Texas A&M football: 5 players who could take on leadership role in 2019

Texas A&M football lost a ton of leadership from their 2018 team; here are five candidates who could replace those voices on the field.

One of the reasons Jimbo Fisher took the Texas A&M football job was the team he was inheriting was an experienced one. He had to figure he could win and meet realistic expectations with a group of guys who had battled through SEC schedules for two or three years already.

The tough part of taking a new job is wanting your own players but also keeping your head above water while trying to keep any semblance of a recruiting class together. Guys who committed to the previous coach aren’t necessarily going to stick around, or even fit your scheme. Fisher added some talent to the 2018 class, but leaned on the experience of this roster and simply instituted a culture change.

This team knew who its leaders were. Unfortunately, those players who helped lead the Aggies to a 9-4 record, second place finish in the SEC West and their first win over LSU since joining the SEC (not to mention a winning record in November), are mostly gone. The Aggie defensive line consisted of three seniors, two starting linebackers are gone, and redshirt senior Donovan Wilson and starting rover Deshawn Capers-Smith graduated.

Fisher also lost his work horse running back in Trayveon Williams and one of the best centers in college football in Erik McCoy. Needless to say, some younger players will have to step into leadership roles to continue the momentum created by the 2018 team.

Hints of these new leadership roles have manifested already, whether through the 2018 season or through spring practices. Here are five candidates who could replace all the leadership lost from Jimbo Fisher’s first highly successful season.