The Texas A&M Football program is generally thought of as one that has been on the brink of success for a long time without ever reaching elite status. This is evident by the fact that the Aggies have had eight 8-win seasons since joining the SEC without bringing home a conference title.
But Jimbo Fisher might have his team on the brink of the success that they’ve been seeking since joining the toughest conference in college football.
And in a year that will see this team lose significant pieces of the offensive line and a starting quarterback, Fisher will have to turn to a talented runningbacks room to lead the offense in 2021.
Texas A&M Football’s backfield is starting to garner national attention
Even in a year that is expected to see regression offensively, there is plenty to be excited about in College Station. Most notably, the Aggies will return more than enough talent in one of the most loaded backfields in college football.
I would go so far as to say that they’ll have more talent than they know what to do with. Here’s why.
The Aggies’ starting runningback is the SEC’s leading career rusher in Isaiah Spiller. There is no doubt that he can find success no matter where he goes. He’s the type of reliable impact player that could start for virtually any school around the country. The Aggies’ starter is projected to be one of the first players drafted at his position in the 2022 NFL Draft.
But behind him, there is little to no dropoff in talent.
The next pure runningback on the depth chart for the Texas A&M Football team is Devon Achane, a player who wasn’t in last year’s rotation until the middle of the season. As a true freshman, Achane didn’t see the field very much, but when he did, he looked really good.
Specifically, Achane showed out at the end of the season, rushing for 140 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns against North Carolina in an Orange Bowl win. He is arguably the most explosive player on the team and he’s only going to be a sophomore in 2021.
But the talent doesn’t end there.
There is a wildcard player on this team who may be forgotten about in Ainias Smith, who has been practicing with the wide receivers this spring. This may mean that Jimbo Fisher has elected to go with Achane as the full-time backup, but if that doesn’t work out, Smith is an electric player out of the backfield.
Clearly, national media is starting to notice the depth of talent on Texas A&M’s roster, as Bleacher Report recently listed the Aggies as having a top ten backfield in college football. TAMU came in at the 6th spot, behind a slew of teams, none of which are from the SEC.
This is a good start, but Aggie fans have to believe that they have the most loaded backfield in college football.
If the Aggies want to have a successful season, it’ll start with the runningbacks. Even though Isaiah Spiller will be the go-to guy, there is enough talent to play the hot hand. Look for a huge season out of a team that will be leaning on their experience.