Monday Thoughts

[ASFN Admin]

We’re talking a lot of Aggie football in this week’s edition of Monday Thoughts, sponsored by 4L Roof and Remodel:​

Big, big difference at WR​

I’ve kind of harped on this before, but it really sunk in tonight watching practice. The difference between the 2025 Aggie receiver corps and the 2024 version is pretty extreme. We won’t know for sure until they actually play games, but I’m really beginning to think that this bunch will be much better than last year’s.

First of all, they’re faster. Much, much faster. There are probably five receivers in this group (KC Concepcion, Mario Craver, Kelshaun Johnson, Jerome Myles and Ashton Bethel-Roman) that could out run any starting receiver not named Terry Bussey last year. They also appear to be better route runners, and certainly cut harder than any of last year’s guys. And yes, that includes Noah Thomas, easily Texas A&M’s best receiver last year.

It starts with Concepcion. The word that gets used a lot with him is “professional”. He takes every rep seriously, runs every route as cleanly as he can and expects to make every catch. If he drops one, nobody needs to get on his case because he’s already doing it. He leads by example.

Craver just makes things look easy. He’s a Smurf at 5-foot-9 (that’s not an insult, by the way), but he’s Speedy Smurf. He explodes off the line of scrimmage and has the speed to just blow by people. He’s one of those kinds of players that you know is fast, but you don’t realize what fast is until you actually see him run.

Bethel-Roman is increasingly becoming a player people need to be aware of. He may not be the best receiver on the team, but he works at his craft and he does exactly what he’s told to do. If he makes a mistake, he only makes it once.

Bussey remains the most interesting receiver of the bunch. If he figures it all out, he’ll be unstoppable. He’s got that much natural talent. We got our first look at Myles tonight and he blew me away with how smooth he runs, and he’s got really good hands.

I think those are your five guys at the start of the season who will play the most. Amari Niblack probably makes it six. They’ve got some height, but they’ve got a lot of speed and guys who know how to get open. That should be a refreshing change from last year, when Thomas was frequently the only receiver to get consistent separation.

Starting to get some answers to my big offseason questions​

Ok, Texas A&M is precisely five practices into training camp, but at least we can start to get an idea about a few things. The answers can surely change, mind you, but based off our observations so far, we can get a clue.

What’s the starting offensive line?

Zuhn/Bisontis/Nabou/Reed-Adams/Crownover. No surprises at all.

What’s the two-deep at defensive tackle?

Albert Regis, DJ Hicks, Tyler Onyedim and Dealyn Evans. The only question remains on Evans, but he looks like he’s physically ready to go.

Who’s starting opposite Will Lee at corner?

Julian Humphrey looks like he’s got that job right now.

Who’s the starting tight end?

Theo Ohrstrom, with Nate Boerkircher also getting a lot of work. Niblack will also play a lot.

Who are the four defensive ends?

Dayon Hayes, T.J. Searcy, Cashius Howell and Marco Jones.

Which freshman are most likely to shine?

Jones and Myles.

Why I’m starting to feel better about the offensive line and the receivers​

For the line, it’s experience. I’ve heard that they look good and, honestly, we haven’t seen anything consequential, but you can just see in the way they go about their business that they know what they’re doing. Last year, there was a lot of confusion in summer practices about where to go and what to do and who was blocking next to who and all that. But not this year. It looks like there’s a very clear delineation between the starters (and the two key reserves) and the rest of the linemen. They seem to know how to work together, and that’s always been a big thing with me — one group, not five individuals.

Oh, and they’re friggin’ huge.

With the receivers, it’s been a numbers game for me — how many guys are you confident in? Concepcion, obviously, has all the makings of a star. He already was one at N.C. State. Craver looks like he can be special. The coaching staff clearly likes the progression Bethel-Roman’s made. Bussey should get there. And now, Myles looks like a natural.

Last year, A&M really had three receivers: Thomas, Jahdae Walker and Jabre Barber. Cyrus Allen and Moose Muhammad were disappointments. Bussey, Bethel-Roman and Izaiah Williams were learning the ropes. The Aggies aren’t where they want to be yet at receiver, but I am coming around to the opinion they have enough to be successful this year if everyone stays on the field.

Roster remake moving in the right direction​

With last year’s Texas A&M team, there were quite a few scholarship players that I’d watch in the spring and summer and go, “nope, he’s not competitive.” I’m not going to name names, but most all of them are gone. I don’t know if this is the most talented Texas A&M roster I’ve seen, but it’s almost certainly the most competitive top to bottom in terms of guys who have a chance to actually play and contribute. There are very few players who don’t belong out there, and that’s a very solid step forward from last year’s team.

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