Evaluating and grading Texas A&M football's coaching hires midway through 2024

Mike Elko put together quite the staff for Texas A&M football. Here's how we have them grading out halfway through the year.
Missouri v Texas A&M
Missouri v Texas A&M / Tim Warner/GettyImages
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Grading Texas A&M football's coaching hires - Ishmael Aristide, DBs

jpjpjpjpjpjpjpjp. A-. Defensive Backs Coach. . Ishmael Aristide

Aristide, an erstwhile A&M staff member himself, has stepped back in and done some great things so far with his position group. After several years of mediocrity in the Aggie back end, the A&M defensive backs group finally looks like they are playing up to their talent.

We can't go too far here without mentioning the huge DBs haul that the Aggies had from the portal this offseason. The Aggie DB room went from threadbare at the time of the Texas Bowl to one of the clearest positions of strength on the entire team by the time spring ball rolled around.

The cornerbacks especially have been a great surprise for this Aggie team. Will Lee III has defied the odds and is now playing like an All-SEC selection at corner. Dezz Ricks is coming on strong on the opposite side, and we've seen some high-quality play out of Jayvon Thomas there as well.

Aristide has been a huge addition for the Aggies both on the trail and when it comes to on-field results. The DBs have busted a time or two—the first play of the Arkansas game comes to mind—but A&M has overall looked much-improved from the previous season.