Jimbo Fisher has laid down the gauntlet in College Station. Texas A&M signed the best recruiting class in college football back in February, landing eight five-star recruits and 20 four-star recruits. Expectations are high for the Aggies coming into the 2022 season after Texas A&M beat Alabama last year, but it might take a season or two for the Aggies to put it all together. The Aggies are very young on both sides of the ball and return just 10 starters from 2021.
Regular Season Wins for Texas A&M Aggies
Over 9 +122
Under 9 -142
Fisher has yet to show substantial improvement on the field from what we saw the Aggies do under former coach Kevin Sumlin. Texas A&M has lost four or more games in three of Fisher’s four seasons in College Station, and another four-loss season would be a huge disappointment for the program. That would likely hurt Texas A&M’s recruiting next offseason even if the Aggies are offering some of the most lucrative NIL deals.
Roster
Texas A&M has one of the most competitive quarterback battles in the country. Haynes King was the starter going into the 2021 campaign, but he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2. King has the benefit of already knowing Fisher’s offense, yet he might not be able to beat out LSU transfer Max Johnson for the starting job. Johnson was sharp for the Tigers last year, completing 60.3% of his passes for 2,815 yards with 27 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he led LSU to a win over Texas A&M in the season finale last year.
Devon Achane is set to be the starting running back after Isaiah Spiller left early for the NFL. Achane was an explosive playmaker for the Aggies last season, running for 910 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 7.0 YPC. He was the third-leading receiver too, as Texas A&M didn’t throw the ball down field a lot.
The leading returning receiver is Ainias Smith. He is one of the most explosive players in the country, and he has been reinstated to the team after facing two felony charges in July. The Brazos County DA declined to press charges, so Smith will be ready for the start of the season. Jalen Preston is the only other player on the roster that had more than 155 receiving yards in 2021.
The offensive line figures to be a solid unit. Three starters return from last year including Second Team All-SEC guard Layden Robinson. There is a lot of beef as all of the projected starters are 315 pounds or more, and that could mean this is a strong ground game.
On the other side of the ball, the Aggies have a lot of concerns on defense. Former defensive coordinator Mike Elko left to be the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, and there is not a lot of experience in the front seven. Only one starter (linebacker Andre White) returns from the first two levels of the defense, and underclassmen are expected to start at every other position in the front seven.
That will put pressure on this secondary, as the Aggies may have to roll safeties down into the box more often than they have done in the past. Myles Jones is back after missing last year with an injury, and that will be a big boost for this unit.
Schedule
Texas A&M has a difficult non-conference schedule. The Aggies have to face Appalachian State and Miami (FL), and both opponents have the potential to knock off this team early in the season. Their first three games in conference play will be tough too as they face Arkansas in Dallas, and they go on the road to take on Mississippi State and Alabama. The second half of their schedule is much more manageable, but a 3-3 start could lead to this team checking out over the last six games.
Prediction
It is tempting to go with the ‘Under’ here, but there is a ton of young talent. Jimbo Fisher is one of the best coaches in college football, and he is a quarterback whisperer that has two potentially great signal callers. The Aggies won’t run the table or contend for the SEC title, but this is a team that can definitely win 10 games.
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