Texas A&M football: Projecting the 2019 receivers depth chart

Texas A&M football had a huge question mark at receiver going into last season, and the opposite will be true with them all coming back in 2019.

What could have been seen as a weakness in the 2018 season may be one of Texas A&M football‘s biggest strengths going into the 2019 season. It was anyone’s guess which wide receivers would step up in the first year under Jimbo Fisher. These were all guys recruited by Kevin Sumlin to run a completely difference offense, after all.

There was a learning curve for all of these skill position players. The guy who ended up shining above all the rest was tight end Jace Sternberger, who led the Aggies in catches, yards, and touchdowns. He was by far their most explosive weapon, and to be honest that’s kind of a problem.

Sternberger bolted for the NFL after a great season — consensus First Team All American — but all the receivers return from the 2018 season. Out of necessity, a new guy will have to step up for returning quarterback Kellen Mond.

There won’t be many surprises in the depth chart next season, but several guys had breakout moments for Fisher in 2018. The issue was injuries and inconsistent play. Can they shore that up in 2019? Much like in 2018, you should expect each of the returning players to be in the mix, whether they are starters or not.

Having said all that, here’s how the receivers depth chart could play out in 2019.

Outside Receiver 1

Starter – Jhamon Ausbon
Backup – Kendrick Rogers

There’s a chance this could switch if Rogers can stay healthy. He broke out in a big way against Clemson and completely dominated in the LSU game, but there wasn’t much production outside of that. He got hurt soon after the Clemson game and took a while to get healthy. Ausbon was predicted by some to be an All-SEC performer after his breakout true freshman season with 50 catches. He still has that talent but also battled injury in 2018. If he is 100 percent, he’s Mond’s guy.

Outside Receiver 2

Starter – Quartney Davis
Backup – Jalen Preston

Davis is an awesome story of perseverance, battling back from an ACL injury in his freshman year to lead all receivers in all categories in 2018. Don’t be surprised if he finds his way into preseason All SEC predictions. We wrote earlier Preston will be needed to unlock the offense’s full potential in 2019. I expect the redshirt freshman to replace Hezekiah Jones in the rotation.

Slot Receiver

Starter – Camron Buckley
Backup – Roshauud Paul

No surprises here. Buckley was second among receivers in catches and Paul was his primary slot backup.

Tight End

Starter – Baylor Cupp
Backup – Glenn Beal

Jimbo Fisher has to replace an All American, but he may have found just the guy to do it. Cupp enrolled early so there won’t be as much of a learning curve for the true freshman, and it may give him enough time to win the starting job to begin the season. Beal will be used either way as Fisher likes to run double tight end sets and needs a big body like him blocking.

A&M has no shortage of weapons for Mond. Expect them to make the offense lethal in Fisher’s second season.

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.