Aggie football is back, at least for a little while. Spring is in the air, and so will the footballs Monday as A&M hits the field to start practices. It is a time of change on the A&M coaching staff, as the Aggies have two newbies, John Chavis and Dave Christensen.
Christensen, running game: Christensen will be dealing with the Aggie running game as the new offensive line coach and run-game coordinator. The ground game hasn’t been in the Aggies favor. In 2014, A&M was 12th in the SEC in rushing yards per game. The Aggies were 2-4 last season when rushing for less than 150 yards, and 6-1 when rushing over 150 yards. The starter will most likely be Tra Carson, who rushed 25 times for 133 yards in A&M’s season finale against West Virginia. An interesting position battle to watch, however, will be the competition for the second and third string back. Brandon Williams returns from a 379 yard 2014 campaign, while Kendall Bussey comes into the mix from the 2015 recruiting class.
Offensive line: Two offensive line starters graduated last fall, and filling the all important left tackle position, which belonged to Cedric Ogbuehi last year, is tricky. Do not be surprised to see Sumlin possibly move Germain Ifedi from right tackle to the left tackle spot. Ifedi is the leader on the line and will be a major part of the Aggie attack. Avery Genessy could be the one called upon to fill in the right tackle position. The guard position must be filled with the departure of Jarvis Harrison, and junior college transfer Jermaine Eluemunor is the favorite to fill that position. The offensive line will most likely be the key focus of Christensen since the running back position seems to be stable.
Defense: The Aggies have one major concern defensively: the linebacker position. The starting middle linebacker spot is up for grabs this spring. The battle for first string will be between Josh Walker, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Otaro Alaka gets some reps during spring practice. Alaka made 33 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss in 2014, while Walker tallied 27 tackles last season and one tackle for loss. Not only will finding Chavis’ starting linebackers pose a challenge, but adjusting them to fit the style of his defense could be difficult for the Aggies.
If you are having the cravings for football again, spring football is here, which means the season starts now.