Texas A&M Football: 3 reasons why the defense will be elite 2021

Texas A&M Football will be practicing against a new-look offense

College football teams only play 12 guaranteed games in any given year. Last year, that number was reduced to 10 for the Aggies, who went 9-1 on the season. The reason that I’m bringing this up is to enunciate the idea that this defense, as experienced as it may be, hasn’t had practice with different types of players.

For the most part, their most fierce competition has been Alabama on a year-to-year basis. That said, the development of this unit rides largely on how much their own offense can throw at them to prepare for the 2021 season.

After four years of having Kellen Mond as the team’s best in-house competition at the quarterback spot, this unit will be trying to stop a few guys from their own scrimmages. Those names are Haynes King, Zach Calzada, and Eli Stowers. Each individual that I just listed will provide an entirely different look to this Texas A&M defense, preparing them for all kinds of players that they’ll likely see on their 2021 schedule.

This may not seem extremely significant, but it will make a huge impact. They knew how to handle their own offense a year ago, but now they’ll be able to handle a few different looks. The same applies to the recent emergence of Devon Achane, a speedier back in contrast with Isaiah Spiller, a downhill runner.

These factors may fly under the radar, but they’ll show up in each and every game next season. If there were any holes in this defense, they will be patched up.