Texas A & M Football 2015 – Better, worse or about the same?

TEXAS A & M OFFENSE

Although Texas A&M’s offense averaged 35.2 points per game last season to rank 26^th in the nation in scoring offense, the Aggies project to be even better in 2015.

A&M boasted one of the country’s most productive passing games in 2014 with a true freshman quarterback starting half the season and three receivers in their first seasons of major college football.

Quarterback Kyle Allen, who was thrust into the starting lineup in November, made exceptional progress in a short time. He struggled against Louisiana-Monroe in his first career start, but a week later threw four touchdown passes in the first half against Auburn.

He also threw three touchdown passes against Missouri and four against West Virginia, when he was named MVP of the Liberty Bowl.

Not only does Allen have that valuable experience to build on, but so do receivers Josh Reynolds, Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil. Seals-Jones and Noil were freshmen last season, while Reynolds was a junior college transfer.

Yet, they each had more than 45 receptions and 450 receiving yards. Reynolds was second in the SEC with 13 touchdown catches. However, they were inconsistent and had issues with dropped passes.

A year of experience figures to solve some of the consistency issues, while new receivers coach Aaron Moorehead is tasked with fixing the dropped passes problem.

A&M also returns leading rusher Tra Carson, though he needs to produce more than the team-leading 581 yards he gained last season.

However, Dave Christensen, the new offensive line coach and running game coordinator, has a track record of developing a strong rushing attack.

Last year he was at Utah where Davontae Booker gained almost three times as much yardage as Carson did. Christensen will demand a more aggressive approach from the offensive line, which returns three starters.

The two new projected starters up front — tackle Avery Genessy and guard Jermaine Eluemunor – were highly-regarded junior college transfers who sat out redshirt years last season.

The Aggies figure to run more efficiently, which is another reason Allen should continue to improve.

TEXAS A & M DEFENSE

A&M’s defense has been historically abysmal the past two seasons. Therefore, declaring the defense should be better isn’t necessarily saying a lot.

But there are several reasons to believe the Aggies defense will be significantly better. The chief reason is new Defensive Coordinator John Chavis, who is one of the very best in his field.

If he can transform A&M’s defense to merely adequate then he’ll prove well worth his $1.7 million salary. Chavis is installing a more aggressive, attacking scheme which he thinks will put to better use A&M’s defensive personnel.

That must be true because the read-and-react approach contributed to the fact that A&M was ranked 102^nd in the nation and last in the SEC in total defense.

The bright side is that the Aggies started as many as five true freshmen on defense. The brighter side is that includes DE Myles Garrett, who set an SEC freshman record with 11 sacks. That also includes LB Otaro Alaka, who was named defensive MVP of the Liberty Bowl.

Garrett will headline a potentially dominant defensive line. Junior DE Daeshon Hall is fully recovered from shoulder injuries that impeded his progress last season. He’s also bulked up to 265 pounds. A breakout year is expected from him.

Senior Alonzo Williams is steady and reliable at defensive tackle. The Aggies also are hoping to get a huge boost from heralded freshman Daylon Mack, who some believe can make a similar impact as a freshman that Garrett did.

A&M will need a strong pass rush because of uncertainty at cornerback. Senior De’Vante Harris has started since his freshman year, but has been inconsistent and subject to allowing big plays. Though, he says he feels more comfortable in Chavis’ press coverage scheme.

Perhaps, but the other cornerback spot is so problematic that senior Brandon Williams is shifting from running back in an attempt to fix that problem.

Linebacker has also been a problem area, but the Aggies appear to be trending upward there. Olaka is a potential star and sophomore Josh Walker started in the middle as a true freshman. He’ll have to hold off junior college transfer Claude George, who is coming off an impressive showing in spring drills.

Safety figures to be a stronger position, too. Junior college transfer Justin Evans drew raves throughout spring practice. He’ll play alongside sophomore Armani Watts, who started as a true freshman.

BUY OR SELL?

It would seem very realistic to project the Aggies to improve on their 2014 record of 8-5.

The Aggies return eight starters on both sides of the line of scrimmage, have a rising star at quarterback, one of the top defensive players in the SEC and John Chavis directing the defense.

A&M also has a favorable schedule with only three true road games – at Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and LSU. A&M may be a year away from contending to win the SEC West, but with a little luck the Aggies could make a run at 10 victories.

Olin Buchanan of TexAgs.com provided the information for our Texas A&M 2015 spring football recap. For more Texas A&M football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Olin on Twitter @OlinBuchanan and @TexAgs.