If there was one Texas A&M Football prospect to get excited about last season, it was Demond Demas. The five-star wide-out could make a case for being the best receiver in his class.
His measurables were off the chart, with a vertical over 41 inches and a sub-4.5 40-yard dash. At 6’3″, it seemed like he would be virtually unstoppable, even at the college level. How could a 5’11” cornerback jump with him?
Sure, you could throw a larger safety into coverage against him, but then he’ll just outrun the poor defender. It seemed like a win-win situation and Demas looked like a lock to earn early playing time for the Aggies.
But that wouldn’t be the case.
Texas A&M football freshman Demond Demas hardly saw the field in 2020
Demas finished the 2020 season with an unimpressive stat line. Actually, that’s an understatement — he didn’t actually record any stats at all.
In all likelihood, this came as a result of the fact that he played in an oversimplified system at the high school level. Unlike a lot of TAMU recruits, he didn’t have the baseline knowledge required to learn the game in time for his freshman year.
In fact, he didn’t even play in his senior year of high school. It’s been over two years since the last time he took the field in a meaningful situation. And right now, that won’t be an issue. He’s only going to get faster, stronger, and more athletic.
But just as spring ball was getting started, he would face another setback. On March 16th, it was reported that Demond Demas was arrested and charged with possession of cannabis. The catch here is that he had .01 ounces of the illegal substance in a backpack searched by police.
He was suspended due to rules that were already in place, but this minor encounter with law enforcement will not affect his eligibility in 2021, at least not as of now.
Clearly, the setbacks are not getting to him, as he seems to be as enthusiastic as ever to be a part of the Texas A&M football program. Here is a recent tweet by Demas.
https://twitter.com/demonddemas1/status/1377613449149214722?s=21
Whether or not he finds immediate playing time in 2021, he seems like a great source of energy for this football team. His teammates love him and he clearly has the physical attributes to play when he’s ready. For now, there’s no reason to rush him out onto the field.
That said, we should expect to see him balling out at some point this season. At the very least, he’ll finish the year with more than 0 catches, 0 yards, and 0 touchdowns on a team that is destined for success.