Texas A&M football: 5 breakout players to watch in 2019

Texas A&M football exceeded expectations in year one with Jimbo Fisher but are losing half their starters; here are five players who could breakout in 2019.

Looking ahead at the Texas A&M football 2019 season is… puzzling, to say the least. I am filled with mixed emotions and I am not exactly sure what to expect. Could the Ags go 8-4? It’s possible. Could they go 10-2? That is also possible. There are so many outcomes that could be discussed, you could write a whole other article about them (if only I knew a guy who wrote articles).

One of the main reasons for uncertainty is rather startling. The Aggies are only returning only half of their starters, not including Braden Mann and Seth Small, from last season (six on offense and five on defense).

This number brings forth two phenomena. The first is it actually made the following list quite difficult to compose. With so many players leaving, this provides an opportunity for practically half of the team to step up and become the new Tyrel Dodson or Trayveon Williams. So, we had our work cut out for us when compiling this list. This leads to the second feeling.

Because so many players will be gone, it was difficult putting this list together and it brought us mixed emotions. The optimist Ag in me says that the young, fresh players bring exciting opportunities and endless possibilities. However, the more realist, or maybe even pessimist, Ag understands that the 2019 team won’t have experience that most contenders have and there is much uncertainty at this point in time.

But it’s the most unique aspect of the upcoming year that sparks the optimist Ag in me. Looking on paper or from the outside, one could call this upcoming year a rebuilding year for the Aggies. The Aggies have an incredibly tough schedule and a ton of youth. If you put those two together, often times your outcome is a sub-par season and, if you’re lucky, some bright spots that indicate an at least semi-successful future.

Even though the Ags have their work cut out for them, they were ranked No. 9 in the ESPN Way-Too-Early rankings. This ranking is rightfully earned and reasonable (even though the Longhorns are ranked higher). How are the Ags so high? Well, it seems that the folks over at “the mothership” understand how bright the future really is for the Aggies.

Teams are often said to be going through a rebuild when they are having to reestablish their identity. The Aggies are not. They know who they are. They know their strengths, weaknesses, their style of offense, and where to improve. So, let’s not call this a rebuilding year. Instead, it is simply a year of growth. It’s a building year. There is no need for the prefix “re.”

With that out of the way, let’s get to the list of the players who will continue Texas A&M’s mounting success. The fans may know them, but they could soon be on the national radar.