College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Texas A&M season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Texas A&M Schedule Analysis
– Texas A&M Aggies Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2020 Record: 9-1 overall, 8-1 in SEC
Head Coach: Jimbo Fisher, 4th year, 26-10
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 4
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 23
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 52
Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: Offense
– The Texas A&M offense did what it was supposed to do and what it wanted to do. In a time when everyone is trying to move quickly and keep defenses on their heels, A&M was brilliant at being able to keep in control and make teams deal with its style.
The Aggies were third in the nation in time of possession, averaged 439 yards and 33 points per game – more than great considering the deliberate style of play – and most importantly of all, they were third in the nation at converting on third downs. Move the chains, keep the clock moving.
A few key parts are gone, but the machine should keep on rolling because …
– The stable of running backs and options are as good as any in the country. Isaiah Spiller was the leading rusher and the star of the show, but there’s way too much talent not to use.
Wide receiver Ainias Smith is a dangerous all-around weapon who needs the ball in his hands – he’ll get at least 40 carries. Track team sprinter Devon Achane averaged 8.5 yards per carry, and there are more options who’ll need the ball, too. Now they need guys to pave the way.
It took years for Jimbo Fisher to build up the offensive line, and now it needs some patching. It’s all going be fine by the end of fall camp, but it’s going to take a bit to get there. 6-4, 325-pound Kenyon Green will play somewhere on the left side – likely at tackle after working at guard – but he’s the only returning regular starter.
Again, it’ll be okay, and there’s more help on the way from the recruiting class and from Tennessee transfer Jahmir Johnson, but it’ll take a while to put the puzzle together.
– Oh yeah, the offense has to replace a four-year starting quarterback who might be the leader of the Minnesota Vikings for the next decade. Kellen Mond grew into the job over his four years getting better and better each season.
Mond’s gone, and it’ll be a fight in August between Haynes King and Zach Calzada to take over. It’ll probably be the 6-3, 200-pound King, but the job is still open.
The receivers are in place to rock no matter who’s throwing the ball. Ainias Smith led the way with 564 yards, TE Jalen Wydermyer led the team with 46 catches, and Chase Lane is reliable enough to be third on the team with 29 catches for 409 yards and two scores, and Caleb Chapman is a 6-5 matchup problem.
NEXT: Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: Defense
4. Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: Defense
– Defensive coordinator Mike Elko has another loaded D. Last year’s group was No. 1 in the SEC, allowed 317 yards and 22 points per game, and it was second in the nation behind only Georgia against the run.
Expect the same, only better with nine starters expected back to go with lots and lots and lots of solid backups.
– There weren’t a ton of sacks, but the 6.4 tackles for loss per game were good enough to lead the SEC. Leading sacker Bobby Brown is gone, but 335-pound McKinnley Jackson is an active option on the nose to go along with veteran Jayden Peevy, an NFL-sized tackle who made 34 stops.
The ends are deep with Tyree Johnson, DeMarvin Leal, and Micheal Clemsons all very big and next-level talented. All three can get into the backfield.
– Leading tackler Buddy Johnson is gone, but Aaron Hansford was second with 49 stops from his job on the weakside. The 6-3, 245-pounder has the upside to do even more to get behind the line, and the combination of Andre White and Chris Russell can handle the inside, even if neither one is as strong as Johnson.
A&M likes large, physical corners. Jaylon Jones is a 6-2, 205-pounder who made 30 stops, and Myles Jones is a rangy 6-4 veteran who was fourth on the team with 39 stops in just eight games.
The outside is fine, and the inside is better with Leon O’Neal a stat-sheet filler with a team-high two interceptions and 48 tackles. He’s got the range to get all over the field, and Demani Richardson is another big-hitting veteran who came up with 36 tackles.
NEXT: Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: Top Players
Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: Top Players
Best Texas A&M Aggies Offensive Player
RB/WR Ainias Smith, Jr.
There might be better Aggies at set positions – Isaiah Spiller should be an All-SEC running back and Jalen Wydermyer might be the nation’s best tight ends – but the 5-10, 190-pound Smith has the do-it-all ability who’ll keep defensive coordinators worrying.
One of the nation’s most dynamic all-around stars, he’s dangerous as a runner averaging six yards per carry with 293 yards and four scores last season, and he was dangerous in the slot with 564 yards and six touchdowns on 43 catches.
2. RB Isaiah Spiller, Jr.
3. TE Jalen Wydermyer, Jr.
4. OG/OT Kenyon Green, Jr.
5. RB Devon Achane, Fr.
Best Texas A&M Aggies Defensive Player
LB Aaron Hansford, Sr.
This is a bit of a copout call on the best player – the Aggies have at least six guys who could be here, and one of the linemen probably should’ve gotten the call. However, Hansford appears to be poised and ready for a massive campaign coming off a breakthrough season.
On the outside the 6-3, 245-pounder was second on the team with 49 tackles with three sacks and seven tackles for loss. Watch out for him to crank up those numbers in the backfield.
2. DT McKinnley Jackson, Soph.
3. DE Micheal Clemons, Sr.
4. S Leon O’Neal, Sr.
5. CB Myles Jones, Sr.
Top Incoming Texas A&M Aggies Transfer
OT Jahmir Johnson, Sr.
There aren’t exactly a whole lot of choice – the Aggies lost a ton through the transfer portal and aren’t getting a whole lot coming back.
The A&M offensive front has to replace three starters and needs to rebuild the depth a bit. The 6-5, 300-pound Johnson has been well traveled, starting his career at Rhode Island before going the JUCO route to Tennessee. Now he’ll come to College Station as a versatile option who can work at either guard or tackle.
NEXT: Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
Texas A&M Aggies Biggest Key: Offense
The offensive line can’t take a step back. The Aggies averaged almost 5.5 yards per carry with 21 scores. It’s not exactly new for A&M to run that well – it averaged over five yards per pop in three of the last five seasons – and this year the ground game will be great again with all of the amazing options in the backfield.
But the O line that loses three starters isn’t going to allow just seven sacks again.
The Aggies were fifth in the country and first in the SEC in sacks allowed, and that took a whole lot of work after giving up 34 the year before and 35 in 2018.
It helped to have the veteran decision-making ability of Kellen Mond, and that’s not there this time around with the line needing to give the new guy a ton of time to work.
Texas A&M Aggies Biggest Key: Defense
Get even more out of the pass rush. The defensive tackles were great at getting behind the line, and the pass rush was more than fine overall. However, leading sacker Bobby Brown is done from the line and LB Buddy Johnson is done – they combined for 9.5 of the 28 sacks.
It’s nitpicking with the D generating a whole lot of pressure on third downs, but the pass rush should mean just about everything. A&M is great at limiting possessions with its style of play, and no one’s going to be able to run on this group.
Team after team will have to throw to win, and just about everyone will have to be great on third downs. That’s not happening if the A&M pass rush can snuff that out.
Texas A&M Aggies Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Haynes King, RFr.
And if he’s not the one taking over the job, it has to be sophomore Zach Calzada who becomes the main man.
Texas A&M has everything in place to go to the College Football Playoff. The skill parts are special, the defense is going to be a killer, and the kicking game should be great. There might need to be a little work done on the O line, but it’ll be fine. The only thing missing is an experienced quarterback.
King has the mobility and he’ll add a little something different than Calzada, but no matter what, the Aggies have to get efficient play from the position to get over the SEC West hump.
Texas A&M Aggies Key Game To The 2021 Season
Alabama, Oct. 9
Johnny Manziel was able to pull off the 29-24 thriller in 2012 … and Alabama won the SEC and national championships. There’s that, and there’s the 20-16 win in the 1968 Cotton Bowl. Those were the only two times in 13 tries the Aggies were able to beat Bama.
Texas A&M will be a double-digit favorite against everyone on the schedule except for possibly Ole Miss and LSU on the road and Alabama. Beat the Tide, and there can be a misfire of a loss to the Rebels or Tigers and still win the West.
2020 Texas A&M Aggies Fun Stats
– Time of Possession: Texas A&M 34:49 – Opponents 25:11
– Penalties: Texas A&M 62 for 579 yards – Opponents 46 for 365 yards
– Sacks: Texas A&M 28 for 180 yards – Opponents 7 for 39 yards
NEXT: Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
Texas A&M Aggies College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
For a program that has every possible advantage and a deep history, it hasn’t won a whole lot of really, really big things for a really, really long time.
Texas A&M has three national championships in football … sort of. Two of them are more historical exercise in nature – 1919 and 1927 – but the 1939 team grabbed the AP championship.
1939 is a long time ago.
The 1998 team shocked the college football world with a comeback win to beat Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship, and there were plenty of Southwest Conference titles in the late 1982 and early 1990s under RC Slocum, but …
1998 is a long time ago.
I still make the case that the 2020 team deserved the fourth seed in the College Football Playoff, but the Aggies didn’t win their division and didn’t win their conference championship.
The 2012 Johnny Manziel team was the only one to win double-digit games since the 1998 version did it.
Since 1998 and the BCS and then College Football Playoff era, A&M hasn’t really been in the hunt until last year. It’s had a few good moments, but now it seems like the program is about to go into hyperdrive under Jimbo Fisher and start to become a major player in the national title chase on a regular basis.
Set The Texas A&M Aggies Regular Season Win Total At … 10
That’s hard to consistently do in the SEC West when that Bama thing is still rolling, last year’s team was able to beat everyone else but that team in Tuscaloosa, and this year’s version might do the same thing.
There’s a massive question mark at quarterback, but this is a loaded team that deserves preseason top five consideration – and worst top ten – but how does it get to the top four?
You have a team loaded with great recruiting classes, a head coach with a national championship on the resumé, and you get a schedule with no Florida, no Georgia, no real worries in non-conference play, and with Alabama and Auburn coming to your house.
It’s still not going to be easy with road games at LSU and Ole Miss to worry about, and there are always landmines in the SEC, but there’s nothing schedule-wise – unless Alabama is an unstoppable machine again – standing in A&M’s way from going at least 11-1 and playing for the SEC Championship.
This is what the big contract to Jimbo Fisher was for. This is why is was smart to maintain the stability so the program could get to this point.
At the very least, the Aggies are knocking on the door of consistent greatness. They’ll be right there in the mix for everything in late November.
For a program that’s waited this long for major success again, it’ll take a few more months to get there.
