SEC Preview: Will Texas A&M finally succeed?

 

 

 

Last year, Texas A&M was the most interesting conversation in the SEC.

After their win over Florida, we all asked the question: “Should they be in the play-off?”. We questioned Ohio State’s credentials. We argued to death about Notre Dame prior to the Irish getting the green kicked out of them by Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.

Sadly, the Aggies didn’t go the Play-Off – which they arguably deserved ahead 7-0 Ohio State – and there we remained asking more questions.

So in 2021, will they finally succeed on reaching Everest?

OFFENSE

Although he had his issues in his game against Vanderbilt, Kellen Mond came on as quite the leader in 2020 for the Aggies, finishing with an excellent season, throwing for 19 TDs and 3 INTs and 2,282 yards. He also rushed for 294 yards and 4 TDs.

But he’s gone to the NFL to Minnesota (where he’s QB4 and recently been out with COVID) , and now it’s up to sophomore Zach Calzada and frosh Haynes King to win it out.

“Zach is an NFL talent,” said A&M coach Jimbo Fisher at a recent event, “(And) Haynes is an NFL talent.”

So there we are. That might be ‘Jimbo Fluff’, but it might just be true. King came out of high school as a 4-star recruit, described as being tall and having dual-threat capability. Calzada – a former 3-star – showed this sort of flash in the Spring Game.

Anyway, Texas A&M is in good stead.

Haynes and Calzada won’t have a problem with receiving talent, with TE Jalen Wydermyer a future 1-2 round NFL talent who caught 506 yards and 6 TDs the best at his position in the SEC and quite possibly the nation.

Then he’ll have Ainias Smith, who’s a brilliant slot receiver who had 859 yards and 10 TDs last year, as well as Caleb Chapman, who had 193 yards and 3 TDs in three games before getting hurt against Florida.

The Aggies also has the best running back in the country in Isaiah Spiller, who ran for 1,036 yards and 9 TDs in a string of incredible performances for the Aggies. Devon Achane can fly too.

The biggest hole for the Aggies in general will be the strength of their offensive line, which lost four starters. Future first rounder Kenyon Green will marshall the line, and they will have been boosted by Jahmir Johnson, a transfer from Tennessee who played 24 games and started 17 times for the Vols. That will help the inexperience elsewhere. But if the O-Line is mobile, then the team’s offense will be good if not great shape.

DEFENSE

The defensive line is one of the best in college football.

The D-Line is one of the best in college football. DE DeMarvin Leal had 2 1/2 sacks, eight QB pressures, three deflected passes, a forced fumble and an interception. Seniors DT Jayden Peevy and Michael Clemons are back for ‘another’ final year.

What will be difficult to replace is LB and top tackler Buddy Johnson, who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 4th round last year. Linebackers Aaron Hansford and Andre White are wet behind the ears, but we will see how that progresses. It might not get to that stage, considering how good the D-Line is!

The secondary brings back every starter, headed up by Leon O’Neal. It was medicore in terms of giving up yards (55th in the country in 2020), but one of the better ones in INTs (24th, with 10). QBs succeeded in hitting their receivers 63% of the time – which mean they’ll have to improve – especially bearing in mind the talent they are facing in the SEC West.

SCHEDULE

Kent State

at Colorado (in Denver)

New Mexico

Arkansas (in Arlington)

Mississippi State

Alabama

at Missouri

South Carolina

Auburn

at Ole Miss

Prairie View

at LSU

PREDICTION: The Aggies won’t have any problem buzzsawing their way through the first five games of the year, which will make them battle-tested to play Alabama in what is the SEC in-conference games of the season. Then it’s again a relatively easy run in with home games against Auburn. The trips to Ole Miss and LSU may loom large.

And so? The snazzy pick is to say that one of Ole Miss and LSU will cause an upset, but we don’t think they will. LSU has another year to go before this game becomes 2018 all over again.

So…..the Aggies go 11-1. Sadly – thanks to their joke of a non-conference and their lack of playing good teams out-of-conference (and losing their biggest game) – they will come 2nd in the SEC West, but finish just outside the play-off places. Again.

The 12 team play-off couldn’t come quickly enough.