The story out of College Station heading into this 2022 season is not what they have coming back, though they have some very good football players returning, it’s what they have coming in. It’s a 2022 signing class that was ranked No.1 in the country by 247 Sports and Rivals. 247 Sports rated 8 of this year’s freshmen class 5 stars. They are, 1. 6’4’, 325 offensive lineman Walter Nolan of Powell, Tennessee, a .9997 5 star. 2. Shemar Stewart, a 6’6”, 272 defensive end from Opa Lacka, FL, a .9945 5 star. 3. Stellar .9940 5 star wide receiver Evan Stewart, a 6’0”, 175 from Frisco, TX. 4. Lebbeus Overton, a 6’4 1/2”, 265 pound defensive end. Overton is a .9932 5 star from Alpharetta, GA. 5. Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, a .9913 5 star defensive tackle/end from Lakeland, FL. Brownlow-Diddy is 6’3”, 280. 6. Conner Weigman, a 6’2”, 208, .9899 5 star quarterback from Cypress, Texas. 7. Denver Harris, a 6’1”, 180 pound .9899 5 star cornerback from Houston. 8. And Chris Marshall, a 6’3”, .9885 5 star wide receiver from Missouri City, TX.

It was a 30 man class and 29 of them enrolled early and practiced and played in the spring. Junior Max Johnson, who was a .9090 4 star quarterback in 2020 at LSU transferred to A&M for this season and is battling for the starting quarterback job with a 94, 4 star from the 2020 class, like Johnson, redshirt sophomore Haynes King.. Weigman is in the mix as well. In 2021, his sophomore season at LSU, Johnson completed 60% of his passes for 2,815 yards with 27 TDs against 5 ints. King only played in 2 games, and in those first two games of the 2021 season, he completed 22-of-35 passes for 300 yards with 2 TDs against 3 ints. He was injured in game 2 @ Colorado sustaining a fractured leg, which knocked him out for the rest of the season.

Chris Low of ESPN, a stellar inside writer on SEC Football, reported last week that King will be the starer in game one versus the Sam Houston Bearkats on Saturday, Sept. 3rd at 11 AM CT on the SEC Network. So it’s not guaranteed, but all signs are leaning towards King. If he doesn’t deliver, Johnson will get the call and Weigman will be competing for his shot. Johnson is 6’5”, 220, King is 6’3”, 205, and the third fastest guy on the team. And considering the fastest guy on the team, running back Devon Achane, is a world class sprinter on the track team, King can really motor.

At running back, Achane rushed for 943 yards and 9 TDs last season. He’s a house call waiting to happen, and very physical as well despite only being 5’9”, 185 pounds. He can rush it 20 to 25 times per game according to Fisher. He’s backed up by Amari Daniels, a 5’8”, 200 pound sophomore, who rushed for only 121 yards and a TD last season. With Achane and departed Isiah Spiller, who was drafted in the 2022 draft in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Chargers and who rushed for 1,011 yards and 6 TDs last season, Daniels didn’t get a lot of carries. But in the spring game he rushed for 128 yards on 16 carries. LJ Johnson, a 5’9”, 215 redshirt freshman, junior Earnest Crownover, 6’3”, 230, and 96 4 star freshman Le’Veon Moss, 6’0”, 190, will back up Achane and Daniels. So nice twosome to carry the load with quality depth.

But the issue with A&M under Jimbo Fisher has been passing the ball. He hasn’t gotten a ton out of the passing game in his four years at College Station. King was 11-of-33 for 130 yards with 2 interceptions and a 20 yard rushing TD in the spring game. He has looked good in fall camp according to ESPN’s Low. Johnson was 13-of-31 for 127 yards, 2 TDs and 1 int in the spring game. He also rushed for 91 yards on 8 carries though the quarterbacks were off limits during the spring game so that’s not an accurate statistic. In LSU’s 27-24 home victory over A&M in late November of 2021, Johnson completed 22 of 38 passes for 306 yards with 3 TDs and 0 interceptions. Fisher decided if you can’t beat’ em, have’em join you. So, it’s a competition that will be ongoing throughout the season. Don’t have Weigman’s stats from his senior season in high school in 2021, but due to his 5 star rating, I’m sure they were stellar.

At wide receiver, Ainias Smith, who caught 47 passes for 509 yards and 6 TDs, is suspended after being arrested for a DWI, unlawful carrying of a weapon and possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana, which happened the week of SEC Media Days. So his status is uncertain heading to the season. If he’s out for an extended period of time, his production will be missed. Jalen Preston, a 6’2”, 220 pound senior, caught 17 passes for 255 yards and 2 TDs in 2021 and looked excellent in the spring game. They are high on 5 star freshman Evan Stewart. Junior Chase Lane, a 6’0”195, caught 12 passes for 132 yards and 0 TDs last season. The Aggies have some talented depth there, but not a lot of experience. They’re loaded at tight end with senior Max Wright, 6’4”, 255, leading the way. Wright didn’t get a ton of chanceslast season because Jalen Wydermyer, a 3 time All-SEC tight end, who is now on the New England Patriots, got the bulk of the load catching 40 passes for 515 yards and 4 TDs. Sophomore Blake Smith is 6’4”, 255. They have 3 freshmen they like, led by Jake Johnson, 6’5”, 235.

The Bell Cow of the offensive line is junior right guard Layden Robinson, who is 6’4”, 330. Left tackle is Trey Zuhn, a 6’6”, 320 redshirt freshman. Left guard is 6’5”, 320 pound sophomore Jordan Spasojevic-Moko. Center is 6’5”, 325 sophomore Bryce Foster. And right tackle is 6’8”, 325 sophomore Reuben Fatheree. There is great size and good depth, but the Aggies lost 4 starters off the O line last season, so the level of play of the OL is to be determined. That’ll be another key factor to the Aggies’ success in 2022.

On the defensive line, there are several talented players led by sophomore Shemar Turner, who is 6’4”, 300, and plays defensive tackle. Senior middle linebacker Andre White, 6’3”, 235, is the leader of the linebacking corps. White posted 57 tackles last season. The secondary is talented and deep led by senior safety Demani Richardson, who posted 65 tackles last season with 6 1/2 TFLs for -43 yards and an int.

Punter is junior Nik Constantinou, who averaged 46.5 yards per punt in 2021. Kicker is Caden Davis, who only kicked once last season and missed it from 35 yards, as Seth Small, who has graduated, was the regular kicker. So, could be a possible issue at kicker for the Aggies. it’s always critical. Ainias Smith will return punts if he’s available. If not, Moose Muhammad III will. And Achane and freshman Evan Stewart will be the starting kickoff returners. Both are blazers.

Schedule

After Sam Houston (Saturday, 9/3, 11 AM CT, SEC Net), App State comes to College Station for a 2:30 PM CT kickoff on ESPN2. No gimme there. Then, on Saturday, 9/17, Miami comes to Kyle Field for an 8 PM CT kickoff on ESPN. Interesting with new Caines coach Mario Cristobal coming in. Cristobal had pretty good success at Oregon, and he’s a Miami alum, so he’ll have his charges amped up for this one. On Saturday, 9/24, a major matchup against Arkansas will take place at Jerryville, AT&T Stadium (How ‘bowl them Cowboys). Time and TV are to be determined as the rest of the schedule is. I would look for a 2:30 PM CT/ CBS game in Arlington. On Oct. 1, it’s @Mississippi State. On, Saturday, 10/8, it’s @ the Crimson Tide, the No.1 team in the country in the preseason AP Poll and extremely loaded. Interesting revenge factor game for the Tide to go along with the offseason shouting match between S and Fish. Will make for stellar football watching on that Saturday. No time or TV announced, but I’ll go ahead and say 2:30 PM CT on CBS. Off on Saturday, 10/15, then @ South Carolina, and that’s no bargain, on Saturday, 10/22. Shane Beamer has got a team and a fan base charged up that they can do some big things in Columbia and Williams-Brice Stadium is a major home field advantage. So, definite test in the Palmetto State. Ole Miss is at A&M on Saturday, 10/29. Lane and Fish will have quite a matchup at Kyle Field. Florida is at home, Saturday, 11/5. @Auburn, Saturday, 11/12. UMass @A&M, Saturday, 11/19. And LSU and new coach Brian Kelly gets the tall task of coming into Kyle Field Saturday, 11/26.

So it’s a bear of a schedule. Ainias Smith’s availability would really bolster the passing game and he’s a prolific runner as well on jet sweeps, etc… He’s the second fastest guy on the team. But it’s uncertain when he’ll return. If he’s available, that would certainly help the cause in the passing and running games respectively.

It could be another 8-4 season with the schedule. It’s tough. Maybe 9-3. And, if things go really well, 10-2. A&M is ranked 6th in the country by the AP poll, so they have some writers believing in them. They could be a playoff team if they can get stellar quarterback play from King or Johnson, even Weigman. King is talented, and so is Johnson, so that’ll be the key along with how quickly these prolific freshmen can perform on the big stage. It’s tough stepping in as a freshman and being an All-SEC player, but these players are high caliber, so that could happen. The offensive line will be critical with a lot of size but not a lot of starts except for right guard Layden Robinson Defense has plenty of talent, but the d line is fairly untested in experience. The Aggies don’t have to leave the state of Texas until Oct.1st when travel to Starkville, but Arkansas on Sept. 24th is pivotal. A victory there could propel the team. App State is no cakewalk and Miami won’t be either before the Hogs. The Aggies have quite a gauntlet in the Southeastern Conference and with a couple of their out of conference opponents. But there is a lot of optimism in College Station that if Fisher can keep up this prolific recruiting, eliteness is not too far away. He’s presently 48th in the country by 247 sports in 2023 with a 5 star and 5 4 stars in his 9 man class thus far, so they have some work to do, but there is time to catch up. The Crimson Tide is No.1 in the 247 rankings with 4, 5 stars, and 12, 4 stars in its class of 20 commits. Will be interesting to see how the Aggies develop this season. Could be a banner year, but it could be just a good year. It depends on quarterback play, returning talent u front on both sides of the ball and the highly touted freshmen class.