Texas A&M Football: Final Thoughts Before Kickoff

With kickoff mere minutes away for Texas A&M football, I wanted to jot down a few final thoughts about the upcoming game and the 2023 season.

• Don’t be surprised if the Aggies have a bit of a struggle here in the first game offensively. It’s a whole new offensive system, and this New Mexico defensive style is not easy to operate against—especially for the OL, who will have to communicate well to deal with all the stunts and blitzes. Despite the depth and talent the Aggies have at the position, this could be a real test of the actual chemistry the Aggies have up front.
• It will be hard to draw a lot of conclusions about the Aggie defense from this first game, given how awful the offense is for UNM. That is, of course, unless the Ags get gashed—then I wouldn’t be opposed to sounding the alarm. I think that it’s unlikely, of course—this defensive unit for Texas A&M football should dominate the lobos.
• I think a lot of Aggie fans see this 2023 season as a springboard, due to the fact that ‘24 will be the’ junior year for A&M’s record-setting recruiting class and the schedule stacks up so favorably for Texas A&M football. I’m split on that notion. The Ags have so many returning starters this year that may not be here in ‘24 that this year’s campaign might be as good of a chance as next year’s for an SEC title. Combine that with the fact that the West is wide open this year… I don’t see a reason why a Texas A&M football team that reaches its potential can’t contend. Several national media types have picked the Aggies as their dark horse in the division for this very reason.

Couple of quick-quick hitters:

• I think the running back-by-committee approach will work very well for the Ags this year.
• After seeing both Texas and OU’s performances this morning, I’m not sure another 49-0 performance is in the cards for the Horns come Red River—unless they’re on the losing end.
• Jalen Milroe starting for Alabama has to make the Aggie DL happy.
• I may have underrated Ole Miss. It’s just Mercer, but their offense is humming early.
• I’ve got the Gamecocks taking down UNC in Charlotte tonight by multiple scores.
• And finally, if all goes well, I won’t be surprised at all to see Weigman in New York as a Heisman finalist. If this offense operates at a high level, the story is just too good.

Let’s get this season going.