2012 Statistics

ASST. COACHES

Off. Coordinator/RB Coach: Clarence McKinney (2nd season)
Previous: Houston RB Coach

Co-Off. Coordinator/QB Coach: Jake Spavital (1st season)
Previous: West Virginia QB Coach

Def. Coordinator: Mark Snyder (2nd season)
Previous: South Florida Def. Coor./LB Coach

Co-Def. Coordinator/DB Coach: Marcel Yates (2nd season)
Previous: Boise State DB Coach

Receivers: David Beaty (2nd season)
Previous: Kansas Co-Off. Coor./WR Coach

Tight Ends/Special Teams: Jeff Banks (1st season)
Previous: UTEP Special Teams/RB Coach

Offensive Line: B.J. Anderson (2nd season)
Previous: Houston OL Coach

Defensive Line: Terry Price (2nd season)
Previous: Ole Miss DL Coach

Linebackers: Mark Hagen (1st season)
Previous: Indiana DT/Special Teams Coach

    QUARTERBACK  

• Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel will continue to drive the pulse of college football as his legendary following continues to grow. The Texas A&M spring game drew a record crowd to watch Manziel throw for 303 yards and three touchdowns while completing 24 of 30 passes all in roughly one half of football. The train is still rolling.
• It's been evident this spring that Manziel is throwing the ball harder with more accuracy than he had at any point last year. On top of that he has added some muscle to his frame and has improved his mechanics. This is not something opposing defenses are going to want to hear, but Manziel has noticeably improved.
• The backup battle has not been completely resolved. Matt Joeckle, twin brother All-American offensive tackle Luke who declared for the NFL Draft, performed well early in the spring and then struggled with consistency late. His competitor Matt Davis did the opposite...started off slow this spring and the showed signs of progress.
• So who got the backup job? Joeckel will head into August with the lead, but Davis will have a chance to overtake him. Either way, their level of play will need to be elevated if the Aggies are to get even close to surviving an injury to Manziel.

    RUNNING BACK  

• Manziel and the receivers carried this offense last season. This should be the year the Aggies rely more on the ground game.
• The anticipation levels are sky high concerning the Four Horsemen in this backfield. Ben Malena, Brandon Williams, Trey Williams and Tra Carson provide quality depth that few teams can boast. All are capable of starting for many programs.
• The highly productive Malena led the team in rushing in 2012. He is a about the best perfect fit for Coach Sumlin's system and is the unquestioned starter. Malena is the most complete running back.
• Trey Williams showed in the spring game that he has picked up just where he left off from a high-performance Cotton Bowl showing. He is much bigger and stronger and won't be arm tackled.
• Oklahoma transfer Brandon Williams was a five-star All-American out of high school. After sitting out under transfer rules he is ready to strap it on. Williams is more of a slasher with speed to get to the outside, the home run threat of the group. He doesn't quite have the size to be a bruiser but his cuts are crisp and quick and he has a second gear that puts him into the secondary at the blink of an eye.

    RECEIVER  

• Losing four of the top six receivers on the roster makes this unit one of the biggest question marks heading into 2013. The talent is here but it's inexperienced and unproven, especially if freshmen have to step up and take some of the slack.
• Leading receiver Mike Evans (82 receptions for 1105 yards) is the ultimate threat and has been moved to the slot to take advantage of size mismatches and provide a more physical run blocking presence while opening up man coverage on the outside receivers.
• Malcome Kennedy is the No. 2 guy in this corps as one of the receivers Manziel feels most comfortable with. Kennedy could be on the verge of a breakout year.
• Sabian Holmes was inconsistent during the spring opening the door for a few true freshmen to step into the rotation. Incoming frosh Sebastian Larue may be the most refined product amount the incoming crop of receivers.
• Edward Pope and Derel Walker will go into the fall as starters but their level of play will need to improve. Pope has impressive hands and uses his 6'4" frame to out-jump defenders.
• A talented group of incoming freshmen will be here in August should the veterans falter. But that may be too much to ask a newcomer on a top five nationally ranked team. The big question will be how much time the freshmen need to get acclimated to this offense. If some of these young wideouts don't pick up the play book the Aggies could be in somewhat of a bind to start the 2013 season.
• When the Aggies choose to use a tight end instead of the four receiver set look for tall 6'6 JUCO transfer Cameron Clear and senior Nehemiah Hicks to both play a role, mostly for blocking. Although in the spring game both were used at the same time on multiple occasions in a flex position.

    OFFENSIVE LINE  

• This line should do very well protecting Manziel if the spring was any indication.
• The good news is that the first team offensive line stayed virtually intact throughout the spring void of injuries. The starting five is locked in and Coach Sumlin has stated they have already developed a high level of chemistry. This was an optimistic sign as the chemistry level did not materialize until late in the 2012 season.
• To no surprise, highly decorated tackle Luke Joeckel declared early for the NFL Draft. To counter the loss Jake Matthews, an All-American in his own right, will move from right tackle to left tackle. While Jake may not be currently at Luke's level he is strong, quick and possesses solid technique to succeed. Coaches say the line is fine here. That's solid praise for a team that just lost the best offensive lineman in the history of the program.
• Ogbuehi and Matthews are extremely athletic tackles and few defensive ends will be capable of beating them on an athletic basis. Ogbuehi made the move from guard back to tackle with little visible difficulty.
• Harrison is an established solid starter at guard while Ifedi should be a formidable interior lineman on the other side at guard. Both will be very difficult to get around in pass protection.

    DEFENSIVE LINE  

• Amazingly all four of the projected starting down linemen were missing in action this spring due to injury. As a result the defense used a three-man line the entire spring game and much of the rest of spring to compensate for the injuries.
• Other than receiver, defensive end was the other huge question mark for 2013.
• Thus far, no one has stepped up to replace the quarterback pressure departed All-American Damontre Moore bought to the table. The best bet to replace Moore is Obioha who has a quick first step but lacks the length Moore possessed.
• Both Tyrell and Tyrone Taylor will get a crack at one of the defensive end spots. Both are explosive but both are also undersized and there is a real concern about how they would hold up in SEC play.
• Tackle Kirby Ennis will be the centerpiece of this unit. He has the potential to be an All-Conference player with a little improvement.
• Alonzo Williams has shown he is ready to take over at the other tackle spot. Combined with Ennis, there is some quality beef on this interior.
• The incoming trio of four-star defensive tackles, Justin Manning, Isaiah Golden, and Hardreck Walker, will provide the depth.

    LINEBACKER  

• Just like on the defensive line, injuries also wreaked havoc with this unit during the spring. Needless to say, six of the top starters with this front seven were absent.
• The good news is that the linebacker unit may be the deepest of any other unit on the team other than at running back.
• Steven Jenkins missed the spring while he recovering from shoulder surgery. The returning leading tackler (and sack producer) for the Aggies in 2012 could be one of the better linebackers in the SEC.
• Donnie Baggs made a successful transition from outside to middle linebacker and has been the Aggies' best linebacker this spring. He brings more quickness and better pass coverage compared to his predecessor Jonathan Stewart. Baggs appears to have not only filled a need but could be one of the strong points of the defense come fall.
• A&M got good news when Tommy Sanders committed in December. The nation's No. 1 overall ranked JUCO linebacker in 2013 was a huge pickup and has been listed as the starter since day one but needs to add some weight to his 215-pound frame.
• The real story is how good the backups could prove to be. Nate Askew was a revelation this spring and has coaches believing a big season is ahead for the senior on the strongside. Middle linebacker Shaun Ward also had his best spring to date backing up Baggs.

    DEFENSIVE BACK  

• This unit was the team's weakest link a year ago statistically and a number of questions need to be answered. Who plays free safety, is Howard Matthews ready to step up and who starts at the other corner opposite Deshazor Everett?
• Spring unveiled the answers quickly. Former cornerback Floyd Raven is the free safety, a position he was meant to play. Raven is at his best moving downhill while keeping everything in front of him. Moving to safety has allowed him to accomplish this.
• Howard Matthews has taken the leadership role in this secondary and responded with a very strong spring. With Matthews and Raven, A&M has two fast, hard-hitting safeties that can go fulltime.
• De'Vante Harris began the spring at one of the corner spots and has stayed there, performing well against both the run and pass. He played extensively in 2012 as a true freshmen but poor tackling led him to the bench.
• Deshazor Everett is the best coverman and an All-SEC candidate.
• The starters look fine, the backups are unknown. Tramain Jacobs didn't have a great spring and wound up splitting snaps with a walk-on. Frosh early enrollee Alex Sezer got a good bit of reps but putting him on the depth chart is asking quite a bit. Hard-hitting safety Clay Honeycutt is the reserve who had the best spring.

2013 SPECIAL TEAMS

• Returning kicker Taylor Bertolet is still an adventure when he lines up for either field goals or extra points (missed nine field goals and seven extra points last fall). Granted he is still young - only a sophomore in his second year as a starter. But if the Aggies are going to compete for an SEC crown Bertolet cannot continue with the mishaps.
• Drew Kaser steps in at punter. The 6'3 sophomore was a top-rate specialist in high school. He only has two punting attempts to his college credit but wowed the crowd at halftime of the spring game booting consecutive 60-yard punts into the end zone.
• True freshman cornerback Adam Sezer and veteran running back Trey Williams appear to be the most explosive option for return men. Also, cornerback De'Vante Harris has impressed special teams coach Jeff Banks.