With key Texas A&M defenders going into the 2025 NFL Draft, questions have begun to arise about the capability of A&M's pass rush unit.
With Nic Scourton, Shemar Turner and Shemar Stewart all leaving College Station, the concern now is what the Aggie defense will look like now that three top dogs on the defensive side are all gone. A&M struggled mightily down the stretch of the season on defense, so some are worried that things could look even worse next year.
Now, with key defenders gone, big defensive tackle DJ Hicks provided some confidence regarding Aggies' fans biggest concerns going into the season.
Hicks: 'We're going to get to the quarterback'
The Aggie defense of last season needed to be addressed going into the 2025 football season. This led to defensive coordinator Jay Bateman upping the urgency, saying the adjustments that they have to make are 'serious.' In all honesty, every aspect of the defense must be better if the Aggies want to look like a serious contender, not just the pass rush.
The up-and-coming Hicks spoke to the media telling folks that the defense is in good hands for 2025.
DJ Hicks: "We've got a lot of top rushers... Following Coach Elko's scheme, I feel like we're still going to get to the quarterback a lot."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) April 9, 2025
With Mike Elko being the defensive minded guy that he is, it's safe to say he learned a lot from leaving the defense in someone else's hands last year. Bringing in Lyle Hemphill was already a good move for more eyes to oversee the defense.
Nonetheless, this change, if successful, would be a big difference from the disappointing season from the 2024 season. Pass coverage has to be better too, as Taurean York even called himself out during games this season.