Texas A&M lost out on the opportunity to contend for the Big 12 championship last year after welcoming back 18 starters from a squad that went with 9 wins in 2010. The Aggies completed the regular season 6-6 (4-5 in the Big 12), but could possibly have easily ended up 11-1. Five of their six losses were by a TD or fewer, including two in overtime. They would defeat Northwestern 33-22 in the Car Care of Texas Bowl to finish 7-6 overall.
Despite the fact that the Aggies bring back a plethora of talent in 2012, this year figures to be a learning experience. Texas A&M will compete in their first year in thevery difficult SEC West. What makes matters tougher for the Aggies is the departure of their coach Mike Sherman, as he left to become the offensive coach of the Miami Dolphins. Kevin Sumlin is the new head coach and brings with him Kliff Kingsburry as the offensive coach and Mark Snyder as the defensive coordinator.
Offense
The team will have a tough job attempting to replace one of the nation's best quarterbacks in Ryan Tannehill, as he was selected in the opening round of the NFL Draft. Sumlin did a great job of developing signal callers in Houston, and he will have plenty of options he can use in 2012. Red-shirt freshman Johnny Manziel seems to be best player, but Matt Davis and Matt Joecklel can still sneak in and win the job.
Texas A&M will also have to replace two of the team's elite playmakers in RB Cyrus Gray and WR Jeff Fuller. Gray is third on the school's list in rushing yards with 3,298 and Fuller is the school's all-time leading pass catcher with 3,092 yards.
Christine Michael will be counted on to replace the stats the Aggies lost when Gray left for the pros. The senior back has rushed for 1,530 yards and 12 touchdowns over the past two campaigns, but he has had injury battles missing a total of 11 contests. They also brought in well respected freshman Trey Williams, who has that desired mix of strength and speed.
The team will not miss Fuller as much as people believe. In fact, Ryan Swope will likely surpass Fuller as the Aggie's all-time leading receiver (needs just 889 yards). They also have the super talented senior wide out Uzoma Nwachukwu coming back and add in one of the best freshman wide outs in the nation with Thomas Johnson.
The offensive line has a bunch of experience returning from last year, captained by 2nd team All-Big 12 left tackle Luke Joeckel and right tackle Jake Matthews. They also have starting right guard Cedric Ogbuehl and center Patrick Lewis returning. Left guard is the sole open spot they have on the line, but sophomore Jarvis Harrison is expected to fill in.
Defense
In 2010, the Aggies had a defense that surrendered just 21.9 points/game. But the graduation of one of the greatest LBs in all of college football, Von Miller, quickly downgraded their play last season and the team ended up allowing 28.2 points/game. They were really strong against the rush, but struggled big time against the pass.
Snyder will move the defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3, so that there will be more action on the front seven. The Aggies will have a tough time repeating their success against the rush, as they lose a couple of 300 pound fillers in defensive tackles Eddie Brown and Toney Jerod-Eddie. They do return senior defensive end Spencer Nealy and are expected to move starting linebacker Damontre Moore to the other defensive end spot.
Three talented seniors are back at linebacker, which should ease the change to the 4-3. Weak-side linebacker Sean Porter, who many believe to be one of the top players at his spot, headlines the unit. They also have MLB Jonathan Stewart and strong side linebacker Steven Jenkins.
The team might possibly benefit from their move away from the throw-intense Big 12, as the secondary looks even worse than it was a season ago. They not only lost both starting corners, but they also have the direct misfortune of replacing 4-time All-Big 12 free safety Trent Hunter. Their only returning starter is senior Steven Campbell.
SEC Prediction: 6th SEC West
The Aggies will likely struggle to make an easy transition to their new legaue, especially with a new coach and starting signal caller. We'll see if they can take some of that throw-heavy Big 12 offense and make it work in the SEC. They may not have much luck at first though since they joined a division that features three of the top 10 schools in the land. Their three home games against Florida, Arkansas, and LSU will test their skills as a roster. If they struggle for victories in College Station, they are in for a long season.
Despite the fact that the Aggies bring back a plethora of talent in 2012, this year figures to be a learning experience. Texas A&M will compete in their first year in thevery difficult SEC West. What makes matters tougher for the Aggies is the departure of their coach Mike Sherman, as he left to become the offensive coach of the Miami Dolphins. Kevin Sumlin is the new head coach and brings with him Kliff Kingsburry as the offensive coach and Mark Snyder as the defensive coordinator.
Offense
The team will have a tough job attempting to replace one of the nation's best quarterbacks in Ryan Tannehill, as he was selected in the opening round of the NFL Draft. Sumlin did a great job of developing signal callers in Houston, and he will have plenty of options he can use in 2012. Red-shirt freshman Johnny Manziel seems to be best player, but Matt Davis and Matt Joecklel can still sneak in and win the job.
Texas A&M will also have to replace two of the team's elite playmakers in RB Cyrus Gray and WR Jeff Fuller. Gray is third on the school's list in rushing yards with 3,298 and Fuller is the school's all-time leading pass catcher with 3,092 yards.
Christine Michael will be counted on to replace the stats the Aggies lost when Gray left for the pros. The senior back has rushed for 1,530 yards and 12 touchdowns over the past two campaigns, but he has had injury battles missing a total of 11 contests. They also brought in well respected freshman Trey Williams, who has that desired mix of strength and speed.
The team will not miss Fuller as much as people believe. In fact, Ryan Swope will likely surpass Fuller as the Aggie's all-time leading receiver (needs just 889 yards). They also have the super talented senior wide out Uzoma Nwachukwu coming back and add in one of the best freshman wide outs in the nation with Thomas Johnson.
The offensive line has a bunch of experience returning from last year, captained by 2nd team All-Big 12 left tackle Luke Joeckel and right tackle Jake Matthews. They also have starting right guard Cedric Ogbuehl and center Patrick Lewis returning. Left guard is the sole open spot they have on the line, but sophomore Jarvis Harrison is expected to fill in.
Defense
In 2010, the Aggies had a defense that surrendered just 21.9 points/game. But the graduation of one of the greatest LBs in all of college football, Von Miller, quickly downgraded their play last season and the team ended up allowing 28.2 points/game. They were really strong against the rush, but struggled big time against the pass.
Snyder will move the defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3, so that there will be more action on the front seven. The Aggies will have a tough time repeating their success against the rush, as they lose a couple of 300 pound fillers in defensive tackles Eddie Brown and Toney Jerod-Eddie. They do return senior defensive end Spencer Nealy and are expected to move starting linebacker Damontre Moore to the other defensive end spot.
Three talented seniors are back at linebacker, which should ease the change to the 4-3. Weak-side linebacker Sean Porter, who many believe to be one of the top players at his spot, headlines the unit. They also have MLB Jonathan Stewart and strong side linebacker Steven Jenkins.
The team might possibly benefit from their move away from the throw-intense Big 12, as the secondary looks even worse than it was a season ago. They not only lost both starting corners, but they also have the direct misfortune of replacing 4-time All-Big 12 free safety Trent Hunter. Their only returning starter is senior Steven Campbell.
SEC Prediction: 6th SEC West
The Aggies will likely struggle to make an easy transition to their new legaue, especially with a new coach and starting signal caller. We'll see if they can take some of that throw-heavy Big 12 offense and make it work in the SEC. They may not have much luck at first though since they joined a division that features three of the top 10 schools in the land. Their three home games against Florida, Arkansas, and LSU will test their skills as a roster. If they struggle for victories in College Station, they are in for a long season.
