Potential Position Battles for Texas A&M after Spring Practice

Who will start at corner for Texas A&M football?

Cornerback will come into the 2023 season looking completely different than the year prior. This is due to an exodus from the position to the transfer portal, with the transfers of Brian George, Myles Jones, Josh Moten, Denver Harris, Smoke Bouie, and Marquis Groves-Killebrew.

Despite this setback, Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M football staff went out and got some firepower to replace this depth, with the transfers of Sam McCall, Tony Grimes, and Josh Deberry; as well as recruiting 2 top rated corners in the 2023 class.

Tony Grimes was the number 1 rated corner in the 2020 recruiting class, the number 3 rated corner in the transfer portal and has recorded 97 tackles in his three years at North Carolina. Grimes is likely a first day starter and helps the Aggies who desperately needed another playmaker at the position.

Josh DeBerry is another big name out of the portal, and recorded 50 tackles last year at Boston College. DeBerry has 4 years of experience and has steadily increased his production throughout his college career, and can be a great leader for the others to gain experience from.

Sam McCall was the 7th ranked cornerback in the transfer portal, despite recording only 5 tackles at Florida State. McCall was the 47th overall player in the 2021 recruiting class and has a huge upside to his game. With his 6’ 1”, 182 pound frame, he was recruited as a safety but made the transition to cornerback at Florida State.

The Aggies also picked up a few pieces from recruiting to fill the position holes. Javyon Thomas, the 15th ranked corner, and Bravion Rogers, the 10th ranked corner, both committed to Texas A&M over the offseason. Both are enrolled in spring ball and could see playing time come fall

Along with the outside help, the players who stayed have also had productive seasons. Tyreek Chappell, a two year starter with 44 tackles last year, stayed on the team and has excelled in the system. Deuce Harmon, who also stayed with the team, has produced 28 tackles in 11 games over the past two years.

Overall, despite the vast number of players who left the team at this position, the Aggies could have a very solid secondary coming into the 2023 season.

My predictions: Tony Grimes, Tyreek Chapell, and Sam McCall will start, but will including lots of rotation of other players depending on scheme.