SEC 2022

MAROON &WHITE LEADERS

Texas A&M running back

Ainias Smith, left, and safety

Demani Richardson will play big roles for the Aggies. For a closer look at A&M’s two leaders, see the feature stories on Pages 11-12.

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE

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TexasA&M Yell LeaderNoah Fergusonleadsa yellduring the Aggies’20-3victory over Auburn on Nov. 6, 2021,at Kyle Field.

CASSIE STRICKER, THE EAGLE

TexasA&M’sAiniasSmith(0)makesa

A&M enters season ranked sixth for 2nd straight year

ROBERT CESSNA

robert.cessna@theeagle.com

TexasA&Mneeds to broadenitshorizonsaftersufferingfrom selective success last yearasthe Aggieshada game to rememberbuta season to forget.

Everyonein Aggieland— and Tuscaloosa, Alabama— remembers A&M’s41-38 victory overAlabama. QuarterbackZach Calzada shockingly gotthebestof Heisman Trophy winnerBryce YoungasA&M

ANOTHER SHOT

endedan eight-gamelosingstreak to the Crimson Tide. Calzadadonned a Corpsof Cadets garrison cap whilebeingmobbed by fansasheleftthe fieldahero. Coach Jimbo FisherhadagrinwiderthantheBrazos Riveraftermaking goodonhisoffseasonboastofbeatingAlabamahead coach Jimbo Fisher.

Those pricelessmemories seemedlight years away by season’send as the Aggies faded to an8-4 finish The Aggies,who losttheirlast two Southeastern Conference games, weren’t even able to muster enough players to face Wake Forestinthe Gator Bowl becauseof COVID-19, injuries

anddefections. Calzada went frombeing an Aggielegend to atransfer. A&M finished the seasonunrankedafterstarting2021 rankedsixth.

“Ithink[aboutlast season]allthetime, lookingat film, lookingatourmistakes, thingsthat we couldhaveworkedonor donebetter,” seniorwide receiverandpunt returnerAiniasSmith said.

Mistakesplayeda role—A&Mtied for 62ndnationally inturnover marginand ranked 75thin fewestpenaltiesper game. Thedefense wasstout,allowingonly327.5 yardsper game to rank 14th,buttheoffense struggled,averagingonly 391.6 yardsper

game to rank71st.Itall addedup to an average season, includinga4-4 conference record to tie Arkansasand Mississippi State forthird intheSEC West.

“We woneight games. That’s notenough for us. We knew that,” Fisher said.

The expectationsarethe samethis year A&Misagain rankedsixth.What’s differentisA&Mis replacing12starters from a talentpoolof fourstraight top10 recruiting classes. The Aggieshave asmall senior class, butall ofitsmembers were recruited andsigned by Fisher.

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE

6-yardtouchdowncatchagainstAlabamaat Kyle Fieldduring the Aggies’41-38victorylastseason.Thewin waseasilythehighlightofwhat many consideredanotherwise average year as A&Mlostitslast twoSEC gamesto finish 8-4 overall.

Pleasesee AGGIES, Page6

It’smorethanan ordinarytowel.

Mostofthe year,this$2clothis destined to eitherbestowedawayuntil nextseasonorbecome ahandy-dandy shop towelindad’sgarage.Butwhatit lacksinEgyptian cotton,itmakesup for inpride.If youhaveeverseen80,000of these wavingatonceinachurningsea ofwhite, youknowthis towelismuch morethan ahumblehandkerchief—it helps11menplaywiththepowerof12.

By contributingscholarshipsand supportforesteemedcampus programs,donors to the TexasA&M FoundationgiveAggiestudents, faculty andstaffsomething to cheerabout everyday.Learnhowyoucanhelpbuild abrighterfuturefor Aggies todayand tomorrow at txamfoundation.com.

“Alltheplayers on your teambecome yourchildren,” Fisher said. “I don’t feel anymore connectionordisconnectionfrom theotherguys, butatthe sametime,Ido remember walkingintotheirhouses. I sat intheirliving rooms. I satintheirhouses.”

SincearrivingfromFloridaState, Fisher has told recruitsand fanshe came to A&M to winchampionships. He’s enteringhis fifth seasonwiththe Aggiesstilllooking forhis firstchampionshipand firstdoubledigitwinning season.By thistimeatFlorida State,Fisherhadatrioofdouble-digitwinning seasons, a pairof Atlantic Coast Conferencetitlesandanationalchampionship.

“You can’t compareprograms,” Fisher said.“You can’t comparedifferentprogramsatdifferentplaces. Idon’t compare FloridaState to TexasA&M.There’snota timetable.There’saculturalchange,awinningchange,a recruitingchange...allthose typeofthings.”

Fisherisn’tpredictinga College Football Playoff appearanceorachampionshipin 2022,buthis expectationsarehigh.

“I’mas excitedabout where we’reatright nowwiththeplayers we have on our football teamasIhave beensince we’vebeen here,” he said.“Wehaveyoung, really good players We have olderguys who can really playandunderstandthe game.Ithinkit’s going to bea goodmix,andit’s really set forthefuture,especiallywith what we have recruitedand what we are recruitingright now.”

QB depth much improved at A&M

Quarterback exemplifiestheprogram’s developmentunder Fisher.

The Aggies wouldhave had to start walkonBlake Bostiftheyhadplayedinabowl gamelast seasonwithCalzada goneand Haynes Kingnotfully recoveredfromthe season-endinginjuryhesufferedinthe team’s second game.Thingshave changed sincethen.

KingandjuniorMax Johnson,atransfer fromLSU, hadaheckofa battlein fall camp forthestartingspotalongwith Conner Weigman,oneoftheeight five-star recruits fromA&M’s30-playerincoming classthat wasthehighest-ranked recruitingclassof alltime.

“Youhaveto have depth,andthat’s one oftheharderpositions to getdepth,”Fisher said.“Ithink we have threehighly, highly talentedguys and capableguys.”

Fisher,a formerquarterback who callshis ownplays, has vowedthe Aggieswillthrow moredownfieldthis season.

Maroon&WhiteGameonApril9 at Kyle Field.Prestonisoneof several returningreceiversthe Aggieshopeshow improvementin2022.

“Explosive plays areahuge reason you win,” Fisher said. “Andit’s ahuge reasonif yougive themupondefensethat youlose. Thatandturnovers are twoofthemostimportantstatsthatareoutthere today.”

A&M forced 16 turnovers last season,just onemorethanitlost.The Aggies ranked only88thin passingoffense, averaging 208.6 yardsper game whilealso averaging only 6.76 yardsper pass attempt.Calzada rankedjust91stin passingefficiency.Johnson was54thwitharguablya worse team atLSU.

A&M’soffense washamstrunga year ago by injuriesatwide receiver. Itdidn’t helpthat former five-star recruit Demond Demasstruggled to makeanimpactinhis second season(hehassincetransferred).

Truefreshman EvanStewarthas excelled inspringdrillsand fall campandmightbe the complement to wide receiverAinias Smith (47 receptions, 509 yards, 6TDs) the Aggiesneed.Smith washinderedlast seasonbecauseA&Mdidn’thave astrong second receiverandtightend Jalen Wydermyer (40-515-4)didn’tplayup to hispreseason All-Americanbilling.

StewartandfreshmanChrisMarshall potentiallygive A&Mdeepthreats.Senior JalenPreston(17-255-2),juniorChaseLane (12-132-0)and sophomore Moose MuhammadIII(10-153-4)are returners whohave hadtheirmomentslast season.

“I feellikeour receivers’roomhasno ceiling,”saidSmith,whoopted to return forhis senior seasoninsteadofdeclaring forthe NFL draft.“Everybodyis gettingbetter everysingleday.”

Tightendmightbethe squad’sdeepestpositionwith seniorMax Wrightand freshman JakeJohnsonleadingthe way after Wydermyerlefta year early to play professionally.

A&M’smobilequarterbacksshouldalso helptheoffenseimprove.King’s feethelped himwinthe joba yearago.Johnsonalsois adualthreat,rushing for81 yardsoneight carriesinthe30-24 Maroonvictory overthe Whiteinthespring game.

“[Johnson]runsbetterthan yougive him credit for,” Fisher said.“Everybodythinks ofhimasapocket passer, buthehas really goodmobilityanda good feelinthepocket, andhe canrun.”

Theoffense’sstrength remainstherunning game evenafterlosingthree-year starterIsaiahSpiller,wholeft fortheNFL afterrushing for1,011 yardslast season. Junior Devon Achane basically wasa costartera yearago, rushing for910 yards while averaging 7.0 yardswithnine touchdowns—bothbetternumbersthanSpiller’s. Achanealso wasathreatinthe passing game, catching 24 passes for261 yardsand a touchdown.

Theoffensive linehasgreatdepth,despite

TEXAS A&M FACTS

Stadium: Kyle Field (102,733)

Enrollment: 73,284(fall2021)

Head coach: Jimbo Fisher (117-37in12 seasons overall; 34-14 in4seasonsat A&M)

Assistantcoaches: Elijah Robinson, assistanthead coach/run game coordinator/defensiveline; Darrell Dickey,offensive coordinator/tight ends; D.J. Durkin,defensive coordinator; James Coley, co-offensive coordinator/ wide receivers; TylerSantucci, codefensive coordinator/linebackers; Steve Addazio,offensiveline; Dameyune Craig, quarterbacks; TerryPrice, defensive ends; Tommy Robinson, runningbacks; TJ Rushing,defensivebacks

Offensive returningstarters(5): WR

JalenPreston, 6-2, 220, sr.;C Bryce Foster, 6-5, 325, soph.; RG Layden Robinson, 6-4, 330, jr.; RT Reuben FathereeII, 6-8, 325, soph.; WR Ainias Smith, 5-10, 190, sr.(47-509, 10.8, 6TDs)

Defensive returningstarters(5): LB Andrew WhiteJr., 6-3, 235, sr. (57tackles); CB Tyreek Chappell, 5-11,185,soph.(41 tackles, 9 PBU);CB JaylonJones, 6-2, 205,jr.(35tackles,6PBU);SDemani Richardson, 6-1,210, sr.(65tackles, 6.5 TFL,3PBU);DBAntonioJohnson, 6-3, 195, jr.(79tackles, 8.5TFL,5PBU)

Specialists returning(3): P Nik Constantinou, 6-3, 225,jr.(46.6 avg.on 51 punts); PR Smith,sr.(23-259, 11.3, 1 TD);KR Devon Achane, 5-9, 185,jr.(9-301, 33.4, 1TD)

having to replace first-rounddraftpick KenyonGreenand tackle Jahmir Johnson, whomade11startsaftertransferringfrom Tennessee. Sophomore centerBryce FosterandjuniorguardLayden Robinsonare returningstarters whoboth receivedpreseasonaccolades.Sophomore Reuben FathereeIIand redshirtfreshman Trey Zuhn IIIareprojected to bethestarting tackles with sophomoresAki Ogunbiyior Jordan Spasojevic-Mokotheotherguard. Junior Blake Trainor, sophomore JoshBankhead and redshirtfreshman Matthew Wykoff alsoarevying forsnaps.

Plenty holes to fill onA&M defense

Thedefensehas to replacelinemen Tyree Johnson, DemarvinLeal, Jayden Peevyand MichealClemons,who combined for102

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE TexasA&MJalenPreston,right, fights for yardageafter a catchwhileplaying fortheWhite during the Aggies’annual

Pleasesee AGGIES, Page8

Aggies

careerstarts. Leal wasathird-roundpick by the PittsburghSteelers, andClemons was draftedinthe fourth round by the New York Jets.Alsogoneissixth-yearlinebackerAaron Hansford.

Butpossiblythebiggestshoes to fill were left by defensive coordinator Mike Elko,who washiredasDuke’shead coach.Elko,who hadbeenwith Fisher for four seasons, was replaced by Ole Miss defensive coordinator DJDurkin.LinebackerscoachTylerSantucci waspromoted to co-defensive coordinator.

A&M’sstrengthondefenseisthesecondary wherecornerbackJaylonJones,safetyDemani RichardsonandnickelbackAntonio Johnson allreturnalongwithseniorMylesJones,who played in only two games last season on the heelsofmissing two gamesin2020because ofaleginjury. Johnson wasapreseasonAllAmerican by theAssociatedPress.

A&Mis exceptionalinspecial teamswith Smith back returningpuntsafter averaging 11.3 yardson23attempts. Achanealso averaged 33.4 yardsonninekickoffswithboth scoringa touchdownon returnslast season. Nik Constantinou averaged46.6 yardson51 puntswith22insidetheopponents’20-yard lineand20 fair catches.

Meeting tough schedule with tough attitude

A&Mhasachallengingschedulewithonly threeSEChomegamesatKyleField.TheAggieswillbethehome teamagainstArkansas inthe SouthwestClassicat AT&TStadium inArlingtonon Sept. 24 forthe conference opener. Thatstartsastretchin whichA&M won’tbehomeforfiveweeks.TheAggieswill have road gamesat MississippiState (Oct.1) and SouthCarolina (Oct.22) sandwiched aroundthemuch-awaitedA&M-Alabama rematchon Oct.8andanopendateon Oct. 15.

The coaching staff talked to the players in theoffseasonaboutthemental toughness needed to besuccessfulonthe road.

“Sometimesguys don’t payattention to that,”Fishersaid.“Wepresentedourschedule to ourplayers to understand we have a very, very difficultnonconference scheduleand a conferenceschedule, whichwealways do.”

A&Mhasbroken eveninitslast fourtrips to SouthCarolina, MississippiState,Alabamaand Auburnin even-numbered years.

The Aggies went4-0against SouthCarolina and0-4againstAlabama overthatstretch, splittingwiththeother two.

“Theamountoftime goingonthe roadin thisleagueisastoughasanywherebecauseof theenvironmentsandthehostilities,” Fisher

TexasA&Mdefensive coordinator DJ

joinedthe Aggie coachingstaff thisoffseason afterspendingthe previous two yearsinthe same roleatOleMiss.

said.“This yearasmuchasanything we did emphasizeourschedule,notfromawin-loss standpointbutthechallenges you’re about to face.”

Schedule

2021RESULTS

Sept.4 KentState 41-10

Sept. 11 at Colorado 10-7

Sept. 18 NewMexico 34-0

Sept. 25 *#vs.Arkansas10-20

Oct. 2*Mississippi St.22-26

Oct. 9 *Alabama 41-38

Oct. 16 *atMissouri35-14

Oct. 23 *South Carolina44-14

Nov. 6 *Auburn 20-3

Nov. 13 *atOleMiss 19-29

Nov. 20Prairie View A&M52-3

Nov. 27 *at LSU 24-27

*SEC games

#at AT&T Stadium,Arlington

2022 SCHEDULE

Sept.3SamHouston11a.m.

Sept.10Appalachian State 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 Miami 8 p.m.

Sept. 24 *#vs.ArkansasTBD

Oct. 1 *atMississippi StateTBD

Oct. 8 *atAlabama TBD

Oct. 22 *atSouth CarolinaTBD

Oct. 29*Ole Miss TBD

Nov. 5*Florida TBD

Nov. 12 *at Auburn TBD

Nov. 19 UMass TBD

Nov. 26 *LSU TBD

*SEC games #at AT&T Stadium,Arlington

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE

Durkin

Urgency there for A&M to win

Finishing as SEC’s third-best team a good goal for Ags

Jimbo Fisherand TexasA&M areinanear-perfectpositionheadingintothe2022 season,andit’s imperative they take advantage.

A&Mentersthe season rankedsixth inthe country, mentionedin thenextbreath afterAlabama, OhioStateand Georgia.The Aggiesaresitting inhigh cotton, consideringthey went8-4last seasonanddidn’t evenplayina bowl game.A&Misheldinhigh regard not for whatithasdone but rather for whatit couldand shoulddo. The Aggiesalso earn added respect forbeingthe third-best teaminthenation’s

best conference.They’ve certainlydonethings to putthem amongtheSEC’selite,includingsigning fourstraight top 10 recruitingclasses—thelast rankingasthebestinthehistory ofthesport.

A&M’senviablestatushas beenbolstered by severalSEC programs takingsteps backward Ifit weren’t forAlabama, theSEC West wouldbethere forthe taking.LSU wasanunbeatennationalchampionin 2019, butthingshave quickly unraveledwith first-year coach Brian Kellyleft to pickupthe pieces. Auburnisin worse shape.BryanHarsinmanaged to save his jobafterone year, butthe Tigers arepicked to finishlastinthe West.

Arkansas, Ole Miss and MississippiStateallbeatA&Mlast

seasonlargely in partbecause ofbetterquarterbackplay. That’s somethingthe Aggies believe they’ve fixedinabig way. ArkansasandOle Miss were betterthanmost expected last year, andthey’re rightfully rankedinthebottom fourthof the Top25 rankingsthis season,buttheyhave plenty to prove.TheRazorbackshave to replace severalthree-year starters, andthe Rebelsdon’t have Matt Corral,theleague’s second-bestquarterbackbehind Heisman Trophywinner Bryce Young.ArkansasandOle Miss can’tholda candle to the Aggies whenit comes to the eye test.A&Misatleasta touchdownbetterthanboth,atleast on paper.

MILLER

ROBERT CESSNA

Pleasesee CESSNA, Page10

Cessna

TheSEC Eastisno threat to the Aggies. Georgia is thedivision’s only teamthatmatters in regardsofthe College FootballPlayoff, and A&M doesn’t play theBulldogs duringthe regular season.

Georgiashouldhangan uglyloss on every team in thedivision, paving the way forthe Aggies to be theleague’s third-best team.Thenagain,ifA&M beats Alabama, an SEC title gameappearance is within reach. That’s certainly possibleafterlast year’supset ofAlabama but notlikelywith this year’s gamein Tuscaloosa, Alabama.A&M’s direct path to theCFP goes through there on Oct. 8, but Aggie fans can’t fixate ontheCrimson Tide.

A&Mended an eightgamelosingstreak to Alabamalast year, helping Fisher make goodon hispredictionofbeating coach Nick Saban before he retired.But by season’s end, Alabama was playing foranother national championship anda fourloss A&M team didn’thave enough bodies to play in a bowl game A&M proved it could beat the bestbut also lose to almost anybodyelse.

ThebottomlineisA&M won’tmaketheCFP until it canwinthe restofits SEC regular season games. That’s whatAlabama seeminglydoes every year. Georgia did itlast year andLSU in2019, though it doesn’t always have to beall ornothing. Auburnknows how to make victories against its rival mean something. Auburn hasplayedin the SECtitle game twicesince the Aggies joined theleague. Eachtime, Auburnlost to LSUbut wonits seven other league games capped

by beatingAlabama, sending the Tigers to theSEC title game. Auburnmade beatingAlabama countin abig way.

Ole Miss andA&Mare theonly other SEC teams to beatAlabama multiple times inthelastdecade, but neitherhasanything tangible to show forit. They were well-celebrated victories, but they didn’t lead to championships, just prideandthehope or expectation for more.

Johnny Manzieland the Aggiesintheir maiden SEC seasonbeat Alabama butslippedup andlost to FloridaandLSU to finish in atie for secondinthe West. The future looked

bright, butit eventually dimmed.A&M’s victory over Alabama last year somewhat salvaged the season, givinghope for the future.

Ole Miss’ fate has been somewhatthe same.The Rebels beat Alabamain 2014but lost to Arkansas, AuburnandLSU to finish third intheSEC West. Ole Miss beatAlabamaagain in’15butendedup second in theSEC West because oflosses to Arkansasand Florida.

A&Mand Ole Miss both rightfully wentbonkers whentheyupset Alabama. TheCrimson Tidehas lost only sevenleague games in thelast decade, butbeat-

ing Alabamaisonly half thechallenge.Andifthe Aggieslose atAlabama this year,whichmany thinkwill bethe case, A&M could stillmake the CFP by going 11-1. Of course, ifGeorgia winsthe SECandmakestheCFP alongwithAlabama,the Aggies could get squeezed out like they didin 2020. That wouldbe cruel, but atleastA&M would be hands-downthe thirdbest teamin theSEC with its firstdouble-digitwinning season under Fisher.

The Aggies gota mulligan for last year’s season because ofinjuries They won’t get one this year ifthey aren’tthe SEC’s

third-best team.A&M can’tafford back-to-back losses to Arkansas, MississippiState,Ole Miss or especially LSU. Kellyor fellow first-yearFlorida coachBilly Napierbeating A&Mat Kyle Field would be costly. That’s also why A&M’s gameat South Carolinaispivotal. SouthCarolina coachShane Beamer hadan eye-opening 7-6 record inhis first year LeadingtheGamecocks to their firstvictory overthe Aggies could bemonumental for his program. Withthat No. 6preseason ranking, A&Mis going to get every team’s bestshot.Last year, opponents shotthat ranking to

shreds, showing thatA&M was the sixth-best teamin the SEC,notthenation. If A&M stumblesagain, all won’tbelost. A&M’s windowofopportunity won’t disappear, butit won’tbe as wide ifthe Aggiesare fourthor fifth intheSEC peckingorder And with Oklahomaand Texas set to jointheSECnolater than2025, there’s even more senseofurgency for A&M to establishitself among theleague’s higher echelon teamsalongside Alabama andGeorgia.

Robert Cessna’s email addressis robert.cessna@ theeagle.com.

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE

TexasA&M footballfans wore color-coordinated T-shirtstohonorthe20thanniversary of 9/11 atlast year’s seasonopeneragainst Kent State.The Aggiefan baseisoneofseveral reasonsA&Misthought by many to beaburgeoningpowerintheSEC.

Richardson wants to finish A&M career in style

ROBERT CESSNA robert.cessna@theeagle.com

If TexasA&M senior safety DemaniRichardson takes care ofhisunfinishedbusiness in2022,the Aggieswillhave abetterchance ofdoingthe same.

Richardsonhada solidjunior seasonwith 65 tackles, 44ofthem solos, 6.5 forloss including two sacks. Richardsonalsobroke upthree passes, forcedafumbleandintercepteda pass Thethree-yearstarterhada goodchanceof gettingdraftedintotheNFL butopted to return forhis senior season.

“I feltlikeIneeded to domoreonthe field,andI feltI couldproducemore.That wasthemainthing,”Richardson said.“I was lookingat[game] film,andit wasdidIdo everythingIneeded to doandthatI could have?DidIleave somemore plays onthe fieldthatI could have made?That wasoneof themain reasonsI wanted to come back.”

Richardson’s returnisa bigboost to the Aggies.

A&Mhasonlynine seniorson scholarship. Richardsonleadsthatgroup witha team-high31 career starts. His experienceisimmeasurable.

“Theguy’sbeenthere,” A&Mhead coach Jimbo Fisher said.“Heknows heknows. Someguys saytheydon’tknow, [and]they don’tknow. Well, heknows heknows I mean,it’s justtheopposite.”

Richardson wasasteady force fortheunderclassmen to leanonduringspringand falldrills.

“Youknowtheupsanddownsof camp,” Fisher said.“Somedays aremoresuccessful. Somedays aren’tassuccessful.And settingthe temperament forhowtheguys react?Ithinkthat’s huge.Imean,it’s experience.It’s likeinanything— youhave an experiencedguy. Youhave an experiencedguy you work withand youhaven’t beenthrough something,and you say, hey, we’releaningon you forthat.AndIthink thatknowledge forourplayers is valuable.”

Richardson earnedthe team’s Defensive Production Awardand Defensive Aggie Awardlast year.

“Itry to bethebestI canbeonandoff the field,” Richardson said.“Ijusttry to do everythingrightonthe fieldandtry to build thatintothe youngguys.”

Alongwithshowinghis teammateshow thingsshouldbedone,Richardson gets results whenliningupon Saturdays. He had

atleast four tacklesineight gameslast year, including sevenagainstAlabamaandLSU anda career-high 13 againstOle Miss.

“Hisplayingjust gets betterandbetter,” Fisher said.

Richardsonsaidhehadconcernsplayingfor A&M’s first-yeardefensive coordinator D.J. Durkinafter Mike Elko washiredasDuke’s head coach.Elkohadhelpedthe6-foot-1, 210-poundRichardsonblossomaftermakingtheSECall-freshman teamin2019.

“Ilove CoachElko,” Richardson said.“I amthankful to have him. He didalot for me. He helpedmebecometheplayerIam today. He taughtmealotaboutdefense.”

Richardson talked to his fatherandprayed

abouthisfuture.Hesaidhehadan excellent fall campunderDurkin.

“He’s very aggressive Ilikethe wayhe coaches,” saidasmilingRichardson.

Durkinemphasized tackling everydayin springdrills,puttingthatsmileonRichardson’s face.

“He wantsus to wrapup,whichIlike,” Richardson said.“I feellikeI’manoldschoolguy. I feellikeI couldhave played backintheolddays Manypeoplenowadays thinkour generationis soft,butIdefinitely feelI couldhave played back when y’allplayed.”

Pro Football FocushadRichardson ranked the115thbestNFLprospectafterhisju-

nior season, which wouldhave puthimin the fourth roundofthedraft. Richardson’s highest rating was tackling.NFLdraftbuzz. com gave hima90% ratingin tackling.

RichardsonandjuniornickelbackAntonio Johnson both have made multiple preseason watchlists.

Junior cornerback Jaylon Jones,whohas made22straightstarts, saidRichardsonis justagreatplayerand teammate.

Richardsonalso wasoneofthe firstat A&M to welcomejuniorquarterbackMax Johnson,atransferfromLSU.

“Ilikehis competitive nature,” Richardson saidprior to thespringMaroon&White Game. “We always like to talktrash to each other.”

Johnson ralliedLSU to a 27-24victory overthe Aggieslast year, throwinga28yard touchdown pass with20 secondsleft.

“He’llbe like,you see whatIdidlast year, thelastplayofthe game?”Richardson said.

Richardsonandthe Aggiesthoughtthey had wonthe gamewithjust over fourminutesleft whenRichardsonstolethe ball fromLSUpunt returner Trey Palmer, but theofficialsruled Palmer’s forwardprogress hadbeenstopped.Richardsondoesn’t mentionthat to Johnson.

“Nah, we just go backand forth,” Richardsonlaughed.“He’sa gooddude.Ilike him.”

Richardson,though,didn’thave a favoritein who wouldwinthequarterback job between Johnson,sophomoreHaynes King andfreshman Conner Weigman.

“Haynesis going to beHaynes.He’s fast,” Richardson said.“He stretchesthedefense out. He creates badangles fordefenders, even forpeoplelike[linebackerEdgerrin Cooper],whoissuper fast.They’re all good quarterbacks. I can’t wait to see who gets thestarting job.”

Richardson canhave funatpractice,but his focus ismakingsureA&Mdoesn’t repeatlast season’s fade to 8-4afterbeginningthe season rankedsixth, whichthe Aggiesare rankedagain to start2022.

“Wejust keepitinourminds,” Richardson said.“We haveto finishthose games Inpractice, we zoneinon finishingand reminding ourselves whathappened.We have to finish.Ifit’s thethirdpractice orthe10th practice, we justhaveto finish.”

Richardsonishardestonhimself.

“I canmakemoreplays bytacklingand beingmoreaggressive ...moreplays on the ball,” Richardson said.“Istudiedthe film more, so I canknow what’s coming.”

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE

TexasA&M’sDemaniRichardson,right,sacks AuburnquarterbackBoNixduringtheir game lastseasonat Kyle Field.

Richardson

No. 26

•Demani Richardson • safety• 6-1 •210• senior• 3-yearletterman • Waxahachie

TexasA&M’s versatileathlete AiniasSmithdidn’t mince words whenaddressinghis team’s mentality comingintothe2022 season. With2021’s 8-4 record hanging overtheir collective head, the Aggiesareout for payback.

“Themindsetis totallydifferent,” Smith said.“We cameup shortandlost some gamesthat we shouldn’thave, and we’re coming back for vengeance.”

Still,it wasn’t retributionthat broughtthedo-it-allplaymaker forthe Aggies back forhis senior season.Smithultimatelydecided heneededanother yearofpersonal growthbefore tacklingprofessional football.

“I feltlikeIneeded to go ahead andhoneinalittlebitmoreon my skillsand reallyjustthede-

LAST RIDE

WR Smith excited for chance to lead Aggies as senior

tailsofhow to dothings,” Smith saidduringspringpractice. “I’m not sayingthatIdidn’thave any confidenceofmedoingthaton thenextlevel.Ijust wanted to go aheadandnotnecessarilyprove myselfbutjustshow my worth and reallyjustincrease my value.”

Notonlydidthe Aggies swingin theoppositedirectionaftera9-1 seasonwithanOrange Bowl titlein 2020,Smith’sproductiondecreased duringhisjunior season. Both,it couldbeargued,hingedaroundinconsistentquarterbackplay.

Afterjumpingfrom 248 receiving yardsinhisfreshman season to 564in2020,Smith fell to 509 on 47 receptionslast year He also sawa significantdropinsnapsfromthe running backposition, takingjust eight carrieslast season.In2020 he washandedthe ball49times.

Smithalsoledthe teamin un-

catchable targetpercentage,with 20.51% of the ballsthrownhis way deemedout of hisgrasp by SECStatCat.com.That ranksthird in theconferencelastseason,according to thedata analysis website.

Smith saidlast season’sunderproductionas wellastheunfulfilled expectationsofthe teamstill weighheavyonhismind.

“Ithinkaboutthatallthetime,” he said,“justlooking backatthe seasonand watching filmand lookingatourmistakesandthings that we couldhave donebetter, bringingthat to theattention to ourguys andmakingsurethey know whathappenedlast season anduppingthestandard.”

Withtightend Jalen Wydermyer havingleft early, Smithknows he will factor evenmoreintothe Aggieoffensein2022, whetheritbe intheXsand Os during gameday

orasoneofthemost experienced players ona team filledwith young talentthatneedsguidance in practiceandoff the field.

“He’sinvolvedin everyplay,”recentlynamed wide receivers coach James Coley said.“He’sthere chirpingand talking,andthat’s the wayheapproachesthe game. Forhim,it’s amentaledge. He’s notoneofthose guys that we’ve all seeninthe pastthatmaystand ontheside.Ifhe’snotin getting ready forhis rep, he’sinonother people’s reps He’s beenhuge for the youngguys, becausehe’salways talking to them. He’s huge fortheolderguys, becausehe’s talking to them too.”

Smithpulls somemotivation from whathe seesinhisfutureat thenextlevel.

At the2022Pro Bowl, San Fransisco 49ers’playmaker Debo

Samuel calledhispositiona“wide back,” converginghis rolesasa wide receiverandrunning back. Smith saidhe could seehimself followinginthe samemoldinprofessional football.

“Iactually want to give ashoutoutand appreciation to Debo Samuel,” Smith saidlastspring. “It’snot very easy foranybody to dothatonthenextlevel,especially inthe NFL.Forhim to beable to do that,itreallyshowsthatpeoplelike meouttherecanbevalued.There’s definitelytheopportunitythathe’s openedup fornotonly myselfbut other peopleunderme.”

Untilthatpoint whenSmith hearshisname calledasa partof theNFLdraft,his focusisproducing andleadingduringhislast seasonin Aggieland.

“He’s gottherightmindset,” Coley said.

TRAVIS L. BROWN travis.brown@theeagle.com

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE TexasA&M’sAiniasSmith(0)lookstorunaroundArkansas’Jalen Catalon (1)asheshedsa would-beRazorbacktacklerduringtheirSEC gameat AT&T StadiuminArlington on Sept.25, 2021.

Here arethepreseasongrades forthe2022 TexasA&M football team:

QUARTERBACKS: B

 The good: The competitionis keen. JuniortransferMax Johnsonplayedin18 games forLSU, starting 14. Haynes Kingisfully recoveredfromafracturedankle, ready to extendplays and remind fansof Johnny Manziel. Talented, confident Conner Weigman, afive-star recruit,isthe program’squarterbackof thefuture.

 The bad: LSU went 9-9with Johnsonunder center, and King hasbeenastarter forlessthanfive quarters.

 Bottomline: A&Mhead coach Jimbo Fisherneeds to choose wisely. It wasonlya two-man race last year, and theloser, ZachCalzada,started10 games andstilltransferred.

RUNNING BACKS: A-

 The good: Devon Achanehasthe skills to bea Heisman Trophy candidate. He has world-classspeedbutalsoruns toughbetweenthe tackles. He canbe a hugeplaymakerinthe passing game too teams can’t coverhim withalinebacker.

 The bad: JuniorEarnestCrownover, sophomoreAmari Danielsand redshirt freshman LJ Johnson Jr. combined for just 17carries for 39 yardsin Southeastern Conferenceplaylast year.

 Bottomline: Achaneneeds to stay healthy, butwide receiverAiniasSmithis

always apossibility to take some carries.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B

 The good: Thedepthis exceptional Thereareabouteightplayers who could startled by juniorguardLayden Robinson, apotentialAll-American.

 The bad: Robinson, sophomore centerBryce Fosterand tackle Reuben Fathereearethe veterans, butthey’ve combined foronly31 careerstarts. A&M has to replace KenyonGreen, a first-round NFL pick.

 Bottomline: Inlast year’s four lossesandtheAlabama game,A&M rushed foronly 572 yardson 139 carries (4.1 average) despitehaving a pairoffuture NFLrunning backsandoneofthenation’s bestoffensive linemen.Thisgrouphas to bebetteragainst top competition.

RECEIVING CORPS: C+

 The good: Truefreshmanwide receiver EvanStewarthasbeen goodenough inpractice to possibly take someofthe pressureoff seniorwide receiverAinias Smith, who washeld to lessthan50 yards receivinginnine gameslast year.

 The bad: Senior JalenPreston,junior ChaseLane and sophomore Moose MuhammadIII have hadtheirmomentsbut need to be more consistent. Seniortight endMax Wrightisthebestofadeepgroup, butnonehave theskillsofdeparted Jalen Wydermyer, whohad40 receptions for515 yardsin what was considereda bad year.

 Bottomline: Theunithas to get muchbetterifthe Aggiesare going to be effective throwingdeep.

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE

TexasA&M centerBryce Foster,left, andrightguardLayden Robinson, centerback,block for runningbackDevon Achaneashecarriesthe football againstAlabamaduring lastseason’s game at Kyle Field.

ROBERT CESSNA

Pleasesee GRADES, Page 14

Grades

DEFENSIVE LINE: B

„ The good: Five-star recruits Walter Nolen,Lebbeus OvertonandShemar Stewartare talentedenough to contributefromthe get-go, butguys who have waitedtheirturn includingjuniors McKinnley JacksonandIsaiahRaikesand sophomoreShemar Turnerare ready to become starters.

„ The bad: DeMarvinLeal, Micheal Clemons,Jayden Peevyand Tyree Johnson combined for38.5 tackles forloss last season.All fourare gone,andthat’salot of production to replace.

„ Bottomline: Thisunitloadedwith talentisalitmus test forA&M’s recruitinganddevelopment.A&Mneeds to plug infirst-timestartersandnotmissabeat fromlast year’sgroup,whichis whatAlabama,GeorgiaandOhioStatedo.

LINEBACKERS: C+

„ The good: SophomoreEdgerrin Cooperhasallthe tools to bea gamechanger He justneedsmore experience.

„ The bad: It wasabig relief for A&Mthatallthecharges were dropped

inSmith’sarrest,but overlooked was senior backuplinebackerChrisRussell Jr.’s partinit.Italso wasn’thisfirstarrest. You wantaguy you’re countingon to have betterjudgement.

„ Bottomline: There’salotofifs withthisposition—if Cooperdevelops, ifAndreWhite Jr. canstepupinhis senior year, ifRussellis reliableandifa couple freshmen can contribute,theunitwillbe astrength.

SECONDARY: B

„ The good: JuniornickelbackAntonio Johnsonis apreseasonAll-American, and senior safety DemaniRichardsonis not farbehind. Junior Jaylon Jonesand sophomore TyreekChappellalsoare returningstartersat cornerback. Oneor two freshmenwillplay complementary roles.

„ The bad: Injurieshamperedthe unitlast yearasopponentsmadeplay afterplayinthe passing gameinthe four gamesA&Mlost.Opponents completed 99of 149 passes for1,173 yardsandnine touchdownswithnointerceptions for a whopping ratingof 152.50inthose four games. AndAlabama’s Heisman Trophy winnerBryce Young was28-of-48 passing for 369 yardsandthree touchdowns withaninterceptionina gamethe Aggies won.

„ Bottomline: Theunitisdeepand talented.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A-

„ The good: Punt returnerSmith andkick returner Achanearea solid 1-2 punch.Punter Nik Constantinouhas a chance to be thebestinthenation.

„ The bad: Steady, record-setting place-kicker SethSmallis gone. StrongleggedCaden Davisis backandhitfrom 76 yardsinpractice, buthe’s missedhis only collegiatefield goalattempt. It was fromlessthanhalfthatdistance— 37 yards.

„ Bottomline: A&Mmightnotlose special teams if Davis can take his game fromthe CoolidgePractice Fields to Kyle Field.

COACHING: B+

„ The good: Fisherandhisstaff signedthehighest ranked recruitingclass inthehistoryofthesport.A&M replaced defensive coordinator Mike Elkowith D.J. Durkin,ahome-runhire. Hecould bebetterthanElko consideringhe was goodenough to getahead coaching job six years earlier. Thatdidn’t work out,but hisability to runadefense remains topnotch. Fisheralsoaddedanother former head coach inSteve Addazio, whowillbe

thebestoffensive line coachin Fisher’s timeatA&M.

„ The bad: A&M somehowmanaged to endaneight-gamelosingstreak to Alabamaandstill finishthe season unranked. Head coachesmaking $9 milliona year haveto finishbetter than26th.

„ Bottomline: Fishershufflingthe responsibilitiesofhisoffensive assistants wasahead scratcher. Thenagain, maybeit wasn’t.Offenseishis forte,but it wasn’tlast yearasA&M ranked83rd inthird-down conversionsand99thin passingefficiency. Maybeheshouldhave donetheshufflinglast year.

OVERALL: B

„ The good: Forthe secondstraight yearA&Mis rankedsixth to enterthe season.

„ The bad: The teamhasonlynine scholarship seniorswith possiblyonly threeinthestartinglineup forthe season opener. That’s somewhatunheardof for a Power Five conference team.

„ Bottomline: Thefuture continues to lookbright,butsuch wasthe case last yearin August.It’s time to startproducing.

Robert Cessna’s emailaddressis robert.cessna@theeagle.com.

Alabama remains favorite to win nation’s toughest division

ROBERT CESSNA

robert.cessna@theeagle.com

The Southeastern Conference’s Western Division continues to be thebest college footballhas tooffer It’s thesurvivalofthe fittest.

Auburn, which wonthenationalchampionshipin2010andplayed foranotherin 2013, is the consensuspick to finishlast amongthe sevenproudprograms. LSU, whichhas won fournationaltitlesand wentaperfect 15-0in2019witharguably oneofthebestall-time teams, ispicked

to finish in thebottom half. Leadingthe wayisAlabama, whichhas wonsixnationaltitlesinthelast 13 years andispicked to win anothertitle.A&M is rankedsixthinthenationheadinginto the season forthe secondstraight year. Arkansasis ranked 19th comingoff a9-4 season,theprogram’sbestinadecade.Ole Miss is ranked21stafter going10-3. MississippiState was goodenoughlast year to beat atrioof top20 teams, andmuchmore is expectedin Mike Leach’sthird season withquarterback Will Rogersreturning.

Here isapreviewof TexasA&M’sopponentsintheSEC Westinorderofthe preseasonmedia poll.

ALABAMA

TheCrimson Tideareprimed to go one stepfurtheraftersufferingitsonlyloss last seasoninthenationalchampionship game againstGeorgia. Alabamahadsixplayers ontheAPpreseasonAll-America teamled by quarterbackBryce Young,the Heisman Trophywinnerlast year, andjunioroutside linebacker WillAnderson Jr., whommany

are toutingas Young’s stiffest competitionthis year for college football’shighest award.

PassingagainstAlabamawillbeachallenge. Andersonhad 17.5 sacksandnine quarterbackpressureslast year. Whilehe’s rushingthe passer,cornerbackEliRicksand safetyJordanBattle(86 tackles, 3INTs), a pairofjuniorpreseasonAll-Americans,will be backin coverage. Ricks,whotransferred fromLSU, suffereda season-endinginjury

BRYNNANDERSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alabamaplayers pray beforethe firsthalfoftheSEC ChampionshipagainstGeorgiaonDec. 4, 2021,in Atlanta.The Crimson Tide won41-24 to claimtheprogram’s eighthSECtitle since 2009 and29th overalldating tothe first yearofthe conferencein 1933.

Pleasesee WEST, Page16

early last season,buthad20 tackles, four interceptionsand five pass breakupsas a freshman.

TheCrimson Tidealso returns five other startersondefense.

Alabamausedthetransferportal to plug someholes, adding formerGeorgia Tech running back JahmyrGibbs whorushed for 746 yardsand fourTDson 143 carries last year. He alsohad 36 receptions for 470 yardsand2TDsand returned23kickoffs for589 yards(25.6)andanother score. He wasa second-teampreseasonAll-American by APasanall-purpose player.

Alabama seniorguardEmilEkiyor(29 careerstarts) wasa second-teampreseasonAll-American.Also returningin thelinearejuniorleftguard Javion Cohen and senior center Darrian Dalcourt.

Alabama coach Nick Saban, who typicallyhashad to replace severalstaff membersannually, returnsoffensive coordinatorBillO’Brien fora second season, and associatedefensive coordinator/safeties coachCharles Kellyisinhis fourth season.

“Fromastaff standpoint,thisisthe first timeinalongtime we’vehadboth coordinators, continuityinboth coordinators, whichIthinkisprobablyanimportant thing forus,” Saban said.

ARKANSAS

Oneofthestrengths forArkansas’ resurgenceunderhead coach Sam Pittman,alongtimeoffensive line coach,is theguys upfront. ArkansasguardsBrady Lathamand BeauxLimmer returnalong with centerRickyStrombergand tackle Dalton Wagner.

JuniorKJ Jeffersonhad aspecial season accounting formorethan 3,300 yardsof offense and 27 TDslast year He threw for2,676 yardswith21TDsandonly four interceptions, completing 198of 294 passes for 67.3%. He added a team-high 664 yardsrushingon 146 carrieswith six touchdowns. Running backRaheim Sanders(114 carries, 578 yards, 5TDs) and Dominque Johnson(97-586-5)also returns Sanders lostonly8 yardsrushinglast year.

“Weledthe Power Five inrushing,” Pittman said.“Whatthatdoesis tellsus what we’retrying to dowithourprogram. We want to be aphysical teamonbothsides of the lineof scrimmage.”

Thedefense returns five starters, includinga pairof game-changersinjunior safety JalenCatalon (46 tackles, 2INTs, 4 PBUs), anAPpreseason second-teamAllAmerican, and seniorlinebackerBumper Pool(125 tackles).

OLE MISS

The Rebelshaveto replacequarterback Matt Corral,who madetheoffenseclick, anddefensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, whoimprovedthedefense to allowOle Miss to outscore opponents.

SouthernCaliforniatransfer Jaxson Dartis battling fellow sophomoreLuke Altmyer to replace Corral,aMaxwelland Manning awardsfinalist. Altmyerinlimitedactionthrew for 192 yardson20of 37 witha touchdownandinterception. Dart in six gameswiththe Trojans was117of 189 for 1,353 yardsandnine touchdowns withfive interceptions.

Whoeverisquarterbackwillhave only

four returningstarters toworkwith tightendCaseyKelly(17-150-1), guard Caleb Warrenand tackles NickBroecker and Jeremy James Ole Miss added topnotchrunning backsin TCU transfer Zach Evans(92-648-5)andSMUtransferUlysses BentlyIV(96-610-4).The Rebelsalsohitthetransferportal for wide receivers, getting CentralFlorida’s Jaylon RobinsonandLouisville’s Jordan Watkins.

Ole Miss’ defenseallowedalmosta100 less yardsper gameunderDurkin, who left for TexasA&M.Ole Miss hired Western Kentucky’sMauriceCrum to be codefensive coordinator/linebackers coach,

joiningChris Partridge, whoisinhisthird yearas co-DC/safeties coachunderhead coachLane Kiffin.

The secondary, whichpickedoff two passesina 29-19victory overA&M, remainstheunit’s strengthwithAJ Finley (90 tackles, 3INTs), Tysheen Johnson (47 tackles), DeantrePrince (46 tackles)and Otis Reese(90 tackles) returning.

Ole Miss alsoaddedthree key transfers ondefense— Central Michiganlinebacker Troy Brown,Georgia Techdefensive end Jared Ivey and Auburndefensive tackle JJ Peguies.

MICHAEL WOODS, ASSOCIATED PRESS Arkansas’ Dalton Wagner, fromleft, DominiqueJohnsonand TysonMorris celebrate afterJohnson ran fora two-point conversionagainst Mississippi Stateduring thesecondhalfoftheRazorbacks’31-28victoryonNov. 6, 2021,in Fayetteville,Ark.Arkansas surprisedmost experts lastseason by finishingin a tie forthirdin theSEC Westat 4-4, alsogoing9-4 overall.

Pleasesee WEST, Page 17

LSU

First-yearhead coachBrian Kelly waited untillate in fall camp to decideifjunior Jayden Danielsor redshirtfreshmanGarrettNussmeier wouldbethe Tigers’ startingquarterback,butitdidn’t take him nearly so long to find someoftheother partsoftheoffense.

Juniorwide receiverKayshon Boutte wasanAPpreseasonAll-Americanafter catching38 passeslast year for509 yards andnine touchdowns.SophomoreMalik Nabers(28-417-4) hashada solid camp, Kelly said.

The defensewillbeled by juniorend BJ Ojulari(55 tackles, 7 sacks), a first-team pick on theAll-SEC coaches’preseason team, senior tackleAliGaye (19 tackles), a second-teampick,and sophomorelineman Jaquelin Roy (30 tackles, 6TFL),athirdteampick.

Seniorlinebacker MicahBaskervillehad 83 tackleslast seasonand returnsasdoes safetyJay Ward (71).

Kellyusedthetransferportal to plug secondaryholes by addingArkansasde-

fensive backs Joe FouchaandGregBrooks Jr.,OklahomaState cornerback Jarrick Bernard-ConverseandLouisiana-Lafayette cornerback MekhiGarner.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

TheBulldogs are oneofthemore experienced teamsintheSEC Westwitheight startersreturning onboth sides.

Juniorquarterback Will Rogers leadsthe way. He threw for 4,739 yardslast season with 36 touchdownsandnineinterceptions. Hecompleted505of 683 passes (73.9%)and hada 147.0 passer rating.

MississippiStatehas to replaceits top three receivers, butjunior Jaden Walley (55-628-6)and senior Austin Williams(52617-4)had solid years. Startingjuniorrunning backs Jo’quaviousMarks(106-434-6) andDillon Johnson(89-485-4) return. Senior centerLaQuinstonSharpstarted every gamelast year, and seniorguardsKameron Jonesand Kwatrivious Johnsonalso return. Alleight returnersondefensestartedat least10 gamesin2021. Senior safety CollinDuncan (46 tackles)andjunior cornerbackEmmanuel Forbes(60 tackles, 3INTs, 8PBUs) started every game. SafetyJalen Green (41 tackles,6PBUs)had 10 starts.Seniorlinebackers Nathaniel Watson(team-

leading 87 tackles)and TyrusWheat (46 tackles, 10.5 TFL) also returnalongwith seniordefensive tackle JadenCrumedy(20 tackles), seniornose tackleCameron Young (51)and seniorendRandyCharlton.

AUBURN

The Tigersreturn sevenstarters each way led by juniorrunning back TankBigsby, whorushed for1,099 yardsand10TDson 223 carrieslast year.

Bigsbywillberunningbehind someofthe most experiencedlinemeninthe country.

Tackle Austin Troxell,asixth-year senior, hasplayedin32 games Brandon Council isasixth-year senior whohasplayedin 39 games, and fellowguard Keiondre Jonesis ajunior whohasplayedin 24. Senior center NickBrahmsisasixth-year senior whohas playedin40 games.

Thatlinewillbeprotecting T.J. Finley, whotransferredfromLSUlast season,or ZachCalzada, whotransferredfrom Texas A&Mthisoffseason.Calzadahas10 career starts,twiceasmanyas Finley. Theyare trying to replacethree-yearstarter Bo Nix, whotransferred to Oregon.

Auburnlostits topthree tacklers from last year, anddefensive coordinator Derek Mason left forOregon.

2021 SEC Weststandings

SEC West Preseason Media Poll

(first-place votesin parentheses)

1.Alabama (177)

2. Texas A&M (3)

3. Arkansas (1)

4. OleMiss

5. LSU

6. Mississippi State

7. Auburn

SECchampion:Alabama (158 votes)

LSUhead coach Brian Kellyruns the Tigers’ practice inBaton Rouge, La.,on Aug. 17. Kellyspentthe last12seasons atNotre Dame beforetaking over at LSUduringthe offseason.

GERALD HERBERT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROBERT CESSNA

robert.cessna@theeagle.com

Georgiahelpedthe balanceofpowerin the Southeastern Conference shift back to theEast by beatingAlabama forthenationaltitlelast year.

TheBulldogs then setamodern record forthemostplayers takenintheNFLdraft with 15, butnot much of adrop-off is expectedastheBulldogs are rankedthird inthe countrybehindAlabamaandOhio State.GeorgiabreezedthroughtheSEC Eastlast year, winningsix games by an av-

erageof32.3pointsper game.The“closest” game was30-13 against Kentucky, but the restoftheEastmadestrideslast year alongwiththeBulldogs.

Kentucky went10-3, andthe Wildcats enter2022 ranked20th,onlythe fifthtime inprogramhistory they’re inthe Top25 headingintothe season. Tennessee(7-6) and SouthCarolina(7-6) wererejuvenated by a pairof first-year coachesin Josh HeupelandShane Beamer, respectively. Floridahopes forthe same afterhiring Billy NapierfromLouisiana-Lafayette.

Division has some promising depth behind Bulldogs

Missouri won twoofitslastthree regular-season games to makeabowl game. Vanderbiltdidn’twina conference game forthe secondstraight year, but secondyearhead coachClarkLeaatSEC Media Days saidthe Commodores were“fighting to becomeadominant force within the conference.”Someone was listening to Leabecausethe Commodores gota vote inthemedia’s preseasonpoll to win the conference,matching TexasA&Masthey trailedAlabama(158),Georgia(18)and South Carolina(3).

GEORGIA

TheBulldogs returnonlythreestarters fromadefensethatallowedanation-best 10.2pointsper gameand ranked secondat 268.9 yardslast season, but Georgiahas seven returningstartersonoffenseled by seniorquarterbackStetson Bennett.One ofthestarsofthetitlevictory overAlabama,Bennettthrew for2,862 yardsand 29 touchdownswith seveninterceptions. His favorite target returnsin sophomoreBrock

BRETT DAVIS, ASSOCIATED PRESS

GeorgiamascotUga watches fromthesidelineduringthe team’s spring football gameatSanford StadiumonApril16 in Athens,Ga.Georgianotonly wasthetopdogintheSECEastlast season,theBulldogs wontheir firstnationalchampionshipin footballsince 1980.

Pleasesee EAST, Page 19

Bowers (56 receptions, 882 yards, 13 TDs) alongwithwide receivers Adonai Mitchell (29-426-4)and Kenny McIntosh(22-2422). Up front, sophomore center Sedrick Van Pranandjunior tackle Warren McClendon have combined for 39 careerstarts.

Georgialostits top tworushers, butrunning backs Kenny McIntosh(58 carries, 328 yards, 3TDs) and Kendall Milton(56-2641)showedtheyshouldbeable to handle more carries.

Leadingthe Bulldogs defensearejunior defensive tackle JalenCarter(37 tackles, 8.5 TFL)and sophomore cornerback Kelee Ringo, a pairofAPpreseasonAll-Americans, alongwith seniordefensive end NolanSmith,apreseason second-team All-American whohad56 tackleslast year.

“Wehave plenty of talent,” Georgia head coach KirbySmart said.“What we lack rightnowis experience.”

KENTUCKY

The Wildcats, gunning forathird10-win seasonin five years, return five starterson both sides.Kentuckyshouldbeable to improveanoffensethat scored31.8pointsper game to rank38thnationallyand averaged 425.2 yards (46th). Seniorquarterback Will Levis wasthethird-teamquarterbackon theAll-SEC coaches’ team andrunning backChris Rodriguez Jr. madethe first team.Levis,whoplayedhis firstthree seasonsat PennState,threw for2,827 yardsin his first seasonwiththe Wildcats, completing66% ofhis passes.Rodriguezrushed for 1,379 yardson225 carries(6.1)withnine scores.

Junior centerEli Coxand seniorguard Kenneth Horsey returnwith Horsey a second-teamAll-SEC preseason pick.

Kentucky’sdefenseisstrongonthe back end with atriooflinebackers returning in JJ Weaver(6 sacks), DeAndre Square(80 tackles, 9.5TFL)and Jacquez Jones(86 tackles) alongwith cornerbackCarrington Valentine(61)and safety TyrellAljian (46).

TENNESSEE

Many expected the worst forthe Volunteersafter Jeremy Pruittandnineothers were fired followinganinternalinvestigationthat found seriousviolationsof NCAA rulesin January2021. But Heupelstepped ina few weekslater, andthough someofthe team’sbetter players hadopted to transfer, heturnedthingsaroundinabig way. The Vols averaged 39.3 points per game, setting severalsingle-seasonprogram records.

Tennessee returns key cogsontheoffenseatalllevelsled by seniorquarterback Hendon Hooker,whotiedGeorgia’s

Stetson BennettontheAll-SEC coaches’ preseason second-teamoffense. Senior wide receiver Cedric Tillmanmadethe first team, while senior tackle Darnell Wright andrunning back JabariSmallmadethe third team. Hooker passed for2,945 yards and31 touchdownswithonlythreeinterceptionslast season, completing 68%. He alsorushed for616 yardsand five scores. Tillmanhad 64 receptions for1,081 yards (16.9)with12TDs. Smallrushed for 796 yardson 141 carries(5.6)withnine touchdowns Wrighthasmade 29 careerstarts.

The Vols’playmakerondefenseinclude senioredgerusher Byron Young, whohad 49 tackleslast season,including11.5 for 68 lost yardswitheight sacks. He was onthe coaches’ preseasonAll-SEC team, while seniorlinebacker Jeremy Banks (128 tackles, 11.5 TFL)and senior safetyTrevon Flowers(82 tackles, 5PBUs)madethethird team.

Seniorpunter PaxtonBrooks averaged44 yardson 45 kicks, 26ofthem resulting in fair catches.

FLORIDA

QuarterbackAnthonyRichardsonand animproveddefensearethe keysinmaking Napier’s first season a success.

Richardsonthrew for529 yardslast seasonon38of 64 (59.4%)withsix touchdownsand five interceptions. He wasbetterrunning, gaining401 yardson51 carries (7.9)withthree touchdowns Richardson takes over forEmory Jones, anotherdualthreatquarterback whotransferred to ArizonaStateafter passing for2,734 yards and 19 TDswith 13 interceptions.

A coupleof Napier’sULLplayers followedhim to makethings easieronRichardson,including senioroffensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence,anAPpreseason second-teamAll-American. Hejoins returningstarters KingsleyEguakun (center), EthanWhite(guard)andRichard Gouraige(tackle). FormerULLrunning back Montrell Johnson Jr. will competewith Nay’Quan Wright(76-326-1). Johnson rushed for838 yardson 162carries(5.6) last year with12 touchdownsand was

namedtheSun Belt Conference’sfreshmanofthe year.

Florida returns its second-leading receiverin JustinShorter (41-550-3) and addstransferRicky Pearsall, wholedArizonaStatein receivinglast season (48580-4).

Napier’sstrengthlast year wasdefense astheRagin’ Cajunsallowedonly18.5 pointsand 334.6 yardsper game to rank 11thand 22ndinthenation, respectively. TheGators were middleofthe roadat26.3 points(65th)and 367.7 yards(51st)per game. Seniordefensive back Trey DeanIII (92 tackles, 10PBUs), sophomore safety Rashad Torrence(87 tackles, 5PBUs)and juniorlinebackerBrenton Cox(82 tackles, 24 TFL) return to lead thedefense.

Napierbrought alongMark Hockefrom ULLastheGators’ strengthand conditioning coach. FormerA&M coach KevinSumlinhired Hocke forthe2017 season,which proved to beSumlin’s lastwiththe Aggies.

MATTHEW HINTON, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Former Louisiana-Lafayettehead football coach BillyNapierleadshisteamontothe fieldbefore facing Georgia StateinLafayette, La.,on Nov.

4, 2021.Napierledthe Ragin’ Cajunsto theSunBelt Conferencechampionship lastseason and washiredasFlorida’s new coach.

Napier went40-12withtheRagin’Cajunsin four seasons,including 33-5 overthe lastthree.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Beamerturnedheads by winning twiceas many gamesas expectedafter taking overa 2-8 team.Hecappedthe seasonwitha38-21 victory over NorthCarolinaintheDuke’s Mayo Bowl.

Beamer carriedthesuccess intotheoffseason by bringing in nine transfers headlined by OklahomaquarterbackSpencer Rattler,whothrew for 4,595 yardson 361 of515(70.1%)with40TDsand12interceptions over23 games(17starts) withthe Sooners. Rattleralso ran for260 yardsand nine touchdowns.Alsotransferringinfrom Oklahoma wastightend AustinStogner (14-166-3).

RattlerandStogner join seven returning startersled by seniorguard Jovaughn Gwyn, senior tackle Dylan Wonnumand senior centerEric Douglas whohave combined for 88 careerstarts. Also backare seniorwide receivers JalenBrooks(14-181-1)and Josh Vann (43-679-5).

Allthat talentshouldimproveaunitthat averagedonly22.6pointsand 336.8 yards per game to rank104thand111th, respectively.

Thedefense’sstrengthisthe secondary with senior safety R.J.Roderick(64 tackles), senior cornerback DariusRush(25 tackles, 8PBUs) andjunior cornerCamSmith (41 tackles, 3INTs, 11PBUs) returning.Smith isanAPpreseason second-teamAll-American.Seniordefensive linemanZacch Pickens(38 tackles, 5TFL) wasa second-team pickontheAll-SEC coaches’preseason team.

MISSOURI

The Tigers arehopefuleight returning starters canshoreupadefensethatallowed 434.2 yardsper game to rank105thinthe countryand gave up 33.8 pointsper game to rank113th.

SeniorendsIsaiah McGuireand Trajan Jeffcoatleadthe way, combininglast year for 89 tackles,24 of them forlosses totaling 105 yards.SafetiesMartez Manuel(77 tackles, 8TFL)and JaylonCarlies(68 tackles, 4 INTs) were the team’s second-andthirdleading tacklers.

Missouri returnssixstartersonoffense with senior tackles Javon Fosterand Hyrin Whiteleadingthe way.

SophomoreBrady Cook takes overat quarterback for ConnorBazelak,whotransferred to Indiana.Cook passed for 350 yards on 47 of 59 (79.7%)with two touchdowns

2021 SEC Eaststandings

SEC Overall WLWL

Georgia 80 141

Kentucky 53103

Tennessee 4476

Missouri 3567

South Carolina3576

Florida 2667

Vanderbilt 08210

SEC East Preseason Media Poll

(first-place votesin parentheses)

1. Georgia(172)

2. Kentucky(4)

3. Tennessee (1)

4. Florida

5. South Carolina (3)

6. Missouri

7. Vanderbilt(1)

SECchampion:Alabama (158 votes)

niorlinebackerAnferneeOrji, whohad 92 tackleslast season, including 13 forloss.

The Commodoreshave a pairof veteran cornerbacksin senior Jeremy Lucien(29 tackles, 2INTs), atransferfrom Connecticut,and senior JaylenMahoney, who had53 tackles, 4.5ofthem forlosses,two sacksand twointerceptions.Senior safety Maxwell WorshipmatchedMahoney’s53 tacklesastheyledthe team.

Vanderbiltlooks to juniorquarterback Mike Wright to deliverthe Commodores’ firstSECvictoryinthree years. Wright beatout Ken Seals forthe jobtheyshared last year.Sealsthrew for1,181 yardswith fivetouchdownsandeightinterceptions, while Wrightthrew for1,042 yardswith eight touchdownsandsixinterceptions Wright, whoismoreofadualthreat, added 373 yardsrushingon91 carries (4.1) andoneTD.

“We wanthim to developasa total quarterback, whichhehas,” Lea said. “Hehasdemonstratedleadershipabilities, too.”

Vandy returnsitsleading receiverinjunior WillSheppard (43-577-4).

andnointerceptionsin five games.Senior wide receiver Tauskie Dove (38-576-0)led the team in receiving yardage. Missourihas to revampitsrunning gamewithjuniorElijah Young(37-162-1)the top returner.

Ifthe Tigers can getclose to theend zone, theyhave agreatplace-kickerinjunior

Harrison

secondteamAll-American whomade23of25 field goalslast year.

VANDERBILT

Vanderbilthadonlyoneplayermake theSEC coaches’preseason teams: se-

Vanderbiltpickedupa valuabletransferinjuniorpunterMattHayball, whoat Florida Atlantic averaged 45.7 yardsper punt to earnAll-Conference USA honorablementionhonors. He’ll complement seniorplace-kicker JosephBulovas,who made 14 of 19 field goalslast season.

Mevis, anAPpreseason

JEFFREY MCWHORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS FormerOklahoma quarterback SpencerRattlertransferredtoSouth Carolinaduring the offseasonandhastheGamecocks excited fortheir 2022 prospectswith himunder centerand second-year coachShaneBeamercallingtheshots.

EXPERTPREDICTIONS

Several media members who cover the SECoffer some insight into Texas A&M’s 2022 season

Travis L. Brown THE EAGLE

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama, 2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas, 4. Ole Miss, 5. Auburn, 6. LSU, 7. Mississippi State

PickingtheSECEast: 1.Georgia, 2. Tennessee, 3. SouthCarolina, 4. Florida, 5. Kentucky, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: 9-3

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: The Aggiesneeda10-win season to show progress butwill comeup a gameshort.Afteran earlyloss to Miami,the Aggies earn revenge againsttheRazorbacksbut won’t be able to makeit two yearsin a rowagainstAlabama.Thedifferencewillbeasurprise loss to SouthCarolina onthe road, endingthe Aggies’decadeofdominanceagainsttheir yearly East Divisionrivalsand sendingthe Bonham Trophy to the Palmetto State forthe firsttime.

Whostarts at QBfor the SEC opener? Haynes King.Three years ina complicatedJimbo Fisheroffenseisenoughofanedge to break aclose tiebetween twoskilled quarterbacks.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotal game other thanAlabama? Arkansas —it’s going to beanother nailbiter againsta vastly improved Arkansasprogramunderhead coach Sam Pittman. Winningthis game— whichmeans something to both sets ofplayersand fans (whetherthey admititornot) isthedifferencebetweenadisappointing seasonandadisaster for A&M.

Wasthereawinnerorloserin the Jimbo Fisher/NickSaban spat? Jimbo Fisherandthe Aggies mightnotenjoy the consequences ofpokingthebear.

WhoisasleeperintheSECthis year? SouthCarolina

Darryl Bruffett

KBTX

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama, 2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas, 4. Ole Miss, 5. LSU, 6. MississippiState, 7. Auburn

PickingtheSECEast: 1.Georgia,2. Tennessee,3.Kentucky,4.Florida, 5. SouthCarolina, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: I want to say 12-0but am going to go with9-3.

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: Twobigquestionmarks:defense andquarterback. Howwillthe Dadjust to D.J. Durkin,and can Haynes Kingstay healthy? Beating Arkansasina very physical game will tellmealotinthe firstthirdof the season. I could seethe Aggies winningin Tuscaloosa, Alabama, butthis yearAlabama’s experienceand talentwillbehigherthan

the Aggies’. That won’tbethe case in2023. Finally canthey avoid a letdownagainst SouthCarolinaon the roadandhome gamesagainst Ole Miss andLSU?

Whostarts at QBfortheSEC opener? Haynes King. He will starttheopeneragainst Sam Houston(notStateanymore), and hisknowledgeoftheoffense keeps himthereaslongashedoesn’t get dingedup. Ilikethe experience thatMax Johnsonbrings to the teamand gettinganopportunity

to playwithhisbrother. In talking to Conner Weigman’shigh school coach DavidRaffield, Conneris the realdealbutIthinkis going to need sometime to getup to SEC speed.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotalgame otherthanAlabama? Arkansas. I thinkbeatinganimprovedRazorback teaminaphysical gamewill give the Aggiesalotof confidence headingintothreestraight road

MEREDITH SEAVER, THE EAGLE

TexasA&MquarterbackHaynes King passestheballduringdrillsat Kyle Fieldon Aug. 7. Mostofthe expertsonThe Eagle’s SEC Football2022panel believeKing’s experiencein Jimbo Fisher’soffensewillgivehimtheedgeinthe competition forthestartingjob thisseason.

Pleasesee PREDICTIONS, Page 22

Predictions

trips to MississippiState,Alabama and SouthCarolina.

Wasthereawinnerorloserinthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat?

Theloser wasallemployers who lostproductivity forthedays that this wasdiscussed!Ithink some Aggie fans whothinkthatJimbo isallaboutthemoney sawthathe isn’t. He’s allabout TexasA&M anddefendinghisplayers from being called dishonest and insinuatingtheyarenot following therules Ithink Nickalso scored pointswiththe Roll Tiders by pointingouttheyneed to ponyup becausemoney talks. Itdidinthe past whenit wasall under the table andespeciallynow whenit’s legal.

WhoisasleeperintheSECthis year? Ilike SouthCarolinainthe SECEastand MississippiStatein the West.Idon’tknow whatitis about Mike Leachthatdrawsme to him. Maybethe factthathe’s so quirky—ithasnothing to do with theirpersonnel.IalsolikeShane Beamer’sapproach to gettingthe Gamecocksturnedaround.

Olin Buchanan TEXAGS.COM

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama, 2.TexasA&M,3.Arkansas,4.LSU, 5. Ole Miss, 6. MississippiState, 7. Auburn

PickingtheSECEast: 1.Georgia,2. Florida,3.Kentucky,4.Tennessee, 5. SouthCarolina, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: 10-2

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: The Aggiesaremore talented than every teamontheir schedule exceptAlabama. Youprobably take Alabama overA&Min Tuscaloosa Anotherloss islikely intheSEC Westgrind.Butbetter quarterbackplay,more experience inthelineandastrong secondary shouldensureA&Misalegitimate contender.

Whostarts at QBfortheSEC opener? I’mguessingHaynes

Kingstarts. We’veheard for five yearsthatJimbo Fisher’soffenseis complicatedanddifficult to master. Therefore,it seems to make sensethattheguy who’sbeenin the system forthree years would have an edge overMax Johnson, who’sbeeninthe systemaboutsix months. Also, King’s speedprovidesmore versatility. That said, it’s going to beagreat competition. Italso would comeasnosurprise if Johnsonwinsthe job.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotalgame otherthanAlabama? I’ll take the Arkansas game.TheRazorbacks arenolongerpushovers, obviously. That’s aqualityopponent. BeatArkansasandthe Aggieswill likelybeunbeatenagainstAlabama,eventhoughthetrip to MississippiState won’tbe easy either.

Wasthereawinnerorloserinthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat?

Whoapologizedandadmittedhe hadno evidenceofwrongdoing?

WhoisasleeperintheSECthis year? IthinkLSUisa seven-win team. However, the coachingwill besufficientlyimprovedwith Brian Kelly.LSUalways has talent. Ifthe Tigers canplugholesinthe offensive line,they couldbebetter thanmostthink.

Robert Cessna

THE EAGLE

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama, 2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas, 4. MississippiState, 5. Ole Miss, 6. LSU, 7. Auburn

PickingtheSECEast: 1. Georgia, 2. SouthCarolina, 3. Tennessee, 4. Kentucky, 5. Florida, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: 9-3

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: A tough schedulewill take its toll, especiallythat four-gamestretch away from Kyle Field. Everyone circlestheAlabama game,butthe Aggieshave eightother worthy opponents— going6-2against them won’t be easy.

Whostarts at QBfor theSEC opener? Max Johnsonhasproven he canwinintheSECwitha pro-

TexasA&M,3.Ole Miss,4.MississippiState, 5. Arkansas, 6. LSU, 7. Auburn

PickingtheSECEast: 1. Georgia, 2. Kentucky, 3. SouthCarolina, 4. Florida, 5. Tennessee, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record will be: 9-3

,

TexasA&MquarterbackMaxJohnsontakesasnapduringpracticeon Aug. 8 atthe CoolidgePractice Fields. Johnson,an LSUtransfer,givesthe Aggies experience anddepthattheposition.

graminturmoil. He’s going to be hard to keeponthebench,andif Haynes Kingisable to dothat, all thebetter forA&M.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotalgame otherthanAlabama? SouthCarolina. Arkansasmanaged to endits losing ways againstthe Aggieslast year;A&Mcan’tkeepbeatingSouth Carolina forever.

Wasthereawinnerorloserinthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat? Not really. A&M, Alabamaandthe SEC gotalotofnationalattention duringa typicallydeadperiod for college football. Somehow, Fisher cameoutthebadguyinalotofpeople’s eyes, probablybecauseofthe personalattacksalongwith Saban sayingwhatmanythought,though hasn’tAlabamabeenbuyingplayers for years?

WhoisasleeperintheSECthisyear? SouthCarolina.Shane Beamerhas achance to duplicate whatSteve Spurrierdidfrom2011-3 whenhe won33gameswiththeGamecocks.

John Clay

LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER

PickingtheSEC West: 1. Alabama, 2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas, 4. LSU, 5. Ole Miss, 6. MississippiState, 7. Auburn

PickingtheSECEast: 1.Georgia,2. Kentucky, 3. Tennessee, 4. South Carolina, 5. Florida, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: 10-2

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: The Aggieswillhave an excellent yearbutwillfallshortofwinningthe WestandmakingthetriptoAtlanta.

WhostartsatQBfortheSECopener?

Max Johnsonthrew for 27 touchdownswithjustsixinterceptions a seasonagoatLSU.That experience andproductionshouldputhimat theheadoftheline forthe Aggies’ starting job.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotalgame otherthanAlabama? The Sept. 24 gameagainstArkansaswill setthe tone forthe restofthe season.

Wasthereawinnerorloserinthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat?

Bothsides won. SabanletAlabama boostersknowtheyneed to step uptheirNIL game. Fisherlet Texas A&M fansknowthathe canstand up to his formerboss.

WhoisasleeperintheSECthis year? Arkansashasa toughnonconference schedule,butitsSEC slate sets uppretty well.TheRazorbacksgetTexasA&Mataneutral siteandAlabamaandLSUathome. Andtheyshouldbe favoredin road gamesat MississippiState,Auburn and Missouri.

Nicole Griffith

KBTX

PickingtheSECWest:1.Alabama,2.

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: A&Mentersits fifth year under JimboFisherwithexperiencedveteransbutalsoatriooftruefreshman who canmake animpact for theoffense.Afterlosingfourgames last yearandnot participatingin a bowl game, the Aggiesarehungry to provethey belongatthe topof theSECthis season.

Whostarts at QBfortheSEC opener? Haynes King gets the startbecausehe’sbeenwiththe Aggieslongerandknows the offense. However, ifthings aren’t clicking,Jimbo won’tbe afraid to makethe switch to LSUtransfer Max Johnson.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotalgame otherthanAlabama? Arkansasbecauseitstartsoff a four-game series away from Kyle Field. IfA&M comesupshortataneutralsitein a gameitlostlast year,itonlymakes itharder to winthreestraight road games whichincludesAlabama. Wasthereawinnerorloserinthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat? No winnerorloser, just two competitive coaches whoclearly don’tlike eachother However,ifIhadtopick thewinner, it wouldbeJimbobecausehestoodup forhimselfand hisplayers anddidn’t justlet Saban get the only say.

WhoisasleeperintheSECthis year? SouthCarolina couldbe a sleeperwithSpencerRattlerat quarterbackand a second year underShane Beamer. TheGamecocksarepoised to makenoise in theSECEast.

BobHolt

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE PickingtheSEC West: 1. Alabama, 2.TexasA&M,3.Arkansas,4.LSU,

MEREDITH SEAVER

THE EAGLE

Pleasesee PREDICTIONS, Page 23

Predictions

From 22

Picking the SEC East: 1.Georgia,2. Kentucky, 3. Tennessee, 4. Florida, 5. SouthCarolina, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: 10-2

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: Thescheduleisbuiltforafaststart, and getting Miamiathomeshapes upnicely. The Aggies couldbe5-0 goingintotheAlabama gamewith qualitySECwinsagainstArkansasandat MississippiState, which wouldgive them somemomentum. Nothaving to playGeorgiaor KentuckyfromtheEastshouldbea plus.Ifthere’severagoodseasonto playAuburnontheroad,thismight beit, and gettingLSUathome to endthe regular seasonshouldhelp. ThelossesI’dprojectareatAlabama andthenanupsetsomewherealong theway,possiblyArkansas,atMississippiState,Ole Miss orLSU.

WhostartsatQBfortheSECopener?

I’m goingwithHaynes King. He’s comingoff aninjury, buthe’sbeen atA&Mandknows the system well andwonthestartingjoblastseason whenhe washealthy.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotalgame otherthanAlabama? TheSEC openeragainstArkansasinArlington.The Aggies’nextthree games areinSECplayonthe road,andit wouldbe tough to challenge forthe Westtitleiftheystart0-1thenhave divisionalroadgamesatMississippi State (whichhasa tonofstarters back)andat Alabama.

Wasthereawinnerorloserinthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat? Saban cameoutthewinner. Asif losingatA&Mlast season wasn’t enoughmotivation forAlabama, nowtheCrimson Tidewillbe extrariledup whenthe Aggiesplayat Tuscaloosa becauseof what Fisher saidabouttheir coach.

Who isasleeperintheSECthis year? LSUstillhasalotof talent, andinBrian Kellythe Tigers have theirbest coachsince Saban.Plus,

the scheduleis favorableinthat LSUdoesn’thaveto playGeorgia orKentuckyfromtheEast.Notthat playingTennesseeandatFloridaare easygames, butnothaving to play theprojected top two teamsinthe Eastshouldmakeadifference.

Chip Howard

KZNE’S SPORTSTALK

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama, 2. (tie) TexasA&MandOle Miss, 4. (tie)MississippiStateandArkansas, 6. Auburn, 7. LSU

Picking the SECEast: 1.Georgia,2. Kentucky, 3. (tie) Tennesseeand Florida, 5. SouthCarolina, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: 9-3

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: This teamshouldimproveasthe seasonprogresses. Good talent but young. Need to seea receiver step forward to complementAiniasSmith.Need to seeimproved quarterbackplay.

WhostartsatQBfortheSECopener?

Stillthinkit’sHaynesKingbecause ofhismobility,butifit’sMaxJohnson,it won’tshockme.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotalgame otherthanAlabama? I’m going to take the twoprior to Alabama,ArkansasandMississippiState.Those two gamesmay tellmemoreabout this teamthantheAlabama game.

Wasthereawinnerorloserinthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat?The winner wasthe fans, andtheloser wasboth coaches.

Who isasleeperintheSECthis year? I’m taking my guy, Mike Leach, in histhird yearat MississippiState. Will Rogersgotbetter asthe seasonprogressed,andhe’ll getbetterplayoutofthe receivers. Theywillbeahandfulforeveryone.

Alex Miller

THE EAGLE

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama, 2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas, 4. LSU, 5. Ole Miss, 6. MississippiState, 7. Auburn

Picking the SECEast: 1.Georgia,2.

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: 10-2

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: The Aggies getbetterasthe season goesonandmakea New Year’sSix bowl afterwinning10 regular season games forthe firsttimesince JohnnyManziel’s Heisman season. Those are twosteps forward for the Aggiesandshow some consistencydespitean8-4seasonin2021. A&Mmight compete fora College FootballPlayoff spotthis yearbut mightalsolose a gameitshouldn’t. Bottomlineisanythinglessthan10 totalwinsisadisappointmentgiven the team’s talent.

Whostarts at QBfortheSEC opener? Haynes King. Conner Weigmanmightbethefuture, and Max Johnsonmightbethe safest bet,but King wonthestarting job last yearandwillagainthis season becausehegivestheAggiesthebest chancetowinthemostgamesright now.HisathleticismishisX-factor, andA&Mneedsaquarterback who canmakesomethingoutofnothing. Durabilityremainsaquestionmark withKing,butfortunatelyforA&M, itmighthavethebestQBdepthsituationin the leaguerightnow.

that middleeight-gamestretch. TexasA&Mwinsmostofthose butnotallofthemand couldbe vulnerable to a season-endingupsetfromLSUas wellagainsta team ithas beaten a coupleoftimesin recent yearsbuthasn’tdominated.

Whostarts at QBfortheSEC opener? I want to give Max Johnsonthenodbecausehe wonthe jobatLSU amid contentiouscircumstances, butIhaveto go with Haynes Kingbecause ofhis baked inknowledge of the offense.

What is A&M’smost pivotal game otherthan Alabama? Arkansason Sept. 24 Ifthe Aggiesare really going to have achance to pushthe Crimson Tideoff itsperch,these are the kinds of games they must win.As everyone sawlast year, it does youlittle good to beat Alabamaif youlose in division to Arkansas,MississippiState,Ole Miss andLSU.

WhatisA&M’smostpivotalgame otherthanAlabama? Has to be Arkansas That’s a gamein which A&Mdidn’tshowuplast yearand gotbeatpretty well.Thatdejected mood carried over to anuninspired loss to MississippiState.A&M’s schedule sets upthe same waythis season, exceptthe Aggies haveto go to Starkville, Mississippi,this year, andArkansasbelievesit can beatA&Mnow. Ifthe Aggies can’t win two games theyshould,they’ll beoutoftheSEC West race before theyevenboardtheplanetoTuscaloosa to playanAlabama team eager to serve revenge,and2022will beshapingup to beanother2021.

Scott Rabalais

BATON ROUGE ADVOCATE

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama, 2. TexasA&M, 3. LSU, 4. Arkansas,

5. Ole Miss, 6. MississippiState, 7. Auburn

Picking the SECEast: 1.Georgia,2. Kentucky, 3. Tennessee, 4. Florida,

5. SouthCarolina, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record willbe: 9-3

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: Aftera coupleof warmupvictories, the Aggies’ season, ifit gets bumpy, willhit someturbulencein

Wasthereawinnerorloserinthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat? Ithinktheybothlost face, butI would say Fisherlostless. Having covered Nick Sabansincehe arrivedatLSUin2000, I’ve never seenhimlooking so shakyashe didattheSECSpring Meeting whenaskedabouthisaccusations againstA&Mandhis relationship with Fisher. Addinthe factthat forthe firsttimelast seasonhe lost to two assistants—albeitone oftheminthenationalchampionship game—and could we finally bestarting to see somecracksin the Sabanarmor?That said,Alabamaisstill going to bepreseason No. 1. Everyotherprogram would take thatkindofshakyinaheartbeat.

WhoisasleeperintheSECthis year? Ithinkit’s a very top-heavy leaguethis yearwithAlabama, Georgiaand, forargument’s sake, A&M.Idon’t seeanyonebutthose threeplaying fortheSECtitle. That said,ifOle Misscan get by Kentuckyand Auburn,it couldbe 7-0 goingintotheLSU game,the startofa season-defining fivegameclosingstretchthatincludes Alabama,A&Mand Mississippi State.The Rebelsaren’tbetter thanAlabama,GeorgiaorA&M,

Pleasesee PREDICTIONS, Page 24

5. Ole Miss, 6. MississippiState, 7. Auburn

Kentucky, 3. Tennessee, 4. South Carolina, 5. Florida, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

MICHAEL MILLER, THE EAGLE

TheArkansasRazorbacks celebrateaplay during their20-10 victory over TexasA&Mlastseasonat AT&T Stadium.ManyonTheEagle’s panelof SEC experts point tothis year’s rematchwithArkansas onSept. 24 asthe Aggies’biggest gameoftheseasonoutsideofthe Oct. 8 gameatAlabama.

Predictions

From 23

butif Jaxson Dartpansoutat quarterbackasithopes, Ole Miss could be a very tough out.

Tyler Shaw

KBTX

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama, 2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas,4.OleMiss,5.LSU,6. Mississippi State, 7. Auburn

PickingtheSEC East: 1. Georgia, 2. Kentucky, 3. SouthCarolina, 4. Tennessee, 5. Florida, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record will be: 10-2

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: A&M takesanoticeable step forwardfromlast year butstillisnoton parwith Alabama.The Aggies’offenseismore electricthis yearwithmore consistent quarterback/wide receiver play. After twoSEClosses, A&M earnsa New Year’sSix bowl butnot a playoff bid.

Whostarts at QBforthe SEC opener? Max Johnson. IthinkHaynes Kingand Johnsonboth seesnaps in the first couple of games, and Johnsonproves to be more consistentand ready forSEC play.

WhatisA&M’s mostpivotal gameotherthan Alabama? Arkansas TheRazorbacks areontherighttrajectory andhave more confidence after finallybeatingA&M in Arlington. Sam Pittman’s squadis ready to compete inthe SEC,and the Aggies’ SECopenerwill setthe tone for four straight games away from Kyle Field.

Wasthereawinnerorloser inthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat? Thewinner/loser will bedeterminedonthe field Saban took the high roadatSEC Media Days by

conveyingthathehasno problemwithJimboandthat he’slookedinward and selfreflected over theincident.

WhoisasleeperintheSEC this year? As faraswinningthe conference,Idon’t thinkanyonenotnamed Alabama/Georgiahasmuch ofachance SouthCarolina mayendupbeingthebiggestsurpriseandmake the biggestleap forwardthis season during Year 2 under Shane BeamerwithamotivatedSpencer Rattlerat quarterback.

Charean Williams PROFOOTBALLTALK

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama,2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas,4.LSU,5.OleMiss,6. Auburn, 7. MississippiState

PickingtheSECEast:1.Georgia,2. Kentucky, 3. Florida, 4.SouthCarolina,5.Tennessee,6.Missouri,7.Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record will be: 10-2

Summarize TexasA&M’s season: TexasA&Misin a position to beat everyoneon its schedulethis season,dependingonquarterbackplay. The Aggieshave thedefense andoffensive skill position players to contend. Limiting turnovers willdetermine overall success.

Whostarts at QBfortheSEC opener? HaynesKing.Hehas themostexperienceinJimbo Fisher’soffense,thoughMax Johnsonhasthemostplaying experience intheSEC. Conner Weigmanmightbe themosttalentedofthethree quarterbacksbutjustlacks timeand reps.

WhatisA&M’s mostpivotal gameotherthan Alabama? Miami.It representsan early season test forthe Aggies. If TexasA&M canbeat Miami, itshould gainmomentum and confidence. TexasA&M always seems to playbetterasthe season goeson,

butstartingstrongwill be criticalinahigh expectation season.

Wasthereawinnerorloser inthe Jimbo Fisher/Nick Sabanspat? Neither coach won. Nothing was gained or lost by either coach/program. Theoutcome ofthe gameon Oct.8will settle thedebate... forthis seasonanyway. CBS was the bigwinner in thespatas the ratingsshouldbethroughthe roof forthat game.

Whoisasleeper in theSEC this year? Arkansas TheRazorbacksmadesomekey additionsinthetransferportal, andit seemsthey foundthe right coachin Sam Pittman.

Justin Woodard

KAGS

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama,2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas,4.LSU,5.OleMiss,6. Mississippi State, 7. Auburn

PickingtheSEC East: 1. Georgia, 2. Tennessee, 3. Kentucky, 4. South Carolina, 5. Florida, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record will be: 10-2.

Summarize TexasA&M’sseason: The Aggieswillstart a

afford to have onthebench. Throw toomany interceptionsthough,and Idon’t believethe leashon King is extralongwith Johnson waiting to take over.

What isA&M’s mostpivotal gameotherthan Alabama? MississippiState. IfA&M heads to Starkvilleat4-0, Fisherand companyhave to take care ofbusiness. Ifnot, the Aggies are staring backto-backlossesinthe face withatrip to Alabama the next week. Sure, we saw last yearthe Aggiesare capable of takingdowntheCrimson Tide, howeverwinningin Tuscaloosa is going to be a tough task.

nallywinan SEC Westtitle whenAlabama comes to Kyle Field in2023 A&Mhas theplaymakers to compete foradivisioncrownthis season, but that roadie to Tuscaloosa is a realbear, so to speak.A&Mwillbe good enoughandshowenough signs forapromisingfuture that fanswill overlook zero titlesthroughJimbo Fisher’s first fiveyears. Frankly, everythingis settingup for a legitimaterunin2023with 2022 a fancytune-up.

littleslowonoffensefiguring out a balance between feeding Devon Achane whilealso trying to establisha more downfield passing game. The key is theoffensiveline early, especially against Miami, to give either Haynes KingorMax Johnsontime to makethe correct reads. A toughstretch away from homefrom Sept. 24 to Oct. 22is going to bea key indicatorofhowtheseasonplays out.IthinkA&M’stwolosses comeinthatmonth.As for thedefense, the secondary is going to beoneof thebest intheSECifnotthe countryif everyonestayshealthy. Linebackerdepthisa concern, butEdgerrin Cooper andAndre White Jr. holdthe keys.By themiddleof the season, Ibelievethe young but talenteddefensive line really comes on.

Whostarts at QBfortheSEC opener? I’mnotsurehow Jimbo Fisher feelsabout playing twoquarterbacksin the seasonopener against Sam Houston State,butif the race is truly astightas heisleadingon,then why notgive Haynes Kingand Max Johnsonbothplentyof playingtime? Comethe Arkansas contest,thisis going to be King’s show to run.His versatility intherun gameis a game-changer Fisher can’t

Wasthereawinnerorloser inthe Jimbo Fisher/NickSabanspat? No. I’mgladthey both gave us something to talkaboutintheoffseason, butnow let’s play ball.

WhoisasleeperintheSEC this year? SouthCarolina. I really like what Shane Beamerisbuildingin Columbia, SouthCarolina. A&Mhas woneightstraight overtheGamecocks,including takingthelastthreein blowout fashion. However, Ithink SouthCarolinawill be ready to play on Oct.22. IfOklahomatransferquarterbackSpencerRattler can gethisconfidenceback,then theGamecocks couldhave something cooking.

Brent Zwerneman

HOUSTON CHRONICLE

PickingtheSEC West: 1.Alabama,2. TexasA&M, 3. Arkansas,4.LSU,5.Mississippi State, 6. Ole Miss, 7. Auburn

PickingtheSECEast:1.Georgia,2. Kentucky, 3. Tennessee, 4. SouthCarolina, 5. Florida, 6. Missouri, 7. Vanderbilt

TexasA&M’s regular-season record will be: 9-3

Summarize TexasA&M’s season: The Aggieswill fi-

Whostarts at QBfortheSEC openerand why? Haynes King. Hislegs makethedifferenceintheQB battle,just like his broken leg meant the difference between8-4and 10-2last season.

WhatisA&M’s mostpivotal gameotherthanAlabama andwhy? The weekbefore at MississippiState. Mike Leachbeating Fisherat Kyle Fieldlast year wasa badlook forthe A&M coach(and gave Oldand Semi-Old Ags unpleasant flashbacks).

Wasthereawinnerorloser inthe Jimbo Fisher/Nick Sabanspat? Fishershould strike anNILdealwith Crocsafterthattremendous flip flopfrom Saban perhaps needingaslappingasachild to “Ihave great respect for him.” That first part,along withlabeling college football’s mostsuccessful coach anarcissist whobelieves he’s God, willbedifficult for Fisher to walk back forthe restof his tenure I’dguess if Fisherhadit to do over againhe wouldn’t call for a press conference whenhe wasstill so emotional followingSaban’soff-basedremarkabout A&Mbuying its entire 2022 recruitingclass, butthat’sjustaguess.

WhoisasleeperintheSEC this year? Vanderbilt based onits coachputting everyone to sleepatSEC Media Days.No need forasnooze buttonwiththatguy. With allproper respect,of course.

SEAN RAYFORD, ASSOCIATED PRESS South Carolinahead football coachShaneBeamergreets fansas he arrivesat Williams-Brice Stadiumbeforethe Gamecocks’ gameagainst ClemsononNov. 27,2021,in Columbia, S.C. Manybelieve BeamerhasSouth Carolina pointed intheright directiongoinginto hissecondseason in chargeofthe program.

Offensive staff gets shakeup

Fisher hoping new roles for coaches will get Ags moving

Whenthe TexasA&Moffense trotsonto Kyle Field forthe first timeinthe2022,mostoftheplayersshouldbe familiar to the12th Man save a positionor two.

Butit’s the work behindthe scenesthathas seen thedeckshuffled by head coachJimbo Fisher.

Overthesummer, Fisher resignedthreeoffensive coaches in whathe said wasaneffort to streamlinethe responsibilitiesof hisstaff. Formerwide receivers coach DameyuneCraigmoved over towork withthequarterbacks. Co-offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey hasmovedfromquarter-

backs to tightends, and co-offensive coordinator James Coleyhas takenonwide receiversfromhis previous postwiththe tight ends.

“They’ve all coached at those positions, andthey’ve allbeen good,” Fisher said.“It’s somethingIthought wouldhelpuson ouroffenseand...our communicationandnotjustonthe coaching part.You getinto scriptingand responsibilities youhave in thestaff. There’sa tonofthingsthat go into that.”

Craiginherits agroupofquarterbackswiththemostdepth since Fisherandhisstaff arrived

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Texas A&M running back Devon Achane carries theball against KentState during the Aggies’ 41-10 victoryat Kyle Field toopen the2021 season.

TRAVIS L. BROWN travis.brown@theeagle.com

CASSIE STRICKER, THE EAGLE

in Aggieland.Battling forthe topspotin thepositiongroupisthird-year returner Haynes King, who earnedthestarting role last seasonbut wassidelinedwithabrokenlegsufferedduringthe second game. LSU transfer Max Johnson is King’s main competitionafter two yearsplaying for the Tigers, including12 gameslast season. Freshman Conner Weigmanappears to be thefutureoftheposition forthe Aggies.

Craigplayedquarterbackunder Fisher while Fisher served as his position coach for Auburninthemid-1990s. Asa coach, Craig workedwiththequarterbacksthree timesprior, onceat Tuskegee University and twicein two separate stints atFlorida Stateunder Fisher.

“Dameyuneplayedquarterbackand coachedquarterbacks forme, so heknows exactlyhow we wantitdoneandhasbeen intheoffensealongtime,” Fisher said.

The Aggies’wide receivershave underperformedattimes overthelast two seasons. The Aggies ranked11thinthe conferencein average yardsper pass at 6.23last season,andaccording to SECStatCat.com,they rankedeighthin explosive pass-playpercentageat10.20%.

In2020, A&Mfinished11thin explosive playpercentage.

Last season, Coley coachedtightend Jaylen Wydermyer to a team-high515 receiving yardsas wellas four touchdowns. Coleyhas experience coachingwide receivers, somethinghedid forone season atGeorgia.

“It’s not abig switch,” Coley said.“I mean,tightendsrun routesalso, and you’reresponsible forsimilarstuffin therun game when you’re displaced. It’s differentfromlast year to this yearwith regards to just the skill set that you have and what you’re dealingwith, butithasn’t beenabigchange.”

Coley takesona youngwide receiver corpsled by seniorAiniasSmith, who finished secondonthe teamin receiving yardslast seasonwith509andhad a team-highsixTD catches. Coleyhashad thefirstcrackat coachingfive-starfreshman EvanStewart, whofinishedspring practiceasthe Aggies’offensive MVPand should factorheavilyintoA&M’soffense fromGame1.

“Hisspeed, when you’rewatchingiton videoor youare watchingitlive onthe field,it’s there,” Coley said.“TheDBs feelit. He’s explosive ...Thatallhelps routerunners getopen when you canbe as explosive asheis.”

Dickey has coachedalmost everypositionontheoffensive sideofthe ballduringhis38 yearsof coaching. Twicebefore he coachedtight ends, includinghisfirst trueassistant roleat Memphisin 1986 and atLSUfrom 1991-93.

Whilemostlyunproven,tightendis oneofthedeepestpositionsonthe Aggie rosteraftersigningthreeinthe2022 class. Senior Max Write and sophomore BlakeSmith returnasthe top twooptions with experienceinthe system. Freshmen JakeJohnson,brotherofquarterbackMax Johnson, DonovanGreenandTheo Melin Ohrstromof Swedenallwillbe battling for playingtime.

“Our roomis very talented,” Dickey said. “We’re very inexperiencedthough, andthat’s kindof whatour teamisabout. We’ve gotlotsof talent,oneofthe more talkedabout teamsI’ve beenaround, but we dolackalotof experience,andIthink that’s going to bea partofalotof your biggerprograms.”

Both ColeyandDickey areinvolvedin scriptingthe offense for each game with Fisher, andthehead coach saidhisassistants’new roleswillhelpwiththis process.

“[Our rolesare] just input withthe head coach,thefinal touchesandpreparationduringthe week,organization...

makingsurethat Coach Fisher’s thoughts getdownand get repped vs. theright looksandmaking sure whateverneeds to bemessaged to the restoftheguys that we’rethe voices forthatgroup,” Coley said.

The Aggiesalsoadded former ColoradoStatehead coachSteve Addazioas offensive line coach.A&M returnsaportion ofitsstartinglinefromlast yearbut mustfilltheshoesofAll-American KenyonGreen, wholeft fortheNFLafter last season.

“We can rankashighas we want to go,” offensivelinemanLayden Robinson said atSEC Media Days. “I feellikethisoffensive linehasalot to prove. We’re very excited.A lotofpeoplemight countus outbecause we’rea younggroup, butI say no to that. We’ve gotalotofguys thatare hungry, especially forthefreshmanthat just camein.”

Whilemanyoftheplayers A&Mis countingonin2022maynotbe very experiencedheadingintothe season, Fisher isleaningonthe experienceofhis coaching staffinnew roles to bringthemalong.

“They’ve alldoneitbefore,” Fisher said.“Everyoneofthemhas coached those positionsbeforeinthe dynamic ofhow we want to dothings andhow we want to go.”

Defense shouldn’t miss beat with Durkin in charge

ROBERT CESSNA robert.cessna@theeagle.com

First-year TexasA&Mdefensive coordinator D.J. Durkinhasbigshoes to fill,but luckilyhehasplentyofhelp.

Former coordinator Mike Elkodidn’thelp the Aggies reachthe College FootballPlayoff,butinhis four seasons,helaidthe foundation forachampionshipdefense.That landedElkoahead coaching jobatDuke.It couldhave beenabiggerblow to the program,muchbigger. Oftena first-timehead coach takesoneor two fellowassistantswithhim,butnone oftheA&Massistants followedElko,allowingDurkin to take overadefensemore orlessintact.

“Thattransitionhasbeen awesome,” Durkin said.“There’salways somethought ortrepidationaboutthat comingintoit,but theseguys have been great.They reallyhave atalllevels.”

Inaddition to keepingthe fourassistants who workedunderElko,Durkinwillbeable to utilizetheplayersrecruited to fitElko’s

4-2-5defensethat featured fourdownlinemen, two linebackersand five defensive backs.

“Coachingisaboutbeingable to fit your

schemearound yourplayers,” Durkin said. “So we’remultiple.If youlookat where we’vebeen, we’vebeenalittledifferentat everystopjust basedon whotheplayers are.

Ithink you’ve got to play toyourplayers’ strength.”

ManyoutsidetheprogramworriedDurkin might want to employa 3-4defense, which was the case at someofhis otherstops.

“We’regoing to do what fits usbest,” Durkin said.

The44-year-oldDurkinis comingoff an impressive two-yearstintatOle Miss.

Theoffensive-minded Rebels went10-3 last season mainly because of quarterback Matt Coral,butthedefenseallowed420.6 yardsper game,which wasa98.4-yardimprovementfromtheprevious season.The Rebelsallowedonly 24.7pointsper game, a two-touchdownimprovement. Coaching musthave beenahuge part,becauseOle Miss last yearplacedonlyonedefensive playerontheleague’s coaches’firstand secondAll-Southeastern Conference teams.

A&M saw firsthand whatDurkin’sdefense coulddoinlast year’s 29-19loss to Ole Miss A&Mmanagedjust91 yardson 27 plays inthe firsthalfasanaggressive Ole Miss defensehelpedthe Rebels take a 15-0 lead.A&M battled back to pullwithin 15-13,

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Pleasesee DEFENSE, Page30

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Frompage 28

butthe Rebels sealedtheirvictory witha pairofinterceptions. Ole Miss had to coveronly12 yards for a touchdownafterthe firstinterception,andthreeplays later, AJ Finleyhada52-yardinterception return fora touchdown.

“[Durkinhas]always beena four-downguy, buthe went to a three-down packageatOle Miss becauseofthepersonnelthey have,whichshows youhow good a coachheis,whathedoes, being ableadapt to hispersonnel,” A&M head coachJimbo Fisher said.

Durkinhashad evenmoresuccess with better talent. Azs Florida’sDCin2013and’14under Will Muschamp, theGators rankedin the top20inboth totaldefense and scoringdefense. At Michiganin2015 while working forJim Harbaugh,the Wolverines ranked inthe top10inboth categories.

“D.J. Durkinbringsalot to the table,” Fisher said.“Everywhere he’sbeen,he’sdoneatremendous jobwiththedefenses.”

Durkin whileatFloridamatched witswith FisherandFloridaState.

“Theyhad somegreat [defenses],” Fisher said.“Theyhad greatplayers, buttheyhadagreat defense.Their scheme was very hard to go against.It was very sound, multiple, did different things. Astheirplayers’ talents changed,theychanged what we did. He was very difficult to go againstatdifferenttimes.”

Durkin takes overadefensethat allowedonly 15.9 pointsper game to rank thirdinthenationand327.5 yardstorank14thlastseason.A&M hastoreplacesixstarterswhocombined for 157 careerstarts. Allbut oneoftheplayerslost were in the frontsix,includinglineman DemarvinLeal, athird-roundpickof the PittsburghSteelers.

Lealandtheotherswillbe replacedfroma talentpoolcreated byfourstraight top10 recruiting classes.Sophomoredefensive linemanShemar TurnerandjuniorsIsaiahRaikesand McKinnley Jackson combined for 36 tackles last year, including2.5 sacks.

“Those guys dida really good job withthese youngguys, andthey

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lead by example,andtheother guys just follow,” A&Massistant head coach/defensive line coach Elijah Robinson said.“Thegreat thingistheyhadachance to be behindthose guys wholeft.”

A&Mhas severalfreshmendefensive linemen expected to contributeimmediately, including tackles Walter NolenandGabe Brownlow-DindyandendsLebbeus OvertonandShemarStewart, all five-star recruits.

“When you go to thislevel, you havetoteachthemtheordinary things,”Robinson said.“You can’t jumpahead. You can’tletthese guysget too farahead.Coachthem thedetails, teachthemhow to be aproandthat’s just by doingthe smallthings. Ithinkthat’s where itstartsat.”

A&Mlostitsmost experienced linebackerinsixth-yearplayer AaronHansford.The Aggiesare countingheavilyon sophomore Edgerrin Cooperbeinganimpact player. He madeonlyonestart last yearbutplayedoften, finishingwith58 tackles to tieLeal for fourthmostonthe team.

“Positionspeedhasalways been

important,butIthink Coop certainlyhasthat,”Durkin said.“He’s on course We haveto refinehis techniqueandfundamentals.”

Themost experiencedgroupon thedefenseisthesecondary,which istheposition Durkin workswith alongwithassistant T.J. Rushing. Safety DemaniRichardson leads the teamwith31 careerstarts, and cornerbacks Myles Jones and Jaylon Jonesarenextwith 29 and 22 starts, respectively. JuniornickelbackAntonio Johnson,apreseason AssociatedPressAll-American, hasstartedthelast13games.SophomorecornerbackTyreekChappell madeeightstartslast seasonashe helped fillin forinjured players.

“Theguys onthe backend are really talented,” Durkin said. “Theyembraceplayingaggressive. Ithinkplayingdefenseis youhave to beaggressive.”

Durkin,who workedasagraduateassistantunder Urban Meyer at BowlingGreenin2001-02, wasaquickriserintheprofession. He wasnamedthe2012 Rivals.com recruiterofthe year Asa38-year-old,he washired asMaryland’shead coach forthe

2016 season. He tookthe Terrapins to theQuickLane Bowl in his first season,butinthespring afterhis second season, 19-yearoldMarylandplayer Jordan McNairdiedaftershowingsignsof heatstrokeand exhaustion.Durkin wasplacedonadministrative leave afterthe school wasplacedunder investigationamid toxicculture allegations The school’sboardof regents recommendedthatDurkin stay, butbecauseofthe backlash, Durkin was firedonHalloween 2018, adayafterbeing reinstated.

Durkin workedasa consultant forthe Atlanta Falconsin2019 before gettinghired by Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffinin January2020.

Durkinwon’tfacemuchscrutiny at A&M. His predecessor Elko met withthelocalmediaonlybeforethe startofeachseason,thoughheoften wasmade availableduringthe seasontomembersofthatweek’stelevisionbroadcast team.That could becomeamustifthesixth-ranked Aggieslive up to expectations.

“Everythinglinesuphere to be able to do something reallyspecial,”Durkin said.“We’ve acquired great talent,greatplayers.”