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Phone: 281-971-3362
Email: paul@westhoustonsf.com
A full breakdown of the team, as I see it right now
Quarterback: This has been a competition between Conner Weigman and Max Johnson throughout, and it was my belief that Weigman would have to lose it as much as Johnson would have to win it for Max to get the job. Weigman, from what I've seen and heard, has done nothing to lose it. He had the first team again yesterday, so at worst they're still rotating. The scrimmage tomorrow could be make or break, but I think you go with the incumbent, especially if he can bring an extra element with his legs. So I expect Weigman to win the job.
Running back: Le'Veon Moss looks like the guy who's going to start at this point. He started getting first team reps last week and has stayed there. All the same, I expect Amari Daniels and Rueben Owens will both play, and play a lot. The Aggies have the luxury of talent and versatility at running back, and Bobby Petrino could mix and match who gets the most carries depending on the opponent.
Tight end: Jake Johnson should be the guy here with Donovan Green out, but watch out for Theo Ohrstrom. He's had an excellent summer and it seems like he's reached the point where the game has slowed down for him while he is physically speeding up. Max Wright will play a lot, primarily as a blocker, as he did the last couple of years.
Offensive line: Guard/Center/Guard is set with Kam Dewberry, Bryce Foster and Layden Robinson. That's a very strong trio and they've all done will this summer. Trey Zuhn being healthy has improved his play significantly, and Chase Bisontis may just be too good to move out of right tackle. So that kind of leaves Deuce Fatheree as the guy without a chair right now as the music starts to wind down. I think Fatheree could be the swing guard and play (and get time) at both positions if he doesn't have a starting spot by Sept. 2. Dametrious Crownover looks like the backup right tackle, so we'll see what they do with Aki Ogunbiyi.
Right now, the backups are Jordan Moko at left guard, Mark Nabou at center and TJ Shanahan at right guard. Finn Dirstine, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, may have a tough time bumping Moko back to the right side if Shanahan is playing as well as we believe he is.
Wide receiver: The top five wideouts seem very clearly defined: Evan Stewart, Moose Muhammad, Noah Thomas, Ainias Smith and Jahdae Walker. Walker has been one of the real pleasant surprises of camp and has worked his way into the rotation. Smith will likely play all three wideout slots, so you'll see him a lot even if he doesn't start. Thomas continues to impress, blocking well and repeatedly finding ways to get open for easy completions. Stewart is probably the smoothest, most graceful wideout I've ever seen at A&M. He just makes everything look so easy. His anticipation is also off the charts. Raymond Cottrell and Jordan Anthony were out yesterday, but if you want to go to six deep, Micah Tease is likely the guy.
Defensive line: Just to be clear, everything we've seen so far is with four down linemen. We have not seen a single three-man set all fall. The starting four shouldn't surprise, with Shemar Turner, Walter Nolen, McKinnley Jackson and Fadil Diggs. But there will be a TON of players coming in and out. The starting four are really big and give A&M their best anti-run line, but guys like Enai White, LT Overton and Shemar Stewart are going to play a lot too. I do think that Isaiah Raikes and Albert Regis will likely be the primary backups at the start of the year, but there's a real good chance they're not by the end of it. DJ Hicks has looked great since his arrival, and it's just a matter of Gabe Dindy being healthy before he gets going. We've even heard very good things about Micaiah Overton, for what it's worth.
Linebacker: Chris Russell and Edgerrin Cooper look like they're going to start. Cooper, especially, seems like he's ready to get going and seems a lot more relaxed this fall. JD Davis is in the rotation, but Taurean York could be pushing Martrell Harris. York could well play this season, because he just keeps finding his way to the ball.
Safety/Nickel: Your big three at safety right now are Demani Richardson, Jardin Gilbert and Jacoby Mathews. After that, it's kind of a guessing game. Bobby Taylor could be the backup to Gilbert, if he's healthy. That has been an ongoing issue for him. Bryce Anderson is the starting nickel, and freshman Dalton Brooks looks like he'll be the backup. Brooks has been great this fall, and he's likely going to be involved on special teams as well.
Cornerback: Tyreek Chappell has been fantastic this fall. He's had the looks of a shutdown corner. So that's not an issue. I really don't know who might be the other corner, because a lot of guys have gotten looks this fall. Josh DeBerry, Sam McCall, Kent Robinson, Tony Grimes and Jayvon Thomas have all been out there opposite Chappell. I think it's gotten to the point where the job is DeBerry's to lose, but he hasn't won it yet. McCall seems to be the guy coming on right now, but we'll see. It could be a situation where we see a lot of guys early on in a sort of audition role.
Special Teams: Nik Constantinou and Randy Bond look set as the punter and kicker, to no surprise. Le'Veon Moss was taking first team kickoffs yesterday with Ainias, but Moss was the primary returner. Dalton Brooks is another guy who is still in that mix. Ainias will return punts, with Moose being the backup there.
A few observations:
The biggest thing that stands out in the QB competition is the decision-making. Both Weigman and Max have been very smart with the football, and their accuracy is a lot better than it was last fall. Weigman looks like a different guy from last summer, and in a very good way.
This really has been Petrino's show to run. Jimbo has stayed out of it.
I think Moss is going to be the guy at running back, but who gets the most carries week to week will depend on the opponent and who gets hot.
There's a whole lot of hubbub about Ohrstrom. That's no BS, the kid is way ahead of where I would have thought.
It's going to be hard to move Zuhn or Bisontis out. If Fatheree starts, it'll be because he has played very, very well.
The wideout bunch is seriously good. I like all of the top 6 guys, and Raymond Cottrell is nice as well. Jordan Anthony needs to catch the ball better. But Jahdae Walker and Noah Thomas are the guys who are going to scare opponents because they're so unknown. Someone is going to try to double Stewart or Ainias over the top and leave man coverage on one of those two and they're going to get torched.
As much hype as guys like Jayvon Thomas and Bravion Rogers have gotten, I still think the more experienced players are going to be ahead of them on the depth chart -- at least at first.
I like Enai White. I like his chances to be a real impact speed rusher this fall.
I think the linebackers have a better rapport with D.J. Durkin than they had with Tyler Santucci. Yesterday, Edgerrin Cooper playfully shoved Durkin before a drill, and Durkin responded with, "Come on, but I'm gonna swing too!" And everyone laughed. I hope that means they'll be more disciplined and do things right this fall.
I honestly though DJ Davis would have unseated Chris Russell, but Russell seems to have gotten the message and stepped up his game to slow Davis down.
Phone: 281-971-3362
Email: paul@westhoustonsf.com
A full breakdown of the team, as I see it right now
Quarterback: This has been a competition between Conner Weigman and Max Johnson throughout, and it was my belief that Weigman would have to lose it as much as Johnson would have to win it for Max to get the job. Weigman, from what I've seen and heard, has done nothing to lose it. He had the first team again yesterday, so at worst they're still rotating. The scrimmage tomorrow could be make or break, but I think you go with the incumbent, especially if he can bring an extra element with his legs. So I expect Weigman to win the job.
Running back: Le'Veon Moss looks like the guy who's going to start at this point. He started getting first team reps last week and has stayed there. All the same, I expect Amari Daniels and Rueben Owens will both play, and play a lot. The Aggies have the luxury of talent and versatility at running back, and Bobby Petrino could mix and match who gets the most carries depending on the opponent.
Tight end: Jake Johnson should be the guy here with Donovan Green out, but watch out for Theo Ohrstrom. He's had an excellent summer and it seems like he's reached the point where the game has slowed down for him while he is physically speeding up. Max Wright will play a lot, primarily as a blocker, as he did the last couple of years.
Offensive line: Guard/Center/Guard is set with Kam Dewberry, Bryce Foster and Layden Robinson. That's a very strong trio and they've all done will this summer. Trey Zuhn being healthy has improved his play significantly, and Chase Bisontis may just be too good to move out of right tackle. So that kind of leaves Deuce Fatheree as the guy without a chair right now as the music starts to wind down. I think Fatheree could be the swing guard and play (and get time) at both positions if he doesn't have a starting spot by Sept. 2. Dametrious Crownover looks like the backup right tackle, so we'll see what they do with Aki Ogunbiyi.
Right now, the backups are Jordan Moko at left guard, Mark Nabou at center and TJ Shanahan at right guard. Finn Dirstine, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, may have a tough time bumping Moko back to the right side if Shanahan is playing as well as we believe he is.
Wide receiver: The top five wideouts seem very clearly defined: Evan Stewart, Moose Muhammad, Noah Thomas, Ainias Smith and Jahdae Walker. Walker has been one of the real pleasant surprises of camp and has worked his way into the rotation. Smith will likely play all three wideout slots, so you'll see him a lot even if he doesn't start. Thomas continues to impress, blocking well and repeatedly finding ways to get open for easy completions. Stewart is probably the smoothest, most graceful wideout I've ever seen at A&M. He just makes everything look so easy. His anticipation is also off the charts. Raymond Cottrell and Jordan Anthony were out yesterday, but if you want to go to six deep, Micah Tease is likely the guy.
Defensive line: Just to be clear, everything we've seen so far is with four down linemen. We have not seen a single three-man set all fall. The starting four shouldn't surprise, with Shemar Turner, Walter Nolen, McKinnley Jackson and Fadil Diggs. But there will be a TON of players coming in and out. The starting four are really big and give A&M their best anti-run line, but guys like Enai White, LT Overton and Shemar Stewart are going to play a lot too. I do think that Isaiah Raikes and Albert Regis will likely be the primary backups at the start of the year, but there's a real good chance they're not by the end of it. DJ Hicks has looked great since his arrival, and it's just a matter of Gabe Dindy being healthy before he gets going. We've even heard very good things about Micaiah Overton, for what it's worth.
Linebacker: Chris Russell and Edgerrin Cooper look like they're going to start. Cooper, especially, seems like he's ready to get going and seems a lot more relaxed this fall. JD Davis is in the rotation, but Taurean York could be pushing Martrell Harris. York could well play this season, because he just keeps finding his way to the ball.
Safety/Nickel: Your big three at safety right now are Demani Richardson, Jardin Gilbert and Jacoby Mathews. After that, it's kind of a guessing game. Bobby Taylor could be the backup to Gilbert, if he's healthy. That has been an ongoing issue for him. Bryce Anderson is the starting nickel, and freshman Dalton Brooks looks like he'll be the backup. Brooks has been great this fall, and he's likely going to be involved on special teams as well.
Cornerback: Tyreek Chappell has been fantastic this fall. He's had the looks of a shutdown corner. So that's not an issue. I really don't know who might be the other corner, because a lot of guys have gotten looks this fall. Josh DeBerry, Sam McCall, Kent Robinson, Tony Grimes and Jayvon Thomas have all been out there opposite Chappell. I think it's gotten to the point where the job is DeBerry's to lose, but he hasn't won it yet. McCall seems to be the guy coming on right now, but we'll see. It could be a situation where we see a lot of guys early on in a sort of audition role.
Special Teams: Nik Constantinou and Randy Bond look set as the punter and kicker, to no surprise. Le'Veon Moss was taking first team kickoffs yesterday with Ainias, but Moss was the primary returner. Dalton Brooks is another guy who is still in that mix. Ainias will return punts, with Moose being the backup there.
A few observations:
The biggest thing that stands out in the QB competition is the decision-making. Both Weigman and Max have been very smart with the football, and their accuracy is a lot better than it was last fall. Weigman looks like a different guy from last summer, and in a very good way.
This really has been Petrino's show to run. Jimbo has stayed out of it.
I think Moss is going to be the guy at running back, but who gets the most carries week to week will depend on the opponent and who gets hot.
There's a whole lot of hubbub about Ohrstrom. That's no BS, the kid is way ahead of where I would have thought.
It's going to be hard to move Zuhn or Bisontis out. If Fatheree starts, it'll be because he has played very, very well.
The wideout bunch is seriously good. I like all of the top 6 guys, and Raymond Cottrell is nice as well. Jordan Anthony needs to catch the ball better. But Jahdae Walker and Noah Thomas are the guys who are going to scare opponents because they're so unknown. Someone is going to try to double Stewart or Ainias over the top and leave man coverage on one of those two and they're going to get torched.
As much hype as guys like Jayvon Thomas and Bravion Rogers have gotten, I still think the more experienced players are going to be ahead of them on the depth chart -- at least at first.
I like Enai White. I like his chances to be a real impact speed rusher this fall.
I think the linebackers have a better rapport with D.J. Durkin than they had with Tyler Santucci. Yesterday, Edgerrin Cooper playfully shoved Durkin before a drill, and Durkin responded with, "Come on, but I'm gonna swing too!" And everyone laughed. I hope that means they'll be more disciplined and do things right this fall.
I honestly though DJ Davis would have unseated Chris Russell, but Russell seems to have gotten the message and stepped up his game to slow Davis down.
