Texas A&M football spring position preview: Offensive line will be A&M's top strength

Texas A&M football spring position preview: Aggies set for another offensive line renaissance if they can stay healthy

The 2020 season for Texas A&M football was essentially defined by one thing: their dominant offensive front. A matured Kellen Mond was a steadying hand at the helm of the Aggies' ship, but he was only able to be so effective because he wasn't running for his life every single play.

To that point, the difference in sack numbers and yards per carry for the Aggies from 2019 to 2020 was shocking. A year removed from giving up 34 sacks in 13 games over the course of the 2019 season, A&M allowed only 7 total in 10 games in 2020, with three of those coming against North Carolina in the Orange Bowl. They also jumped from 4.82 YPC on 33 attempts per game to 5.45 YPC on nearly 38 attempts per game.

In short, the offensive line was a major player in the offensive success that the Aggies had in that season, seeing results that they have not acheived since that year. Of course, every year since 2020, the offensive line has been not only below the level they were then, but below par in general.

That started to change this past year with the shift in staff that took place in College Station. The change of pace that Adam Cushing provided, along with a different scheme provided by Collin Klein, has the Aggie offensive front looking like a coherent group again.

Some of that has to do with the personnel. Ar'maj Reed-Adams certainly has been a revelation up front. The move of Chase Bisontis to the interior of the line has borne a lot of fruit as well.

But it's worth mentioning that this change in fortunes persisted despite some debilitating injuries. The Aggies lost Mark Nabou, their starting center, in the first half of the first game of the year; they would also see Kolinu'u Faaiu, Bisontis, and Reed-Adams all miss stretches as well.

Even without those guys, the Aggie front looked more than competent (despite some struggles in pass protection at times, particularly with the now-departed TJ Shanahan facing the LSU offensive front). They were by no means a finished product, but the step forward was obvious.

And they return every single starter from last year for 2025.

There is perhaps no position on the field where experience and seniority plays a bigger role than that of offensive line. You get some guys who are excellent right from the very beginning, of course— Kenyon Green, Evan Neal, Kelvin Banks are all examples— but seasoned seniors who have had significant time to cohere as a unit can go a long way in the quality of a collegiate OL.

That's what A&M is bringing back this year. The Aggies are not only set to return experience, though, but talent: Reed-Adams is regarded as maybe the best offensive guard in the upcoming draft class, and Bisontis is right there with him.

The depth is an asset as well: with all the time that was missed last year, A&M was able to get some valuable snaps for guys like Faaiu, who could start again at center with Nabou using his versatility to play one of the guard spots.

With a burgeoning star in Marcel Reed at quarterback, a strong run game and sufficient pass protection up front could be an ingredient for a special year on offense in College Station. This is a group that will have their work cut out for them, without a doubt— they'll be facing some potent pass-rushes week in and week out.

But this still figures to be the best offensive line that the Aggies have had since that 2020 season. If they can replicate the dearth of losses from that year, as well, then this will truly be a season to remember.