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Texas A&M Football: Predicting the Aggies’ defensive depth chart for 2022

By Brandon Martinez

Nov 13, 2021; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Dontario Drummond (11) runs the ball against Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Antonio Johnson (27) during the fourth quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2021; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Dontario Drummond (11) runs the ball against Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Antonio Johnson (27) during the fourth quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Texas A&M football
Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M football Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Texas A&M Football: Linebacker depth

Starters: Andre White Jr. (SR), Edgerrin Cooper (RS SO)

Backups: Chris Russell Jr. (SR), Tarian Lee Jr. (RS JR)

Reserves: Martrell Harris (FR), Ish Harris (FR)

This linebacker group is an interesting one to say the least. Andre White Jr. is going into his senior season, but he still has yet to show much on the field. It has been overshadowed by elite defensive line play in recent years, but White is in a spot where he needs to make a jump in his development, or he will be replaced by one of the other upperclassmen.

The other starter will be redshirt sophomore Edgerrin Cooper. Cooper shined last season in his first year after the redshirt. He started off slow, however about halfway through the season, he really started to show great tackling and run stopping ability. In fact, after Week 6, he only had three missed tackles for the rest of the season.

The next men up will be upperclassmen Chris Russell Jr. and Tarian Lee Jr. Both of these players haven’t had too much time on the field, but they both have looked good in their limited snaps. They now should compete for a starting spot and more than likely will rotate a decent amount this year.

Lastly, I expect Martrell Harris and Ish Harris to take reserve roles and, barring injury, one will redshirt for this season. Both are coming in as four-star recruits, but with four upperclassmen ahead of them, I don’t expect them to receive many snaps this season, perhaps maybe some in the non-conference matchups this season.