Offense:

Coordinator:

I’m lukewarm on the Bobby Petrino hire. I think it’s a solid hire. I don’t think it’s the magical elixir that solves all of the Aggies offensive woes from last season.

Having someone with Petrino’s experience and ability to focus on the offense will be an improvement over 2022. I have zero doubt our offense will be better in 2023. I just don’t know how much better since Petrino and the offensive talent will have to mesh together.

Petrino won’t be the sole reason the Aggies all of a sudden break out if they do.

I know it’s popular to tout offensive geniuses by the media but the reality is there are very few. There is not one offensive coordinator in college football that consistently puts out a dominating offense. Lincoln Riley is probably the closest but I think he’s more a product of quarterback talent and playing in conferences with little to no defense. He’s never had to grind an offense in a conference with defense.

Can you name the offensive coordinators for Georgia’s back-to-back titles? Steve Sarkisian was Bama’s OC in 2020. Joe Brady was the hottest name in sports in 2019 but turns out maybe it was the collection of talent and not just his influence.

Do you even know who Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott are? They were the Co-OCs for the 2018 and 2016 Clemson national champions. Brian Daboll was the OC for Bama in 2017. Lane Kiffin did it for Bama in 2015. Some guy named Tom Herman did it for Ohio State in 2014.

Hopefully, you get my drift a new offensive coordinator is just a single component of a championship football team. There is no schematic advantage as some like to pretend. At the end of the day the best offensive coordinators get the most out of their talent by running a system everyone understands.

I do believe Petrino will advance this offense and let the talent do what it can do. I just don’t think Petrino has some key that will unlock this offense to something better than everyone else’s in college football.

Quarterback:

Jimbo has been playing coy this summer saying there’s a quarterback battle coming into summer camp. I hope he’s wrong.

I’m Max Johnson’s #1 fan but this better be Conner Weigman’s team from the jump. He offers the most upside with his mobility and arm.

Weigman still has a MASSIVE leap to make to live up to his billing but I see no reason why he can’t do it. Nobody knew who Johnny Manziel, Jameis Winston, Joe Burrow, or even Max Duggan was coming into their breakout year.

Conner isn’t getting a ton of press coming into the 2023 season which I’m okay with. Guys tend to come from nowhere with breakout seasons rather than live up to some artificial hype by the media and fans.

If Conner struggles or gets hurt I feel we’re in good hands with Max as the backup but I’m hopeful Conner breaks out like he has the talent to do.

Wide Receiver:

We have the most starting receiver talent since the 2012 season. Evan Stewart can be one of the leading receivers in college football. Moose Muhammed has a knack for big catches and we know what a healthy Ainias Smith can do. Add Noah Thomas to the mix and there’s enough talent to finally be productive at the receiver position.

We haven’t had a productive receiver since Jimbo took over in 2018. We’ve had some receivers flash in moments and over a few games but we haven’t had someone and especially a full unit truly produce for a full season.

Hopefully, Jimbo’s sixth year is the year we have some receivers produce every game all season long. The starting talent is certainly there.

We have some talented youth but I’d rather not find out if they can produce. Let’s hope the starters stay healthy and live up to their talent.

Tight Ends:

Like the receiving talent, Donovan Green and Jake Matthews should be big contributors to this offense. Green especially looked good at times last year. I think these two guys can stress a defense by giving the defense a lot more to defend from a passing standpoint.

Max Wright is back for his 12th season it feels like. He’s not going to be super productive as a receiver but he’s proven to be a worthy blocker and sneaky pass catcher when defenses aren’t paying attention.

I hope this unit doesn’t cover a good portion of receiving yards like under Jimbo in the past five years. It’s time for our actual receivers to catch a lot more than our tight ends.

I do believe this unit will be a massive asset in the passing game allowing the entire passing game to finally flourish.

Running Back:

I’m a little nervous about the running back position simply because none of these guys have any experience. We have talent and depth with Moss, Daniels, and Owens so I’m hopeful a couple of these guys can turn into a nice tandem.

I do think their success is going to be more of a product of the offensive line than their own doing. If they have holes to run through they’ll be productive.

They’re not going to create yards on their own as Devon Achane did. That’s not a knock but more what Achane brought to the table. He was special.

Oh, if Jimbo had given the ball to Achane on the last play against Alabama we would have beaten them in back-to-back years. Just a little reminder…

Offensive Line:

This unit right here will be the biggest key to the Aggies success in 2023.

If healthy we have one of the best interiors in college football. Kam Dewberry, Bryce Foster, and Layden Robinson can be as good as any interior in college football. I won’t go so far as to say they’re hands down the best in college football but they’re up there. These guys have the talent and experience to be great.

Tackle is where we have the biggest question marks and will be the biggest key. Appalachian State exposed our two tackles last year. They showed if you just bull rushed the outside shoulder of our two tackles you could usually have your way with them.

Deuce Fatheree took a massive step back in 2022 but I’m hoping he can regain his 2021 form and improve on it.

I feel bad for Trey Zuhn last year as he was playing with a dislocated kneecap. How in the world we had a starting left tackle with a dislocated kneecap is beyond me but apparently, that happened.

Reports from spring practice is that true freshman Chase Bisontis is challenging for a starting spot. No offense to Zuhn or Fatheree but I hope it’s true. Let’s get some competition and find the best pair of offensive tackles we can.

I have no problem with a true freshman playing offensive tackle. I don’t think Bisontis will be on the level of Luke Joeckel or Jake Matthews as a true freshman but I’m not against it if he’s willing to compete and earn the spot.

We just need to find two offensive tackles that are assets and not liabilities. I don’t care which two it is and on which side of the line. We do that and this offense is going to take a massive leap.

Defense:

Coordinator:

I’m one of the few Aggies that isn’t completely down on D.J. Durkin. I certainly experienced frustrations with him in 2022 but I saw a lot more good than I saw bad. If Petrino and the offensive line step up then this defense is going to have a much bigger margin of error.

It’s MUCH easier to defend a lead than play defense against an offense just trying to wear you down.

I might be proven wrong but I think Durkin and this defense take a massive step in 2023 for a host of reasons. These mainly include a second year in his system, experienced youth, and a more productive offense.

I’m not saying this will be the best defense in college football but I think this can be a Top 10 defense and good enough to win the SEC West when it’s all said and done.

Defensive Line:

This unit right here is why I think this can be a Top 10 defense. It’s still a little young but the talent and depth are as good as any team in the country.

McKinley Jackson and Walter Nolen will anchor the middle. Both of these guys have first-round NFL talent. They can be unblockable at times destroying an offensive line. Behind them are Isaiah Raikes, Albert Regis, and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. They’ll all rotate to some degree which is a massive luxury in the SEC.

At defensive end, it’ll likely be Shemar Turner and Fadil Diggs starting but the depth is even more impressive with Shemar Stewart, LT Overton, Enai White, and Malick Sylla providing depth. LT Overton should have been in high school last year. Instead, he was holding his own against SEC opponents. I’m excited about him simply because of how young he is and what he did last season.

You also have true freshman DJ Hicks who’s going to find playing time. It’s uncertain if he’ll be at end or in the middle but he’s going to see snaps.

On most defenses, Hicks would likely be a day-one starter but with this defensive line, he’s going to have time to acclimate. That tells you the amount of depth and talent this unit has.

If I have one concern about this unit is the lack of a true pass rusher. I’m not going to complain too much as I think with the right scheme we’ll be able to apply pressure from different areas.

This unit has been the heart and soul of Jimbo’s teams and this year will be no different. I think it will be the best unit he’s had in six years of Aggieland. That’s quite the statement as there have been some solid defensive lines in the last five years

If the Aggies win the SEC West it will be because of this unit.

Linebackers:

I’m interested to see what Durkin does at linebacker mainly because he’s coaching this unit now. It’s all his.

We’ve been running a 4-2-5 for a while now so we’re only using two linebackers which makes sense because offenses are more spread out.

Coming into the season Chris Russell and Edge Cooper look like the obvious starters. I think Cooper is an obvious starter if he’s healthy simply because of his talent and experience. Russell is long on experience since he’s a senior but I think he’s going to get pushed by Taurean York and Jurriente Davis. York is a 3-star freshman out of Temple but he’s 6’0″/230 so he has size. He was the three-time district defensive MVP. He seems like a defensive football player and football instincts matter at linebacker more than any other position.

Jurriente Davis is a transfer from Jackson St. He goes 6’1″/235 so he also has size. I know Jackson St. isn’t the level of competition as the SEC but he was productive at Jackson St. At worst he provides some nice depth where we need it.

Backing up Cooper will be Martrell Harris who looked good at times last year and true freshman Daymion Sanford. Many think Sanford was the best linebacker in Texas high school last year.

We’re still short on SEC experience with this unit but I feel like there’s some depth and talent to not be a massive hole like we’ve seen in years past.

Secondary:

This unit is a slight question mark simply because the floor is lower than last year but the ceiling is higher.

The return of Demani Richardson is a MASSIVE boost. This doesn’t happen without NIL so thank goodness for that. He’ll be the anchor of this unit just like he’s been for the last couple of years. I don’t know if he’ll ever make it at the next level but he’s been an EXTREMELY productive member of our secondary. His knack for turnovers and scores are key reasons we beat Bama in 2021 along with Arkansas and LSU last year. Hopefully, he can keep on rolling.

Jardin Gilbert looks to fill the free safety spot which I’m okay with as he’s played well in his two years at A&M. Jacoby Mathews will be in the mix as well for both safety spots as he would have likely started if Demani didn’t come back.

Assuming those three guys stay healthy we’re going to be just fine at the safety spots.

Bryce Anderson looks to fill Antonio Johnson’s spot at Nickel which seems like a massive hole but I’m big on Bryce Anderson. The dude is an absolute athlete and played well last season. Jarred Kerr will back him up who played great in limited time last year. Great talent and depth here.

Strange to say but I think we’ll fill the hole of Antonio Johnson just fine.

At corner, it looks like Tyreek Chappell and Tony Grimes will start. Chappell has been a really good corner in his two years at A&M. Others may have more raw talent but Chappell can play football in the SEC. Give me production over talent any day.

Grimes is a transfer from UNC. He was the top-rated corner when he came out of high school and chose UNC over A&M at the time. He did pretty well at UNC but hadn’t quite flashed his true talent potential. Hopefully, he can make that leap in Aggieland as he has NFL talent.

Backing them up will be Sam McCall and Josh DeBerry who are also both transfers. McCall comes from Florida State where he didn’t see a ton of playing time but has plenty of talent. DeBerry is a senior from Boston College who started in the secondary for two years. He’s got plenty of experience. They add some great depth and flexibility to this unit as they both can play safety as well.

We’ve got some talented freshmen in Dalton Brooks and Bravion Rogers but I hope they’re not rushed into action this season.

If this unit stays healthy and lives up to its talent it can be one of the best secondaries in college football.

Couple that with our defensive line and a serviceable linebacker group and that’s why this could be a Top 10 defense in college football.

Special Teams:

Special Teams has never been anything special under Jimbo other than the raw talent of the individuals. We had some swing moments with special teams in 2022 when Mississippi State blocked a field goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown. Then South Carolina opened the game with a kick-off return for a touchdown we never recovered from.

Maybe with his new role as “CEO Coach,” he’ll spend some time making sure special teams are sharp and even having a few wrinkles. I doubt it, but it’s more possible than someone whose main focus was calling offensive plays.

Nik Constantinou returns to punt the ball. He’s been a solid punter for a couple of seasons now.

Randy Bond comes back to kick field goals after taking over when Caden Davis buried his foot before the ball against Appalachian State. Yes, I’m still frustrated by that botched attempt. Bond was solid enough last season.

I’m assuming Ainias will return punts which I’m totally fine with. If not him it’ll be Moose.

No clue who will return kicks. Maybe it’ll be a combination of a running back and receiver since we have a little depth there.

I don’t expect a lot from our special teams. I just don’t want them to potentially cost us games like they did in 2022.

Summary:

Top to bottom at the starting positions I feel good about what we have other than our offensive tackle position. It’s potentially there but it’s the biggest question coming into the season. We solidify those two spots along with staying mostly healthy and we can win any game on the schedule.

We can afford a handful of guys missing a handful of games but not much more.

We won’t win every game but the front-line talent is there to compete in every game. That’s all you can ask for the SEC West.

Winning will come down to coaching which includes planning, preparation, and execution. It’ll also involve no longer blaming the players for lack of execution.

At some point when you’re in charge of players who aren’t executing what you’re telling them, you might want to look in the mirror. I’m hoping there’s at least one mirror in the head coach’s office when things go wrong in 2023.

Hopefully, Jimbo starts looking in the mirror for the whole team’s performance instead of his playsheet for the next offensive play.

Just Win, Jimbo.