The season is getting close for Texas A&M football, and the hype is getting real. Expectations are high for the Aggies this year, and fans are hoping for a season similar to 2020 or their inaugural SEC season.
With the regular season starting in just over a week for Texas A&M, this is that awkward period where college football has begun, but your team has yet to play due to the “Week 0” games. This is a great time to make some last-minute bets and predictions for the season.
That’s what I will be doing here. These are bold predictions, so no, I’m not necessarily expecting these things to happen. I will say that there is certainly a road or path for these to happen, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.
1. Texas A&M football will lead the SEC in takeaways per game
One distinct difference this team will have compared to last season is who’s at the helm of the defense. Instead of Mike Elko, that is now D.J Durkin. You can think whatever you want about the hire, however, you cannot deny the aggressiveness that Durkin will bring to the defense.
This I wouldn’t necessarily call a super hot take, however, predicting something to this nature is still pretty bold. To put it into context, Texas A&M was fourth in the SEC in turnovers per game in 2021. The Durkin-lead Ole Miss defense ranked second in the SEC in the same category and only trailed South Carolina by 0.2 TPG.
Texas A&M DB Antonio Johnson on creating more takeaways in 2022: "There is an emphasis within the players on the defense that we harped on a lot on being more disruptive around the ball."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) August 3, 2022
"That's something we're trying to improve on this season, for sure."
Pairing Durkin and a fast, athletic back seven has turnovers written all over it. The biggest question will be if the front four can generate pressure enough to keep pressuring the opposing quarterback to make mistakes.
I expect they will generate enough pressure to make mistakes happen. Whether that is elite play by the edge rushers, schemed blitz packages, or both is something to be seen. However, I have no doubt Durkin will get the most out of the stars he has in the defensive back unit in Antonio Johnson, Jaylon Jones, and Demani Richardson.