoiding significant injuries as important. A) My god what an astute observation B) I am not exactly an aggie insider, but I know Da Elk keeps injury info tighter than the CiCi manager's asshole when Elk marches in for a sit down. So... good luck being up to speed on that aspect moving forward. It was good to know spring practice has started, I guess, considering nobody has a clue who is or isn't, well.... participating.. aside from Micah... 

Edited by BurntEyes

4 minutes ago, Scholz said:

So is Marcel Reed THAT guy?

Until he isn’t. O/U until he isn’t? I set it at week 4, after the Auburn game. He’ll be forgiven for a loss to ND, but not to AU. Someone else will be that guy after beating MissSU. 

  • Popular Post

First spring practice update. It's both funny and sad. Highlights and then article in spoilers:

-Elko remains fully butt-clenched with reporters in terms of anything they can actually report. Reading between the lines, there also continues to be conveyed a sense of pravda-level oversight in terms of even the comments the writers can make about the team as they watch practice.

-Marcel Reed already looks way better, while throwing against no defense. 

-The Zeno guy continues to be touted as an amazing back-up at QB.

-Concepcion is going to catch 110 passes for 800 yards. 

-Some no one named Bethel-Roman isn't good enough to crack the starting line-up at WR, but boy, he's someone to watch out for, I'm telling ya. 

-Moss and Daniels are out for the spring. Reuben Owens is dutifully following the Elko S&C requirements of gaining as much weight as possible during the offseason. He's trending towards legitimate fatass at TB per eyewitness accounts. Karels spins it well here. 

-The TEs are all 6'5" and over 250 except Niblack. They're all slower than molasses and can't block or catch for shit.

-The OLs looked super impressive while standing around and doing nothing while the press was present. 

Spoiler

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M football team returned to the two outdoor Coolidge Practice Fields for its first of 15 spring practices Friday. GigEm247 and the other media members in attendance were permitted to observe, film video and take pictures for the first five periods (approximately 30 minutes) of the practice before leaving. Our practice highlights can be found here.

Given the limited and controlled viewing window, along with the restrictions on what the media can report, there were not a lot of significant takeaways from the practice. The Aggies were not in full pads, so they were not tackling. Media members also were not able to see them in any competitive settings like one-on-one drills, seven-on-seven work or 11-on-11 action. 

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Still, there were a several notable observations that came from watching the first five periods. GigEm247 exclusively watched the offense. Here are some notes from the practice and position-by-position thoughts and takeaways.

Injury reminder

A&M coach Mike Elko ruled out eight injured players for the spring: linebacker Scooby Williams, cornerbacks Tyreek Chappell, Jayvon Thomas and Jamar Beal-Goines, offensive linemen Ar'maj Reed-Adams and Joshua Moses, and running backs Le'Veon Moss and Amari Daniels. 

Elko did not disclose the nature of their injuries or offer an exact timetable for when they are expected to return.

What happened in the first five periods

During the first period, the quarterbacks and the offensive linemen were outdoors while the running backs, wide receivers and tight ends were still working in the Coolidge Football Performance Center. The quarterbacks warmed up, throwing short passes to each other. The offensive linemen were working with their position coach, Adam Cushing. 

The running backs, receivers and tight ends joined the quarterbacks and offensive linemen for the second period and beyond. During the second period, they divided into multiple groups of 11 to run plays with tempo against air. 

The next three periods saw the offensive line go through position drills. The running backs, receivers and tight ends spent that time either taking part in position drills or running routes against air before catching passes from the quarterbacks.

Position-by-position takeaways

• Quarterback: It is hard to take much from the quarterbacks throwing against air, especially because most of their passes were from a short or intermediate range. Still, there is plenty to like about this group.

For starters, the offseason work Marcel Reed has done with private trainer Thomas Morris of QB Country is clearly paying off. Reed looked smoother and quicker than he has ever been from a mechanics standpoint. I do not recall seeing any of his throws being off-target either, but again, they were merely against air.

Reed said Wednesday he aims to complete at least 70% of his passes this fall. It is a lofty ambition, considering only seven FBS quarterbacks achieved that feat last season while he finished with a 61.3% rate. Still, with more experience and what should be a better situation for him this season, Reed upping his completion percentage and overall game seems likely. By how much, though, remains the question.

UAB transfer Jacob Zeno brings significant experience and proven production, making him an ideal backup. He is most known for his accuracy, though he badly misfired a routine five-yard stop route to tight end Nate Boerkircher against air. Without seeing him in a live setting, Zeno is not as easy to judge because the biggest knock on him is his tendency to get happy feet in the pocket. 

After this season, Zeno will expire his eligibility and leave A&M in need of a backup again (assuming Reed returns as the starter). But the Aggies remarkably have three other quarterbacks on scholarship who could step up in the future: redshirt freshman Miles O'Neill and early-enrolled freshmen Brady Hart and Eli Morcos.

O'Neill looks every bit of his listed measurables, coming in at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. He might not be the most mobile quarterback, but his arm strength stands out. As two newcomers in their first semester of college, Hart and Garcia understandably still have a lot of room to grow. From what I saw, Hart had the worst pass of the practice. He badly overthrew walk-on receiver Chase Burton on a five-yard stop route to the boundary side by the numbers.

• Receiver: Get ready to hear the name K.C. Concepcion quite often. Among the 38 scholarship players A&M added to its roster ahead of this spring, the NC State transfer should have the most impactful 2025 campaign. His past production suggests he will be the top receiver for the Aggies, which is needed after they lost almost all of their key contributors. 

Listed at 5-11, 190 pounds, Concepcion is not the type of receiver who will frequently snag 50-50 balls in traffic like the 6-6 Noah Thomas did. He is most effective in the short and intermediate range, using his compact frame, quickness and overall explosiveness to break tackles and make plays in space.

Mississippi State transfer Mario Craver, sophomore Terry Bussey and redshirt freshman Ashton Bethel-Roman are among other receivers to watch.

The 5-10, 165-pound Craver is almost exclusively a burner, leading the Bulldogs with 21.6 yards per catch last season. Vertical speed is probably the biggest ingredient A&M lacked among its receiving corps last season, so Craver should be a welcome addition.

Bussey seems poised for a noticeable second-year jump. Compared to last season, his circumstances now are much better. I am not sure if anyone ever reported this, but he underwent a procedure on his knee last offseason and did not practice with the Aggies until August. He also spent almost half of preseason camp at defensive back before moving to receiver. Yet, Bussey still made an impact as a true freshman. Now imagine the progress he could make with a healthy offseason while developing as a full-time receiver.

Keep an eye on Bethel-Roman. He is someone who continues to receive plenty of buzz. I am not sure Bethel-Roman will ultimately surpass the likes of Concepcion, Craver and Bussey this season, but he is talented enough to emerge as a key contributor.

• Running back: Nothing with this position group stood out more than Rueben Owens II and the 10 pounds he added to his frame since last fall, which brought him to 6-0, 215. 

The redshirt sophomore looked noticeably bigger, which should serve him well because he previously struggled to fight through contact at times. It also might help Owens be more durable. He is coming off a significant left foot injury, which kept him out for the first 10 games last season.

With Moss and Daniels sidelined with injuries, all eyes will be on Owens this spring. Now, it is difficult to imagine Owens surpassing a second-team All-SEC selection, in Moss, this offseason. However, what Owens does this season will be important for the future. Moss, Daniels and reserve E.J. Smith will all expire their eligibility after this fall, paving the way for Owens to potentially be the top option in 2026. 

Early-enrolled freshman Jamarion Morrow also caught my eye. His hands are impressive for a freshman. I could see him being used as a receiving back of sorts at some point.

• Tight end: The size of this unit certainly stands out. Four of the six scholarship tight ends for the Aggies – Kiotti Armstrong (6-6, 265), Theo Melin Öhrström (6-6, 260), Micah Riley (6-5, 260) and Nate Boerkircher (6-5, 250) – are all at least 6-5, 250. 

A&M added all but Melin Öhrström from that group this offseason, signing Armstrong to its 2025 class while picking up Riley (Auburn) and Boerkircher (Nebraska) via the transfer portal. Their size could be useful, because the tight ends for the Aggies left a lot to be desired in run blocking last season. Though, Melin Öhrström played a role in those struggles.

Texas transfer Amari Niblack, another offseason addition at the position, is the most proven pass catcher among A&M tight ends. He looked like the smoothest, quickest tight end when running routes against air.

Melin Öhrström flashed as well, though, and showed noticeable improvement with his hands and overall route running. As the only scholarship tight end for the Aggies who returned to them after last season, Melin Öhrström could be ready for another jump. His chemistry with Reed might be better than any other player on the team.

• Offensive line: What a difference a couple years makes. At this time two years ago, the Aggies could not have been in a much worse place up front. They were coming off one of their worst offensive line seasons in recent memory, accumulated glaring roster management issues at the position group and continued to be plagued by injuries. One former A&M offensive lineman, Kam Dewberry, even left a spring practice out of frustration. 

But now, this might be the best position group for the Aggies.

All seven key contributors from the unit are back: left tackle Trey Zuhn III, left guard Chase Bisontis, centers Mark Nabou Jr. and Kolinu'u Faaiu, right guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams and right tackles Dametrious Crownover and Reuben Fatheree II. They bring significant experience collectively, combining to appear in 226 games with 156 starts in their careers.

From a numbers perspective, A&M had more than 20 offensive linemen available at practice Friday. Two years ago, the Aggies would sometimes have only a single-digit number of offensive linemen cleared to practice. So this group felt even bigger than they already are.

Without seeing them in any one-on-one work or other competitive settings Friday, there is not much to analyze about what this group showed. The two position battles to watch, though, are Nabou and Faaiu at center and Crownover and Fatheree at right tackle.

 

  • Popular Post

This might be the funniest thing I've read all week:

Texas transfer Amari Niblack, another offseason addition at the position, is the most proven pass catcher among A&M tight ends. He looked like the smoothest, quickest tight end when running routes against air.

Ouch, doesn't sound like a very useful practice.  QBs throwing to each other? But they may lead the SEC in starters with odd apostrophes or hyphens in names, so they have that going for them. 

14 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Given the limited and controlled viewing window, along with the restrictions on what the media can report, there were not a lot of significant takeaways from the practice.

This little passive aggressive comment was amazing. Kearls seems to hate Elko.

5 hours ago, hornlife said:

Ouch, doesn't sound like a very useful practice.  QBs throwing to each other? But they may lead the SEC in starters with odd apostrophes or hyphens in names, so they have that going for them. 

Well, man, they are absolutely stellar against air which clearly means SEC ready. Sad you don't know that fact.

Their team has warm bodies with functioning arms and legs. That’s all it ever takes for those Jethros to get amped up every offseason.

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