The Texas A&M Football’s Maroon and White game has come and gone, and as fans, we were able to learn a lot about our favorite football team. We got a glimpse into a quarterback competition that could be one of the best in recent memory, among other things.
That said, these quarterbacks could only do so much, as they were constantly being smothered by the Aggies’ offensive line. It didn’t matter if it was the starters or the backups in the game, the Aggies’ offense simply couldn’t handle these rushers. As a result, each quarterback threw an interception and took more than a handful of sacks combined.
But this didn’t feel like an issue with the offensive line — it felt like a dominant defensive unit had shown up to play and asserted its dominance over a weaker offense.
The Texas A&M Football team’s defense could improve off of an all-time season
The initial reaction to this was to point the finger at the offense. There was no expectation for them to be great, but a lot of the offensive linemen looked outmatched. It was almost an entirely new unit out there, so that was to be expected. The next thought, however, is one that inspires a lot of hope for the 2021 season.
What if the defense has just improved that much?
It’s not an unreasonable thought. In fact, the deeper you dive into this question, the more you’ll come to realize that it doesn’t just seem like a possibility; it seems like an inevitability.
So without further ado, here are three reasons why the defense will be elite in 2021.
Texas A&M Football’s defense will be led by a handful of veteran players
COVID-19 didn’t do college football many favors. It shortened a season, and specifically for the Aggies, it only allowed teams to play conference games until bowl season. This may not seem significant, but it was one of the reasons that the Texas A&M Football team was snubbed from the College Football Playoff.
That said, despite some negative fortune as a result of the pandemic, Jimbo Fisher will reap some benefits in the 2021 season. Primarily, those benefits will come in the form of extra eligibility for some of the players on his defense that was already one of the best in college football.
This means that the Aggies will be fielding a unit that is significantly older than any past Texas A&M defenses in recent memory. Jimbo Fisher’s defense will be led by a few upperclassmen. Here is a list of 4th, 5th, and 6th-year players who should receive significant playing time.
- Tyree Johnson (RS Senior)
- Micheal Clemons (RS Senior)
- Jayden Peevy (RS Senior)
- Elijah Blades (RS Senior)
- Myles Jones (Senior)
- Leon O’Neal (Senior)
- Keldrick Carper (Senior)
- Aaron Hansford (RS Senior)
That is a long list of instant contributing players who have played a lot of College Football. They will be ready for the spotlight.
This is especially noteworthy, as college football teams generally thrive with a more experienced defense in contrast with strong offensive units, which can thrive without a broad knowledge of the game.
But that’s just the first part of the equation.
The Texas A&M Football team has a boatload of young talent waiting to play
As mentioned, the Aggies bring back a ton of experience from a great defensive season in 2020. It’ll be a huge boost and help this team be one of the stingiest units in college football, there’s no doubt about that.
And the experienced players on this team are all fine and dandy, but the real defensive talent on this Texas A&M Football team actually comes with the underclassmen on this team. Defining talent in this situation is key.
The Aggies have more present-day talent in the upperclassmen of the team, but the younger players who were recruited to play in College Station by Jimbo Fisher are the real standouts for the Texas A&M Football team in terms of their reputation.
In each year that Fisher has been head coach, he has brought in one of the greatest Aggie recruiting classes in the school’s history. If this unit could find success with the players who were here before Fisher, they’ll explode onto the scene when his guys are in the game.
We’ll see a couple of players who are destined to play huge roles on this team, but for the most part, these guys will be coming in with very limited snaps. A name to watch is Jaylon Jones, a former 5-star recruit who will be one of the team’s top cornerbacks in 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.