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Texas A&M Football: What you need to know about Sam Houston State

By Brandon Martinez

Sep 7, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Deshazor Everett (29) plays defense against Sam Houston State Bearkats wide receiver Richard Sincere (6) during the third quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Deshazor Everett (29) plays defense against Sam Houston State Bearkats wide receiver Richard Sincere (6) during the third quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 16, 2021; Frisco, Texas, USA; Sam Houston State Bearkats head coach K.C. Keeler is mobbed by his players after the game against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits during the Division I FCS Championship football game at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2021; Frisco, Texas, USA; Sam Houston State Bearkats head coach K.C. Keeler is mobbed by his players after the game against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits during the Division I FCS Championship football game at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

Offense preview

The Sam Houston State offense has been dominant over the last few seasons, however, it will look quite a bit different in 2022. They have lost key starters in quarterback Eric Schmid and star wide receiver Jequez Ezzard.

Their starting quarterback will now be Keegan Shoemaker, a transfer from Lafeyette. After starting 12 games as a rookie, he completed 60% of his passes and threw 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while winning Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Since transferring to SHSU, he has thrown just 42 passes for three touchdowns and an interception.

His main target will be returning receiver Ife Adeyi. Last season, the junior wideout accumulated 54 receptions for 742 yards and 10 touchdowns. He will certainly garner most of the attention from the Aggie defense.

Defense preview

On the defensive side, the Kats lost quite a bit from their secondary from last season, the most notably being defensive back Zyon McCollum. McCollum, along with his brother Tristan, are off to the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Texans respectively.

The position to watch for the Bearkats is the linebacker group. The linebackers bring back local College Station product Trevor Williams and 6โ€™2 outside linebacker Markel Perry. Williams and Perry were both one of the most productive players on the defense last season, and they will be captaining the defense in 2022.

Kam Alexander will be the next man up in the Zyon McCollum role for SHSU. Last season, he started three games and recorded six pass breakups and two interceptions. Alexander is also the starting returner for the team, so you will see a lot of him on Saturday.