Part of a continuing series examining the Power 5 and top Group of 5 teams for the 2018 college football season. Other entries by conference: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC | G5/Independents
Jimbo Fisher has ’em talking championships in College Station.
His Texas A&M players say he’s been urging them all offseason to think like champions. When the new head coach has a national title ring to back up that talk, you’re going to listen.
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“They’re instilling a championship mentality from the weight room to practice to meals to academics,” offensive lineman Erik McCoy told The Athletic. “It’s just really exciting times. There’s a championship culture being built, and it’s for sure changing the mentality of the team.”
When you have a chance to hire one of the four active FBS head coaches to win a national title, you do whatever it takes to get him. And Texas A&M did just that, giving Fisher a 10-year, $75 million contract and absolutely everything he needs to win championships. We haven’t seen a head coach leave the school where he won it all to take another FBS job in 40 years. Something rare is going on here.
“There’s a lot of buzz around here,” defensive tackle Kingsley Keke told The Athletic. “Everyone is itching to see how we play and see what’s gonna go down in the Jimbo era.”
Fisher put together an impressive coaching and support staff this offseason. He’s quickly getting the Aggies’ recruiting rolling at an elite level. Now it’s time to find out how quickly he can get the on-the-field product to an elite level. That transformation is not going to happen overnight, but Fisher does inherit a good roster. This team, coming off a 7-6 campaign, is eager to take a significant first step forward in its pursuit of Texas A&M’s first conference title since 1998 and first national title since 1939.
“Still got a lot of work to do, but we’ve laid the groundwork and the foundation for a lot of the things,” Fisher told reporters this summer. “At least our guys know which way we want to go and how we want to do it. So now it’s a matter of getting it done.”
Biggest on-field question
If Fisher were still at Florida State, he’d be busy trying to sort out a quarterback competition between Deondre Francois and James Blackman. The quarterback situation at Texas A&M could be just as compelling. He has two capable candidates and a tough decision ahead.
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The data from 2017 is indisputable. Nick Starkel was by far a more effective quarterback than Kellen Mond — passing efficiency, completion percentage, yards per attempt, you name it. When Starkel led their offense last season, the Aggies averaged 2.65 points per drive on 78 drives. When Mond was behind center, the Aggies scored 1.72 points per drive on 102 drives. When passing or rushing on third down, Starkel converted 22 of 55 times (40 percent) and Mond converted 23 of 93 times (24.7 percent). These situational stats are hard to ignore.
Another metric to consider: Starkel was playing from behind on 66 percent of his pass attempts last season. He put up the following stats while trailing: 1,128 passing yards on 62 percent passing, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Mond played with a deficit on nearly 50 percent of his attempts and produced 747 passing yards on 50 percent passing, two TDs and four INTs. In those pressure situations, Starkel played with more confidence.
But there’s a strong case to be made for Mond. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry when you exclude sacks, a factor Starkel cannot match. And Mond has to get a little lenience for the statistical gap, considering he was thrown into the job in the third quarter of his first game as a true freshman, when Starkel got hurt against UCLA. Fisher has fairly pointed out that you never quite know how the development of young guys will play out. What kind of leap does Mond make with his accuracy, his ability to read defenses and his poise as the game slows down for him?
“They’re both extremely talented guys,” McCoy said. “Ultimately, that is the head man’s decision.”
What makes the job so intriguing is that great unknown: Fisher’s perspective. He might not be concerned about anything these quarterbacks did in 2017. Where are they at today? Who has more potential in his eyes? And which one will respond best to what he’s asking? The Aggies are operating more of an NFL offense now that asks the quarterback to be heavily involved in pre-snap checks and possess more knowledge and discipline in terms of the decision-making behind every play.
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Starkel said Fisher and his staff gave them 70 new plays in the first week of spring practice and a clear directive: Let’s run these perfectly. The Aggies spent the next few weeks learning those core plays, cleaning up their execution and adding more.
“It was mainly just a lot of install the first weeks, and that was really hard for us with missed assignments and stuff like that,” Starkel said after A&M’s spring game. “Once we started to get it down, we could play full speed.”
The QB1 spot, like every other position this offseason, is completely up for grabs under Fisher. That’s one of the exciting things about regime change. A new staff comes in and arrives at its own interpretations of what it has and how to deploy that talent. In this case, the coaches are trying to convert a fast Air Raid outfit into a physical pro-style offense. This demands more tight ends and fullbacks, sure, but it also requires a sharp quarterback who can handle all the complexities of the new system.
“There’s no way that we can name a starter right yet,” Fisher said after the spring game. “It’s too early. Both of them haven’t had enough work. We’re just really getting into the offense as far as the fine-tuning and the nuances of it that really makes it go.”
Depth chart analysis
Quarterbacks: If you’re Fisher, what do you value most here? The strong arm and proven production of redshirt sophomore Nick Starkel or the versatility and upside of true sophomore Kellen Mond? Either way, Fisher has to like the fact he gets three more years to train and develop these passers in his offensive system. Redshirt freshman Connor Blumrick looks like he has potential, too, and four-star freshman James Foster was a nice signing day addition.
Running backs: Trayveon Williams has put up 2,138 total yards and 16 touchdowns over two seasons on offense. Although his rushing production dipped from 1,057 yards (6.8 per carry) as a freshman to 798 yards (4.6 per carry) as a sophomore, he’ll be one of the SEC’s best backs. Gaining 15 pounds has him prepared for this more physical offense. Backups Jacob Kibodi, Kendall Bussey and Kwame Etwi return, but expect four incoming freshmen to push those veterans for snaps. Converted linebacker Cullen Gillaspia, the Aggies’ 12th Man and fan favorite, is taking over the fullback role. They’ve also brought in two transfers in running back Cordarrian Richardson from UCF and fullback Ben Miles from Nebraska who’ll help in 2019.
Wide receivers/tight ends: Jhamon Ausbon (50 catches for 571 yards) is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore who should be one of the best young wideouts in the SEC with his size, speed and playmaking ability. With star Christian Kirk and Damion Ratley gone, the only other returning A&M wideouts who had more than 10 catches last season are sophomores Roshauud Paul and Camron Buckley. It’s a young group that needs new go-to guys to emerge. Kendrick Rogers has exciting potential. He’s a big (6-3, 210 pounds) and physical sophomore who can go up and get the ball. Hezekiah Jones and Klyde Chriss will keep pushing for snaps, and watch out for freaky freshman Jalen Preston.
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Getting tight ends on the roster was an urgent need for Fisher’s offense. Junior college transfer Jace Sternberger and Arizona graduate transfer Trevor Wood look like a great 1-2 punch to solve that problem. Sternberger was the team’s spring MVP and caught eight passes for 147 yards and two scores in the spring game. He’s constantly getting open. Fisher thinks Wood is a future pro, too. Freshman Glenn Beal can provide more depth there.
Offensive line: Over 13 games last season, the Aggies tried eight lineup combinations for this group. They need to find consistency here. They have two steady veterans in Erik McCoy (26 career starts) and Keaton Sutherland (23) at guard. McCoy started 11 games at center last season and likes what he’s seen from junior Colton Prater in that role. Sophomore Carson Green started four of the final five games at right tackle, and they’re hoping sophomore Dan Moore can take over the left tackle job after Koda Martin left for Syracuse as a grad transfer. There’s plenty of time for guys like Connor Lanfear, Jared Hocker and Ryan McCollum to prove they belong in the lineup, along with younger linemen like Kellen Diesch, Colten Blanton, Grayson Reed and Luke Matthews. “I feel like we have a solid starting five up front,” McCoy said. “Pretty much everybody that’s in that first five has experience.”
Defensive line: The interior defensive line figures to be a real strength. Kingsley Keke had a terrific junior year as a run stuffer and disruptor. Keke thinks fellow defensive tackle Justin Madubuike is poised to have a breakout sophomore year and says former five-star recruit Daylon Mack is in better shape than ever as a senior. It’s time for Mack to step up. Sophomore Jayden Peevy is another big body with big potential, redshirt freshman Josh Rogers is in the mix and junior college transfer Mohamed Diallo makes the Aggies even deeper. “Everyone is gonna be in a position where they have experience and are ready to play their butts off,” Keke said.
The defensive end spot is a little more questionable, even with SEC sack leader Landis Durham (10.5 sacks) back for his senior season. Fisher liked how hard Micheal Clemons played this spring and needs him to step up as a dependable pass rusher. Redshirt freshman Ondario Robinson put in a nice spring, and Tyree Johnson will compete with him for snaps. Freshmen Max Wright and Bobby Brown have made great first impressions in summer workouts, and Jeremiah Martin should factor in, too.
Linebackers: The Aggies have two veteran leaders here in Tyrel Dodson and Otaro Alaka. The duo combined for 183 tackles (23 tackles for loss) and 11 sacks last season. Behind them, Anthony Hines flashed at times as a true freshman and is ready for a bigger role. New defensive coordinator Mike Elko’s system will put Buddy Johnson and Ikenna Okeke in the Rover hybrid linebacker/safety role.
Defensive backs: The Aggies were young here last season, with true freshmen logging a combined 24 starts in the secondary, and that proved costly. A&M gave up 34 plays of 30-plus yards last season, second most in the SEC. There’s a lot of competition for the cornerback jobs among Debione Renfro, Charles Oliver, Myles Jones and Travon Fuller. Getting Clifford Chattman back at corner after academic issues forced him to sit out 2017 is big, too. “I think he’ll turn some people’s heads when he’s on the field,” Keke said.
Despite the loss of Armani Watts, the Aggie are in great shape at safety with senior Donovan Wilson returning from injury (he missed 12 games last season) and sophomore Derrick Tucker. They have quality reserves in Larry Pryor, DeShawn Capers-Smith and Keldrick Carper, and freshmen Leon O’Neal and Jordan Moore will compete for snaps.
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Special teams: At kicker, Daniel LaCamera returns after hitting 18 of 21 field-goal attempts. Braden Mann will take over the punting and kickoff duties. Christian Kirk was a remarkable game-changer on special teams with seven career return TDs. The Aggies have many candidates to replace him, but matching his impact is a lot to ask.
How the Aggies have recruited from 2015-2018
According to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, here is how Texas A&M’s recruiting classes have fared nationally and within the SEC over the last four years:
Click here to enlarge
The move to the SEC and nearly $500 million in facility upgrades gave former coach Kevin Sumlin the advantages he needed to take Texas A&M recruiting to another level. He leveraged all that and Johnny Manziel’s Heisman Trophy year into a run of recruiting classes that ranked No. 9, No. 5 and No. 11 nationally from 2013 to 2015, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The Aggies hit on a dozen kids in that 2014 class, including Myles Garrett, Armani Watts and Josh Reynolds, and the subsequent class yielded Christian Kirk and several key leaders.
But when recruiting against the best of the best, results are going to get judged harshly. Their subsequent classes ranking 11th, 18th and 13th while they were winning eight games each year felt like somewhat squandered momentum. Sumlin coached 16 players who earned All-SEC honors at A&M. He inherited 10 of those players from Mike Sherman’s staff. Sumlin did a great job in recruiting but, relative to SEC rivals, perhaps not great enough.
Fisher’s recruiting operation has been impressive. The new staff closed out the 2018 transition class in strong fashion by adding seven new four-star pledges. They’re killing it in 2019 with the nation’s No. 2-rated class and have 21 verbal pledges on board. The new head man brought in Austin Thomas and Leah Knight — who were at LSU and Alabama, respectively, last year — to run recruiting. Texas A&M has hosted 500-plus recruits from all over the country on campus since Fisher’s arrival. The top in-state recruits he’s targeting say his track record makes for an easy pitch. He’s selling them on playing for SEC and national titles. They’re listening.
“We’ve been successful wherever we’ve been,” Fisher said, “so come be a part of it and do it right here in your home state.”
Impact of coaching changes
Texas A&M seemingly gave Fisher a blank check to put together the best possible coaching staff to conquer the SEC, and he took full advantage.
His big coup was hiring defensive coordinator Mike Elko away from Notre Dame and making him one of college football’s highest-paid assistants. Elko reportedly will make $1.8 million this year. After missing on LSU’s Dave Aranda, Fisher went back to Elko and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. He’s impressed his players with his 4-2-5 defense and the level of detail he brings to teaching.
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“Coach Elko, him and Coach Fisher are the smartest people in the room,” Keke said with a laugh. “Coach Elko has a lot of knowledge of the game of football. The way he talks about how we can do things in his defense if we buy in and continue to keep learning, it’s going to take us far. He has a defensive scheme we all like a lot, and we’re just ready to play for him.”
As for his offensive leadership, Fisher remains play caller and brought in a veteran coach in Darrell Dickey from Memphis as his offensive coordinator and his eyes up in the box. The former North Texas head coach began his career in College Station as a graduate assistant in 1985.
Fisher brought with him three assistants from Florida State — Dameyune Craig, Jay Graham and Tim Brewster — and wisely retained two assistants in offensive line coach Jim Turner and defensive ends coach Terry Price, who’ve done a great job at A&M. With his remaining vacancies, he hired linebackers coach Bradley Dale Peveto from LSU, defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist from Minnesota and defensive tackles coach Elijah Robinson from Baylor. These guys are going to recruit like crazy.
To overhaul A&M’s strength program, Fisher hired Jerry Schmidt from Oklahoma. He served as the Sooners’ strength coach for the entire Bob Stoops era. He’s trained 64 All-Americans during his career and six teams that have played for national titles. Keke says their offseason program has been intense and “kicking their butts,” and players are embracing that.
“The new strength staff is putting it on us right now,” McCoy said. “Love ’em, 100 percent. They have a standard, and they’re not gonna adjust it for anybody or anything. That’s what we need.”
Schedule analysis
A discussion of that schedule must start here: Texas A&M is potentially facing the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country in September. It’s pretty great that we get to see two more years of Jimbo Fisher vs. Dabo Swinney even though they’re no longer ACC foes. The showdown with reigning national champ Alabama begins a six-game stretch in which they’ll play five SEC games away from home, including the neutral date with Arkansas in Arlington, Texas. So there are challenges aplenty to get the Fisher era rolling. The regular-season finale against LSU will be another fascinating battle, given Fisher’s past ties there and the fact the Aggies are 0-6 against them since joining the SEC.
Final analysis
Fisher has a lot of teaching and a lot of culture building to do. He’s going to get these players to buy in and play hard, and the new staff inherited enough talent to be competitive right away. The sports books are pegging the Aggies for seven wins. If they can pull off a big upset or two, win eight or nine games and sign a top-five recruiting class, you’d have to call that a successful first year that nicely sets up A&M to contend for big things in the seasons ahead.