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Texas A&M kicked off its spring practice on Feb. 29 and it couldn’t have come sooner. The Aggies ended their season with a 27-21 loss to Louisville in the Music City Bowl but that paled in comparison to losing former starting quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyle Murray in the weeks leading up to the bowl game.
But A&M managed to have a big offseason with the addition of new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, offensive line coach Jim Turner and graduate transfer quarterback Trevor Knight — a former starter at Oklahoma. He’s going to be playing SEC football now.
Here’s what to expect during Texas A&M’s spring practices.
Do or die for Kevin Sumlin
Losing two starting quarterbacks in a span of a week isn’t a great look for a coach. Neither is failing to win more games than the previous season.
Sumlin kicked off his tenure at A&M with an 11-win season, that included an upset of eventual national champion Alabama and produced a Heisman winner in Johnny Manziel. But since then the Aggies have either won fewer games or matched their win total from the previous season.
It’s hardly worth panicking over being that Sumlin’s teams have never won less than eight games, but it is missing the mark of the high expectations he set during his first season.
The departures of both quarterbacks just add to the growing displeasure from a portion of the Aggies’ fan base. But the offseason additions should help Sumlin succeed in his fifth season. To do so, however, he will need to address areas of concern early.
Find a starting QB A.S.A.P.
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(Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire)
Many expect Knight to win the QB battle this offseason, because why else would he burn his last year of eligibility only to ride the bench? He enjoyed success at Oklahoma before losing the starting gig to Baker Mayfield, who emerged as one of the best dual-threat options in the nation.
But Sumlin is giving both Knight and Jake Hubernak — who started in A&M’s bowl game after Allen and Murray left the team — reps with the first team offense.
Sumlin says the energy at practice was better than he expected. He likes the leadership he's seeing from both of the quarterbacks.
— Gabe Bock (@GabeBock) March 1, 2016
A&M is loaded with talent at wide receiver so either quarterback should excel under center. The Aggies also have a stellar offensive line to give either passer time in the pocket and wait for plays to develop downfield.
Year Two with John Chavis as defensive coordinator
John Chavis made the jump from LSU to Texas A&M after the 2014 season. In his first season at College Station, Chavis’ unit ranked second in passing defense and third in sacks among SEC teams, but was eighth in total defense and 13th in rushing defense.
Year one may have had its ups and downs, but there’s little reason to doubt Chavis will find consistent success in his second season. He has a proven track record of succeeding in the SEC and should continue to develop rising junior Myles Garrett into one of the nation’s best pass rushers.
Congratulations to my guys @Stuntman1429 @RealPeterson21 and @Mathieu_Era for making the NFL All Pro Team. Well deserved!
— John J Chavis (@CoachJohnChavis) January 8, 2016
But the Aggies have several open positions on defense in spring practice. Senior linebacker A.J. Hillard and defensive lineman Justin Manning retired due to injuries after being expected to see bigger roles in 2016. Hillard only made eight starts during his college career but was second among returning linebackers behind Shaan Washington.
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