Texas A&M Football: Press Conference – New Mexico

Texas A&M football head coach addressed the media on Monday, August 28 before the opener against New Mexico. He began by referencing the challenges UNM poses to the Aggies, mentioning their scheme, new coaches, and transfers they brought in. He then went on to say that the Ags have had a great camp before announcing what most expected: Conner Weigman will be the week one starter for Texas A&M Football.

Asked about the QB room, Fisher spoke about the unique nature of the position and how lucky the Aggies are to have two good options. He then responded to a question about the difficulty of scouting transfers before the first game of a season, given that there is not much film on those players in that specific scheme.

He then spoke about the importance that each game poses in college football. Asked about the 12th Man, Jimbo mentioned that they have yet to assign that honor to a player for this year. On the subject of some of the slow starts the Aggies have gotten off to in the past under his coaching, Fisher said plainly that you are what the film says you are, mentioning you can only hope to improve day by day. That said, he said there wasn’t anything specific he wanted to see in this first contest that was any different from what he wanted to see in any other game; communication, execution, etc.

On the subject of the linebackers, Fisher praised the camp performance of the unit. He specifically mentioned Martrell Harris’s development and the aid that transfer JD Davis has been. He also spoke on the young linebackers and the quality they have brought to this Texas A&M football squad. Asked about the character of this team, Jimbo said that his 2023 squad acts like a team “who knows there’s a lot more to it than they thought,” which could be a reference to how the 2022 squad wasn’t quite ready for the spotlight, to say the least. He also praised the coachability and leadership qualities he has seen in this team, though he qualified it by saying that it still has to happen on the field.

Asked about injuries, Fisher responded that Donovan Green is the only major injury on the roster at the moment. On the subject of the offensive line, Jimbo shouted out Dametrious Crownover once again before saying that Chase Bisontis and Trey Zuhn would be the starters as Reuben Fatheree works his way back from an end-of-season injury from 2022. He took that opportunity to once again drive home the point that New Mexico utilizes a lot of exotic blitzes and the challenge that would immediately pose to the Aggie OL.

On the subject of the progression he hoped to see out of QB Conner Weigman, Jimbo mentioned leadership and execution on the field, specifically talking about generating big plays and recognizing how to use the offensive weapons on this Texas A&M football team. He also mentioned how quality depth pushes the starters to higher highs, as they know they have to work hard to keep their spots. This seems to be a good problem for this Texas A&M football team at several spots this season.

Asked about the Aggie offense hopefully taking a step this year and how that might effect the defense, Jimbo referenced the 2020 team and how well they played on each side of the ball, helping each other out by consequence. Jimbo also confirmed that C Bryce Foster is back at practice, but wouldn’t commit to the idea that Foster would be ready to play in week 1.

One of the questions was specifically about the quality of freshman LB Taurean York. Jimbo raved about the young player’s maturity and knowledge of the defensive system. He wrapped up with a question about the 12th Man and the qualities he looked for when giving out that honor to one of his players. He specifically said this was a tougher decision than in years past given how many players fulfilled those qualities.