Jump to content

Tell Me About Texas a&m


MrPhlegm

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 78.4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Longboard Horn

    2155

  • Randolph Duke

    2141

  • Deej

    2050

  • Cairn Horn88

    1590

15 minutes ago, NoName said:

at this point, i fully expect the process to be

  • A&M announces they will bring back the bonfire back on campus in the dumbest way possible (likely right in front of the memorial) and the dumbest concept possible (propane fire over metal fake logs so it's "safe" but with a real burnt orange outhouse that actually burns)
  • national media gets a whiff of it, and starts asking questions
  • everything A&M thought they escaped 25 years ago gets brought back up, including their institutional negligence
  • current students start asking questions and making a ton of comments about it, a few tiktoks go viral
  • national media starts talking about it even more, asking more questions and reporting on the negligence. they do in home interviews with some of the families whose kids died due to institutional negligence
  • A&M announces they are cancelling their revival of the on campus bonfire "out of respect" for the families who had children die

You left out "Josh Pate says Texas a&m has motive, means, and opportunity to return to Greatness."

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, NoName said:

at this point, i fully expect the process to be

  • A&M announces they will bring back the bonfire back on campus in the dumbest way possible (likely right in front of the memorial) and the dumbest concept possible (propane fire over metal fake logs so it's "safe" but with a real burnt orange outhouse that actually burns)
  • national media gets a whiff of it, and starts asking questions
  • everything A&M thought they escaped 25 years ago gets brought back up, including their institutional negligence
  • current students start asking questions and making a ton of comments about it, a few tiktoks go viral
  • national media starts talking about it even more, asking more questions and reporting on the negligence. they do in home interviews with some of the families whose kids died due to institutional negligence
  • A&M announces they are cancelling their revival of the on campus bonfire "out of respect" for the families who had children die
  • aggy screams "FAKE NEWS!!" and throws a huge tantrum, tries to blame it on Austin.
  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Carter Karels continues to attempt subtle messages to his aggie readers that their roster is dogshit and they're going to need to do a lot of work in the portal. He's also hinting at soon to be exits as well. I'm not sure if any of it is getting through. 

Here's an article in which he talks about the offense and their portal needs. Spoilered so the folks that just come to this thread to crack the ever-hilarious sheepfucking jokes don't have too long of a scroll:

Spoiler

Earlier this offseason, Texas A&M hammered the NCAA Transfer Portal to fill several holes on its roster. Look for the Aggies to remain active during the spring window for the transfer portal, which begins Tuesday and ends April 30.

During the winter transfer portal window (Dec. 4, 2023-Jan. 2, 2024), A&M lost 18 scholarship players. 247Sports previously reported that two other scholarship players, safety Jacoby Mathews and Sam McCall, are expected to transfer out of the program during the spring portal window.

The Aggies have replaced those departures with 24 scholarship transfers so far: four cornerbacks, three safeties, three defensive ends, three offensive linemen, two linebackers, one defensive tackle, two wide receivers, two tight ends, one nickel cornerback, one running back, one punter and a kicker. Their 24-player transfer class ranks second nationally, per 247Sports.

Those subtractions and additions have brought them to a projected scholarship count of 90 players for the fall. Per NCAA rules, A&M will not need to satisfy the 85-scholarship limit until the first day of its fall semester.

Ahead of the upcoming transfer window, here is the start of a two-part series assessing which positions the Aggies should address through the portal. Every unit will be examined by their level of need, receiving a grade of very low, low, medium, high or very high.

Here is a look at the offense.

QUARTERBACK

Position inventory: Redshirt junior Jaylen Henderson, redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman, redshirt freshman Marcel Reed and true freshman Miles O'Neill.

How big of a need: Very low.

Analysis: With NIL and the portal, a solid backup quarterback can be tough to keep. Following last season, A&M managed to retain two backup quarterbacks – Henderson and Reed – who impressed in game settings. O'Neill will join the Aggies in June as well.

Now, if Henderson or Reed enters the portal this month, A&M will certainly need to improve its depth at quarterback. But if they stay, the Aggies would have to feel good about their quarterback group going into the 2024 season.

 

RUNNING BACK/FULLBACK

Position inventory: Sixth-year senior Jerry Johnson II, fifth-year senior EJ Smith, redshirt junior Amari Daniels, junior Le'Veon Moss and sophomore Rueben Owens II.

How big of a need: Medium.

Analysis: All four A&M running backs bring experience and have proven themselves to be at least serviceable. Whether any of them could flourish in a featured role this season, though, remains to be seen. None of them have reached 600 rushing yards in a season.

If the Aggies continue to use a committee approach, Smith, Daniels, Moss and Owens should form a nice group. But if a stellar 1,000-yard rusher suddenly became available, A&M would be foolish to pass on him.

 

WIDE RECEIVER

Position inventory: Fifth-year seniors Moose Muhammad III and Jabre Barber, senior Jahdae Walker, juniors Noah Thomas and Cyrus Allen, sophomore Micah Tease, and true freshmen Izaiah Williams, Ernest Campbell and Ashton Bethel-Roman.

How big of a need: High.

Analysis: Like their running back unit, the Aggies have a solid group of receivers but might lack a true No. 1 option. No A&M receiver has produced a 1,000-yard season in college. None of the four returning receivers for the Aggies have reached 700 receiving yards in a season.

Additionally, A&M is somewhat thin on numbers with its receiver group. Per source, Barber recently underwent surgery on a foot injury and could miss the beginning of the 2024 season (his injury timetable remains fluid). Without him, the Aggies would have only four receivers who have played a significant number of high-leverage reps in college.

 

TIGHT END

Position inventory: Sixth-year senior Garrett Miller, senior Tre Watson, redshirt sophomores Donovan Green and Theo Melin Öhrström, redshirt freshman Jaden Platt and true freshman Eric Karner.

How big of a need: Low.

Analysis: The Aggie tight end group, like their running back and receiver units, lacks a player with proven elite production. None of their tight ends have reached 400 receiving yards in a season, and only Watson has surpassed 250. However, lacking an elite tight end is not nearly as tough to overcome as not having a true No. 1 running back or receiver. 

And even if none of its tight ends produce at an elite level, A&M should still receive plenty of meaningful contributions from the unit. Before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in practice last August, Green showed a lot of promise. The two transfer additions for the Aggies, Miller and Watson, should be impactful as well. Miller is thought to be more of a blocking tight end, while Watson has impressed as a receiving threat.

 

INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE

Position inventory: Sixth-year senior Dorian Hinton, fifth-year seniors Aki Ogunbiyi and Ar'maj Reed-Adams, redshirt junior Bryce Foster, junior Kam Dewberry, redshirt sophomore Mark Nabou Jr., sophomore Chase Bisontis, redshirt freshman TJ Shanahan and true freshman Isendre Ahfua.

How big of a need: Medium.

Analysis: This unit is loaded with depth and experience. Of the nine players listed above, seven of them have started multiple games in college. The two exceptions, Shanahan and Ahfua, were both four-star recruits. 

Should a quality center enter the portal, though, A&M might be interested. Foster, the incumbent starter for the Aggies, left a lot to be desired with his play last season. He also has spent this spring with the track and field team, missing all 11 football practices so far. Perhaps Nabou will ultimately surpass Foster on the depth chart and show improvement. Either way, A&M could use an upgrade at center.

 

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

Position inventory: Fifth-year senior Derrick Graham, redshirt juniors Trey Zuhn III, Reuben Fatheree II and Dametrious Crownover, redshirt sophomore Hunter Erb, redshirt freshman Colton Thomasson, and true freshman Blake Ivy, Ashton Funk and Robert Bourdon.

How big of a need: Low.

Analysis: Do not be surprised if the Aggies add an offensive tackle transfer during the spring window. From what we have heard, they will be looking. However, an argument could be made that this group does not need a transfer addition. 

Zuhn is coming off the best season of his career and seems like a lock to start at left tackle. Fatheree, who started at right tackle for the Aggies in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, is finally healthy again. He missed most of last fall with a lower-body injury. 

A&M has adequate depth at offensive tackle, too. Crownover could push for the starting right tackle job and has the versatility to play left tackle. Bisontis started at right tackle last season and could slide to the position again if needed. Graham started 24 games at Troy and spent time at both offensive tackle positions.

So it appears that they're planning on losing a QB.

The staff isn't happy at OT and will be in the portal fishing for one of those ever present starting OTs who can start on day one. 

They think they're losing at least one TB. They also don't think they have RB1 on campus so, again, they'll be all over one of those awesome starting TBs that no one else is bidding for to step right in the lineup. 

They just lost a WR to foot surgery who had transferred in from Troy and was an immediate starter. He won't be back for the first part of the season, if any of it. They also lack a WR1 on campus and need one of those to magically drop in for them as well.

They don't think they need help at TE but the staff also doesn't see a TE1 on the roster. 

They don't have a functioning C and will be begging someone to join them at that spot, otherwise they're reliant on a completely disengaged Bryce Foster or someone worse. They're "loaded" with guys on the IOL, but Karels seems to be unaware that quantity is completely irrelevant if quality is non-existent.

  • Hook 'Em 4
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Regarding their current outlook for starting OL, it's really, really grim over there. Holy shit, from Tarp:

Spoiler

I've provided some thoughts on Texas A&M's offensive tackles but focused primarily on them as players. Now, here are some takes on the offensive line this spring as a whole (the following is solely a product of my thought process).

1. You're going to have at least five starting caliber guys for the five spots up front. Your questions are more about who's going to play as opposed to can so and so be an adequate player at a particular position.

2. A lineup of Trey Zuhn (left side) and Dametrious Crownover (right side) at tackle, Chase Bisontis and Armaj Reed-Adams at guard, and Mark Nabou at center makes a lot of sense for multiple reasons going into the spring game (this isn't necessarily a projection for the season opener…we've got a long way to go before then).

3. Zuhn is experienced and has a nice kick step to stay with people on the edge. He's got to deal with people getting their hands into his chest but he's gradually improved that aspect of his game as he's gotten bigger and more experienced. Crownover offers a lot of potential and is probably the best pure athlete up front. He has dominant reps when everything works for him and that's something that everyone seems to be attracted to. However, he has to reduce the problematic reps and individual games, particularly in terms of his usage rate.

4. Bisontis is a big guy with a quick first step. He looks good on initial contact and his legs keep churning to sustain his advantage. Playing between people and getting help in pass pro will enable him to avoid the "play in space with no help" scenarios he faced far too often in 2023 as a converted guard on the edge (and he was a true freshman to boot). Reed-Adams is a massive guy and he's got quite a few starts under his belt. The trick for him will be dealing with quicker players on the interior since (like Bisontis) you're not going to run over him in pass pro.

5. Nabou is solid on the inside as the pivot man. He doesn't seem to struggle with snaps, and he can be very physical. He is another guy that you're not going to run over. The trick for him will be getting off of the ball, keeping his feet moving, and getting his hand placement going.

6. Beyond what I think would be the first five, there's still generally a lot of people trying to reconcile themselves to a new campus or offensive scheme, gaining experience as youngsters, in track, or dealing with injuries (either from the spring or last season). 

7. I think that Reuben Fatheree is an exception to all of the above, I like him just fine, and I could be wrong, but we'll see.

----

To translate, they have Crownover and Bisontis starting and neither guy has any film that can be viewed positively. They have a guy at C that was trampled repeatedly last season. Reuben Fatheree is their offensive line's MacGuffin. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

The Aggies have replaced those departures with 24 scholarship transfers so far: four cornerbacks, three safeties, three defensive ends, three offensive linemen, two linebackers, one defensive tackle, two wide receivers, two tight ends, one nickel cornerback, one running back, one punter and a kicker. Their 24-player transfer class ranks second nationally, per 247Sports.

Imagine getting TWENTY-FOUR guys out of the portal and still having enough unfilled needs that this guy can write a column about it...

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Beau Vine said:
  • aggy screams "FAKE NEWS!!" and throws a huge tantrum, tries to blame it on Austin.

Watched this very good documentary on YouTube:

A few points. 
Didn't realize this happened at night. Drinking on the job, working round the clock and unqualified, unsupervised management. What could go wrong? 
Other collapses have happened but luckily, no one was on the structure at the time. 
Aggies are dumb.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

Regarding their current outlook for starting OL, it's really, really grim over there. Holy shit, from Tarp:

  Reveal hidden contents

I've provided some thoughts on Texas A&M's offensive tackles but focused primarily on them as players. Now, here are some takes on the offensive line this spring as a whole (the following is solely a product of my thought process).

1. You're going to have at least five starting caliber guys for the five spots up front. Your questions are more about who's going to play as opposed to can so and so be an adequate player at a particular position.

2. A lineup of Trey Zuhn (left side) and Dametrious Crownover (right side) at tackle, Chase Bisontis and Armaj Reed-Adams at guard, and Mark Nabou at center makes a lot of sense for multiple reasons going into the spring game (this isn't necessarily a projection for the season opener…we've got a long way to go before then).

3. Zuhn is experienced and has a nice kick step to stay with people on the edge. He's got to deal with people getting their hands into his chest but he's gradually improved that aspect of his game as he's gotten bigger and more experienced. Crownover offers a lot of potential and is probably the best pure athlete up front. He has dominant reps when everything works for him and that's something that everyone seems to be attracted to. However, he has to reduce the problematic reps and individual games, particularly in terms of his usage rate.

4. Bisontis is a big guy with a quick first step. He looks good on initial contact and his legs keep churning to sustain his advantage. Playing between people and getting help in pass pro will enable him to avoid the "play in space with no help" scenarios he faced far too often in 2023 as a converted guard on the edge (and he was a true freshman to boot). Reed-Adams is a massive guy and he's got quite a few starts under his belt. The trick for him will be dealing with quicker players on the interior since (like Bisontis) you're not going to run over him in pass pro.

5. Nabou is solid on the inside as the pivot man. He doesn't seem to struggle with snaps, and he can be very physical. He is another guy that you're not going to run over. The trick for him will be getting off of the ball, keeping his feet moving, and getting his hand placement going.

6. Beyond what I think would be the first five, there's still generally a lot of people trying to reconcile themselves to a new campus or offensive scheme, gaining experience as youngsters, in track, or dealing with injuries (either from the spring or last season). 

7. I think that Reuben Fatheree is an exception to all of the above, I like him just fine, and I could be wrong, but we'll see.

----

To translate, they have Crownover and Bisontis starting and neither guy has any film that can be viewed positively. They have a guy at C that was trampled repeatedly last season. Reuben Fatheree is their offensive line's MacGuffin. 

I am so incredibly curious about the type of team they will be able to roll out against us after having gone through SEC league play. They are paper thin in terms of depth, and if they sustain even one or two key injuries they are going to be DOA. This would be an amazing time for Sark to pull a 49-0 OU beatdown. They are at 90 scholarship players currently, which means they can't necessarily go crazy in the upcoming portal window. 

Edited by Vertigo
  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Drool 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

They don't think they need help at TE but the staff also doesn't see a TE1 on the roster. 

A TE1 on that offense would be like slapping a set of Pirellis on your '98 Yugo hatchback. Might look nice, but still won't make a damn bit of difference.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Herpa Derpa said:

A TE1 on that offense would be like slapping a set of Pirellis on your '98 Yugo hatchback. Might look nice, but still won't make a damn bit of difference.

98 Yugo hatchback is a little long, but it's still a damned good band name.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, markstanco said:

@closetojumping On your post above on them being #2 in the portal, doesnt somebody else other than 247 do a better job like ESPN or On3?  Seems like you get a BIG boost in rankings (see Colorado) for huge numbers coming in but no 'penalty' for going out. 

No clue. I don't really ever look at portal rankings anymore because they have been fucking garbage through at least this past December. ATM's had massive talent drain between what went out and what they replaced it with, so yeah, if they have a #2 ranking, it is an indictment of the whole thing. I hear commentators mention portal rankings as some sort of good thing and they're just falling for more dumb shit by not doing the work look even a little below the surface. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, markstanco said:

@closetojumping On your post above on them being #2 in the portal, doesnt somebody else other than 247 do a better job like ESPN or On3?  Seems like you get a BIG boost in rankings (see Colorado) for huge numbers coming in but no 'penalty' for going out. 

It is On3.  They take into account both additions and subtractions, whereas the #2 ranking is because they added so many guys.

 

https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2024/

 

A&M is #44 with an index score of 0, meaning they broke even.

Texas is #9 with a score of +30, because even though we lost 15, the 8 we brought it were much better.

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, markstanco said:

@closetojumping On your post above on them being #2 in the portal, doesnt somebody else other than 247 do a better job like ESPN or On3?  Seems like you get a BIG boost in rankings (see Colorado) for huge numbers coming in but no 'penalty' for going out. 

On3 has them at 44

https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2024/

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, TreatyOak said:

Watched this very good documentary on YouTube:

A few points. 
Didn't realize this happened at night. Drinking on the job, working round the clock and unqualified, unsupervised management. What could go wrong? 
Other collapses have happened but luckily, no one was on the structure at the time. 
Aggies are dumb.

 

"We are 1-0 vs tu when the stack collapses and kills multiple people. Whoop!"

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 1
  • Rage+1 1
  • Drool 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Steel Shank said:

Maybe the whole reason behind increasing enrollment so massively is that, like the Russians, they want to throw wave after wave of students at the bonfire, knowing there will be "attrition".

This is the funniest, most messed-up thing I've heard in quite some time. I can't stop laughing. 

We need to get this in front of Aggy. A banner at the upcoming game would be nice. 

Who's in? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Steel Shank said:

Maybe the whole reason behind increasing enrollment so massively is that, like the Russians, they want to throw wave after wave of students at the bonfire, knowing there will be "attrition".

image.png.bfc7d5889cc0caf702b1e6e49312b6db.png

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Steel Shank said:

Maybe the whole reason behind increasing enrollment so massively is that, like the Russians, they want to throw wave after wave of students at the bonfire, knowing there will be "attrition".

You've spelt "ignition" incorrectly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, NoName said:

at this point, i fully expect the process to be

  • A&M announces they will bring back the bonfire back on campus in the dumbest way possible (likely right in front of the memorial) and the dumbest concept possible (propane fire over metal fake logs so it's "safe" but with a real burnt orange outhouse that actually burns)
  • national media gets a whiff of it, and starts asking questions
  • everything A&M thought they escaped 25 years ago gets brought back up, including their institutional negligence
  • current students start asking questions and making a ton of comments about it, a few tiktoks go viral
  • national media starts talking about it even more, asking more questions and reporting on the negligence. they do in home interviews with some of the families whose kids died due to institutional negligence
  • A&M announces they are cancelling their revival of the on campus bonfire "out of respect" for the families who had children die

I certainly hope this is how it plays out.

I have no faith, however.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Tex Long said:

I thought it would be a bigger deal, at the time. Maybe it was bullshit, but it makes a certain amount of sense. 

That game was in many ways a typical Mack "just tryna be a Nice Guy" scenario of not getting the team fired up and ready to go... and putting up with the hotel shit - I think that was the year the hotel let phones ring in the players' rooms all night long, and then had no breakfast in the morning, wasn't it?

That game, and the one when he played a sick and injured Colt and ignored Snead, who stood next to him the whole game and saw one snap after Aggy egregiously fouled Colt right at the end. I recall watching that and saying "Snead's gone. Dunno where he;s going, but he's gone." Not that Snead had a stellar career at Ole Miss, but I'll guarantee you if he'd been QB2 in that 'Bama game, we'da won it.

Grrrrrrr... not the memories I needed on a Monday morning.

Fuck aggy. 

And fuck Mack, too.

and RIP Jevon Snead.

  • Hook 'Em 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This actual quote was published in the 2000 Texas Monthly magazine story following the collapse of the bonfire: 

It is not the Aggie spirit to accept defeat. We do not wish to have these fine Aggies who have given their lives to have died in vain. AGGIE BONFIRE MUST CONTINUE AND DAMN THE TORPEDOES. . . . there must be a continuation of Aggie Bonfires, even if it doesn’t seem wise.”

An Aggie Dad

Edited by TreatyOak
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are more observations from the Texas Monthly article followed by a very Aggie quote from one of the idiots who worked on the stack:

  • The ground sloped. The area on which Bonfire was built dropped one to two feet toward the southeast — the direction in which the stack fell.
  • The stack was overloaded on the uphill side. Several witness statements included this observation. Students standing on top of the tiers noted that the extra logs on the west side left less room for walking than was available on the opposite side.
  • The stack was top-heavy. The partially completed structure had already exceeded the university’s 55-foot height limit by 4 feet, with two more tiers and 16 feet left to go.
  • The stack was “loose.”
  • The center pole was flawed. A day before the collapse, a crane hit a crosstie — a piece of lumber that was nailed to the pole to help guide logs — and sent a jolt through the stack that was noticeable to students. 

“I believe this is a tragedy that no amount of foresight or no amount of prevention or no amount of anything could have stopped, prevented or even told us what was coming."

 

The article is really good and I assume has been published here previously, but here it is again.  

 

 

  • Rage+1 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Opportunity is knocking. There is a vast market, untapped for the most part, of aggy believers who will spend perfectly good money for the stupidest shit imaginable, as long as it is maroon, has brass buttons, shoulder straps, an SEC patch, the number 12, and/or an "A", an "M" and an ampersand. Or all of these. It is helpful if it is able to sound "whoop!".

I'm thinking one of the first entries needs to be a wall clock that never runs out of time.

Let's go, y'all - what else have we got?

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Tex Long said:

 Opportunity is knocking. There is a vast market, untapped for the most part, of aggy believers who will spend perfectly good money for the stupidest shit imaginable, as long as it is maroon, has brass buttons, shoulder straps, an SEC patch, the number 12, and/or an "A", an "M" and an ampersand. Or all of these. It is helpful if it is able to sound "whoop!".

I'm thinking one of the first entries needs to be a wall clock that never runs out of time.

Let's go, y'all - what else have we got?

I think the obvious one is to make Texags a publicly-traded company.  Many people say that it's worth billions of dollars, one of the greatest companies the world has ever seen.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my athletes is considering aggy.  I am doing my best to educate him and his dad on the disaster that decision would be.  First time in 17 years of coaching I've had someone heavily consider aggy.  He's T&F, 800/400 runner, so granted that skews his decision.

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, BlueGreySky said:

One of my athletes is considering aggy.  I am doing my best to educate him and his dad on the disaster that decision would be.  First time in 17 years of coaching I've had someone heavily consider aggy.  He's T&F, 800/400 runner, so granted that skews his decision.

T&F is at least a respectable sport for them, but yeah, you are doing the Lord's work. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...