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As the start of the 2015 season nears, there aren’t necessarily a lot of mysteries regarding who will take the field for Texas A&M in the opener against Arizona State. The bigger questions regard how they will perform.
The Aggies saw plenty of shuffling on the depth chart in 2014, but hope that this season several key players have locked down spots and will produce throughout the year so Kevin Sumlin’s crew can gain some consistency in his fourth season in College Station.
Here’s a glance at our projection for the post-fall camp two-deep:
OFFENSE (Air Raid)
QB1: Kyle Allen
QB2: Kyler Murray
Allen won the starting job midway through the season last year and hasn’t let go. His performance was particularly good late in the year and he won Offensive MVP of the Liberty Bowl after a 45-37 win against West Virginia, but the freshman Murray has wowed observers so far and might be ready for an opportunity if Allen slips.
RB1: Tra Carson
RB2: James White
Texas A&M not only didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher last year, the running backs didn’t run for 1,000 yards as a unit. Trey Williams left for the NFL and Brandon Williams switched to defense so Carson moves into the top spot almost by default, though he was solid while sharing carries last year. White has impressed so far and could help re-establish the running game.
WR 1: Josh Reynolds
WR 2: Frank Iheanacho
WR 1: Speedy Noil
WR 2: Edward Pope
WR 1: Christian Kirk
WR 2: Sabian Holmes
WR1: Ricky Seals-Jones
WR2: Boone Niederhofer
The Aggies first-string wideouts might be the most talented in the SEC, which is good because A&M tends to go for four-receiver sets rather than use a traditional tight end. Reynolds returns after a big year and Kirk could make a huge impact even as a freshman, but the key might be how well the Aggies can spread the ball around.
LT1: Avery Gennesy
LT2: Martin Koda
LG1: Keaton Sutherland
LG2: Jeremiah Stuckey
C1: Mike Matthews
C2: Jeremiah Stuckey
RG1: Joseph Cheek
RG2: Jermaine Eluemonor
RT1: Germain Ifedi
RT2: Ryan Lindblade
Mike Matthews was injured during spring, but appears to be ready to go for the season and should once again lead the group that returns two other starters in Cheek and Ifedi. Gennesy is a big addition with the junior college transfer appearing to win the left tackle job. There have been conflicting reports about who will start at left guard, with at least four different players competing for the position.
DEFENSE (4-3)
DE1: Myles Garrett
DE2: Jarrett Johnson
DT1: Alonzo Williams
DT2: Daylon Mack
DT1: Julien Obioha
DT2: Zaycoven Henderson
DE1: Daeshon Hall
DE2: Qualen Cunningham
The defensive line figures to be a strong point on an Aggies defense that needs to improve after being one of the nation’s worst, statistically, a year ago. Garrett and Hall can get sacks and the move of Obioha to defensive tackle is an interesting one. The huge freshman Mack could also see a lot of snaps on the inside.
OLB1: Shaan Washington
OLB2: Richard Moore
MLB1: Josh Walker
MLB2: A.J. Hilliard
OLB1: Otara Alaka
OLB2: A.J. Hilliard
Though the starters, led by Washington, should be solid, depth is certainly a concern at linebacker. Walker, Alaka and Hilliard have all done well when given opportunities to play, but injuries have also been a problem with this unit and new defensive coordinator John Chavis will have to find some capable backups.
CB1: Victor Davis
CB2: Brandon Williams
CB1: De’Vante Harris
CB2: Alex Sezer, Jr.
FS1: Armani Watts
FS2: Donovan Wilson
SS1: Justin Evans
SS2: Donovan Wilson
Another unit where the starters aren’t exactly a concern, but depth could be an issue, the Aggies have some playmakers in the defensive backfield. The junior college transfer Evans was a big pickup to pair with Watts, who had three interceptions last year. Williams recently made the switch to defense and should see plenty of playing time.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Taylor Bertolet
P: Drew Kaser
KR: Christian Kirk
PR: Speedy Noil
Shane Mettlen is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Texas A&M, Missouri and Alabama.
