The Texas A&M Football team will be preparing for a fall season that will see a complete overhaul of their offense. That said, the offense will need as much help as they can get, as the unit that is departing wasn’t particularly explosive, to begin with.
And what better time to get a look at brand-new Aggie players than in the spring game?
On Saturday, April 24th, Texas A&M Football players will face off against one another in the annual Maroon and White game. We’ll get a glimpse at a new offense, new quarterbacks, and a competitive wide receiver room. It’ll be a learning experience for everybody.
Here are a few newcomers to keep an eye on in the 2021 Texas A&M Football spring game.
Texas A&M Football newcomer to watch: QB Eli Stowers
This sports blog has already talked a lot about the impact that Eli Stowers could have down the road. He’s a 4-star dual-threat quarterback out of Guyer High School in Texas.
Even though this is his first season in College Station, he’ll be knee-deep in the quarterback competition for the 2021 season. He may not know the offense as well as the other two players competing in Haynes King and Zach Calzada, but he is just as talented as either of them.
The spring game will give us an idea of whether or not he looks like an option to get instant playing time, while we’ll also get a good look at how he is meshing with the Aggies’ offense thus far.
Texas A&M Football newcomer to watch: DE Tunmise Adeleye
Tunmise Adeleye is such an exciting prospect for the Aggies. As the second-highest-ranked player in the class, he’ll be the biggest name to watch in the spring game.
The defensive line is undergoing some change with the departure of Bobby Brown III to the NFL Draft, so this will open up a door for Adeleye to see some instant playing time. There isn’t a single distinct player who will take over on the edge, which is a good sign for those who love seeing snaps out of young players.
With a revamped offensive line, the defensive linemen could have a field day against this fresh Aggies offensive unit in the spring game, so expect Adeleye to show up in a big way. He won’t have a better early opportunity for exposure than this.
The scary thing here? Adeleye is the second-best defensive lineman in this class. The best wasn’t an early enrollee, so he won’t be seen until the fall, but this defensive line could be among the best in college football down the road.
Watch for Adeleye on Saturday in a spring game that will be very telling about the future of this team.
Texas A&M Football newcomer to watch: WR Shadrach Banks
Shadrach Banks is another top incoming player for the Aggies in the 2021 season. At the wide receiver position, he could have more of an instant impact than any other freshman this season. Here’s why.
For starters, he’s a wide receiver. Generally speaking, this is a position that is more capable of getting early playing time, as seen by the Aggies receiving production from 2020.
In 2021, Jimbo Fisher will be looking for a wide receiver who can step in and take over this Aggie offense. Something that was missing in 2020 was a player who ate up a bulk of the receiving yards — Kellen Mond didn’t really have a number one option.
This opens up a window for Banks, who will look to get some instant playing time on this Aggie team. As a 4-star prospect, he could have chosen virtually any school, but chose to come to College Station.
That said, he’ll be competing with some extremely talented wideouts. Caleb Chapman will return from injury in the fall, Demond Demas will look to step into the spotlight, and Ainias Smith will be playing at the wideout spot more frequently.
Banks is an extremely talented 6-1, 230-pound wideout who has big-play ability. He’ll almost surely see a lot of time on the field and we’ll get an idea of how he’s beginning to mesh with this team’s quarterbacks. But does he have what it takes to earn immediate playing time?
We’ll find out on Saturday.