The 2024 college football season is less than a month away, and that means it's time to preview the SEC. We last took a look at the Texas Longhorns. Now, we go across the state to their rivals, the Texas A&M Aggies.
A&M finally did the inevitable and fired Jimbo Fisher, buying out his absurd contract. Now former Aggie defensive coordinator and Duke HC Mike Elko returns to College Station to right the ship.
Examining the Texas A&M Aggies' offense
Gone are the overly-complicated and impossible to execute schemes of Jimbo Fisher, as A&M will turn the offense over to K-State legend Collin Klein as OC. Klein crafted a fun and diverse rushing attack calling the shots at his alma mater, and he'll look to do the same in Aggieland.
For his offense to click in year one, QB Conner Weigman has to stay healthy. Weigman is immensely talented and has flashed at A&M, but he's not been able to stay on the field. If he can, Klein can build a strong offense around him.
The three-headed rushing attack of RBs Le'Veon Moss, Amari Daniels, and Reuben Owens returns after combining for 1400 yards and 14 TDs last year. Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart are big losses at WR, but Jahdae Walker and Noah Thomas return as a good foundation for the pass-catchers. The OL had plenty of struggles in '23, but the hope is more experience will lead to improvement.
Examining the Texas A&M Aggies' defense
Mike Elko knows defense, and he knows the Aggie defense plenty well considering he originally recruited many of the players when he was DC. And the pieces are there for a strong defense this season.
A&M lost some big time DL to the portal, but they return big-time DT Shemar Turner and add Purdue-transfer Nic Scourton, who led the Big 10 in sacks last season. Edgerrin Cooper is a major loss at LB, but Taurean York is back after a big year. The secondary sees a lot of turnover, but CB Tyreek Chappell and FS Bryce Anderson are important returnees. Florida-transfer NB Jaydon Hill is a veteran addition.
Thoughts on the Texas A&M Aggies entering 2024
A&M isn't getting the preseason buzz (or scrutiny) that was so commonplace under the last two head coaches, but that's a good thing. The program needed to simply settle down and actually focus on building a quality team, and it's possible for Mike Elko to achieve that in year one.
If Weigman stays healthy and the OL improves, the Aggies should field a quality offense, and the defense should be a strength. The schedule is helpful too. A&M's four toughest 2024 opponents - Notre Dame, Missouri, LSU, and Texas - all come to College Station. With more competency, finding a win or two from those games isn't out of the question.
If they beat the Irish in their opener, there's a path for this team to make a run.