Texas A&M football is 37 days away, and in the days leading up to the Aggie opener we’re answering the 50 biggest questions for the 2018 season.
Jimbo Fisher is an offensive minded head coach, and his focus will be developing players on that side of the ball for Texas A&M football. That doesn’t mean he will ignore the defense, and his targets for a defensive coordinator made that abundantly clear.
He first went after LSU’s Dave Aranda, one of college football’s young and respected defensive minds. Aranda chose to remain in Baton Rouge and turned Fisher’s interest into an offer that made him the highest paid assistant coach in all of college football.
Mike Elko was the next target. Elko had been successful in three years at Wake Forest, which made him familiar to Fisher, and turned around Notre Dame’s defense in the one season he spent there.
Fisher was successful in hiring Elko and the defense is in good hands.
Elko will mostly run a 4-2-5 defense, but he’s been adamant about not being set in one scheme. They will adjust to their opponent.
His 4-2-5 uses four down lineman, two linebackers, four defensive backs and a “rover,” which is a hybrid linebacker/defensive back.
Two candidates come to mind to fill that position and it very well could be the best player on defense no matter who plays it. Tyrel Dodson led the team in tackles as a linebacker a year ago, and Donovan Wilson is a redshirt senior safety who could slide down if need be as well.
But this isn’t about the most important player, nor the guy who is going to lead the team in tackles. This is a guy who will make clutch plays and step up when the team needs him the most. It could be the difference in losing by four and winning by three. He could get the stops that win games.
That guy is Landis Durham.
Durham led the team with 10.5 sacks last season. That number also tied for the SEC lead. He was also second on the team with 11 tackles for loss. It was a breakout season for the now-senior, who will be asked to again lead the team’s pass rush and will likely be taken in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Having a lethal defensive line makes everything about the rest of your defense better. Eating blockers in the run game allows your linebackers to find gaps and make plays. Getting to the quarterback allows your defensive backs to take chances and reduces the time they have to cover wide receivers.
Next: Who is the X-factor on Texas A&M's offense?
Durham will lead the charge this season and compliment a formidable front seven as the team’s best pass rusher. That makes him the X-factor, and he will be the difference in wins and losses depending on how he performs.
Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.