Texas A&M won an SEC Championship in baseball today almost three months after clinching the regular season title for basketball. That only adds more pressure on Kevin Sumlin.
Athlon Sports came out with its early predictions on arguably Sumlin’s most important season. In the article, the Aggies are picked to finish 5th in the SEC West. In addition, Athlon Sports previews A&M’s offense, defense and special teams as well as what to expect this season.
“There’s plenty of pressure on Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin to win big this year. The combination of new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and graduate transfer quarterback Trevor Knight must deliver if the Aggies are going to make a run in the SEC.”
Offensively, every starting receiver returns and much-needed depth was added to the running back position. The offensive line, however, will lack depth and experience after Mike Matthews and Germain Ifedi departed the program.
“New line coach Jim Turner, who is back in College Station after a stint with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, faces a task of rebuilding an underachieving unit that was up-and-down in run blocking and disappointing in pass protection.”
On the other side of the ball, A&M’s biggest issue resides with its linebackers. The article stated that there is ‘cautious optimism’ that the linebacking corps will vastly improve.
“Otaro Alaka, a starter as a true freshman and Defensive MVP of the 2014 Liberty Bowl, is back after missing almost all of the 2015 season with shoulder and elbow injuries. The development of sophomore Richard Moore is another plus. He started the last third of the 2015 season and emerged as the Aggies’ best linebacker.”
Perhaps the least experienced position on A&M’s roster is at kicker. Things will look much different without Taylor Bertolet and Drew Kaser.
“The Aggies are breaking a new kicker and punter to replace All-SEC selections Taylor Bertolet and Drew Kaser. Kicker Daniel LaCamera has yet to attempt a collegiate field goal. Shane Tripuka punted twice last year, and Braden Mann is a true freshman.”
Athlon Sports wrote that Kevin Sumlin responded well after last year with the offseason hiring of Jim Turner and Noel Mazzone. That doesn’t mean Aggie fans have short-term memory loss, however.
“Coach Kevin Sumlin’s reputation as an offensive mastermind took a big hit last season. Had the Aggies scored 30 points in every game, they would have finished 12-1. Instead, the sluggish offense caused another late-season fade and resulted in A&M’s finishing fourth or worse in the SEC West for the third straight year.”
In May of 2015, Athlon Sports came out with an identical article that projected the Aggies to place 6th in the SEC West. They won the tiebreaker for fifth.
