Texas A&M Football: Ranking each position group entering 2021
No. 1: Texas A&M brings back a combination of experience and talent in the secondary
Defensively, the secondary room is the only position group that remained unscathed as we approach the 2021 season. The unit didn’t do anything particularly special last season, ranking 59th in pass defense.
That said, they’ll return all of their talent and there will be more emphasis on this group in 2021, thus creating more opportunities for them to thrive. They’ll look to bring a veteran presence to a team that will be showing some youth in almost every other area.
Here are some notable returns from last season:
- Safeties: Leon O’Neal Jr. and Keldrick Carper
- Cornerbacks: Jaylon Jones, Myles Jones, Travon Fuller, Elijah Blades, and Erick Young
You could apply the same logic to this secondary room as I did for the wide receivers. There wasn’t any level of impressive production from this unit last season, so why would they take the next step with the same personnel in 2021?
That said, cornerbacks and safeties tend to develop more consistently than wide receivers. While the wideouts have room for improvement, it felt like they were limited physically. The corners on this team can continue to learn the game and develop proper techniques. There is a lot to be excited about on this TAMU defense.
Expect this unit to take a huge step forward this season, with opposing receiving numbers plummeting and interception totals increasing.