Texas A&M Football: Grades for every star player so far in 2021

The Texas A&M football season has come off to a bumpy start. 3-2 was never part of the plan, especially when the toughest team on the schedule was Arkansas.

Still, despite shortcomings for the Aggies, there are more than a handful of players who have played really solid seasons. Today, I’m going to stop dwelling on the negatives of the season and move toward the positive.

Here are grades for each star player on the Texas A&M football team so far in 2021.

Texas A&M football player grades through five games: Offense

QB Zach Calzada: I’m currently anti-Calzada slander. The quarterback lost the starting job and was thrust into the spotlight just a couple of weeks later with a banged-up offensive line. Yes, he has underperformed, but it’s hard to blame him too much.

If we were grading his nickname, the “Cuban Missile” would get an A+. Unfortunately, his play on the field hasn’t matched this nickname much. Calzada has thrown at an inefficient clip of 53.9%, tossing five passes into the endzone and throwing four interceptions. Again, he hasn’t been bad, he’s just been ineffective.

Player Grade: C-

RB Isaiah Spiller: Isaiah Spiller was one of the best returning runningbacks in 2021. Expectations were through the roof for the First-Team All-SEC runningback from a season ago, and thus far, he has fallen short of those expectations. Again, he hasn’t necessarily been bad, he just hasn’t had the blocking to match up with his talent.

In terms of making plays, he’s been even better than expected. That said, football is a numbers game and his numbers are simply okay. He has rushed for 445 yards, making just two trips to the endzone on the ground this season.

Player Grade: B+