Texas A & M 2014 Spring Football Wrap Up

Strengths & question marks coming out of spring

The offensive line is the team’s strongest area. T Cedric Ogbuehi projects as a possible first round draft choice and C Mike Matthews will contend for All-SEC recognition. G Jarvis Harrison missed the spring with a shoulder injury, but will be back in August for his third season in the starting lineup.

Sophomore Germain Ifedi is a returning starter at right guard. However, he shifted out to tackle in the spring and was very impressive. He may stay there. If he does the Aggies can decide between senior Garrett Grambling or juco transfers Avery Gennessy or Jermaine Eleumonor to fill in there.

Running back is also deep and talented. Powerful Tra Carson is a likely starter, but Trey WIlliams and Brandon Williams both have big-play ability. The carries will be spread around. And freshman James White, the biggest of them all, may get in the rotation, too.

Quarterback is an obvious point of question. Johnny Manziel’s successor will be either senior Matt Joeckel, sophomore Kenny Hill, who was suspended for the last week of spring football, and true freshman Kyle Allen. Allen was the nation’s top-ranked passing prospect in last year’s recruiting class. He reportedly had a strong spring and it won’t be a major surprise if he wins the job.

Linebacker is an area of concern. The Aggies were among the worst in the nation at stopping the run and poor linebacker play was a big factor in that. Sophomore MLB Jordan Mastrogiovanni drew high praise from coaches for his progress this spring, but questions will persists until he produces consistently on the field.

Safety is a big question, too. Floyd Raven and Howard Matthews have been inconsistent — and that’s putting it mildly. They must make significant improvement or A&M may look to incoming freshmen there.

Name a few breakout players to keep an eye on in 2014

Redshirt freshman receiver Ricky Seals-Jones was hurt early last season, but flashed star potential in the season-opener. He’s big and fast and will cause substancial matchup problems. The key is keeping him healthy. He’s missed most of his last two seasons (high school senior year, true freshman year) with injuries.

True freshman receiver Speedy Noil figures to make an immediate impact as a receiver and on kick returns.

Big TE Cameron Clear did not play much last season and we still wonder why. Coaches keep saying he needs to be a bigger part of the offense. He’s 6-6, 270 and can run. Plus, he’s a powerful blocker. Why don’t you want that guy on the field?

Defensively, NG Isaiah Golden played well forced into the starting lineup by a mid-season injury to Kirby Ennis. Golden was suspended for off-field issues in the spring and even left school. However, he’s expected to be back in the summer and could be a dominant force as a sophomore.

Sophomore DE Daeshon Hall could make significant strides this year, too.

Grade each position group

Quarterbacks — C: Kenny Hill and Kyle Allen could have picked just about any program in the country for which to play. They both have a lot of talent. However, Hill has minimal experience and Allen has none. And frankly, there have been highly-regarded QB prospects that did not pan out. They have to prove themselves. Joeckel is a good passer,but athletically limited. It would seem an upset if he wins the job.

Running backs — B: Tra Carson, Trey Williams and Brandon Williams all have break away ability. In fact, they’ve demonstrated at this level. But none ever got a lot of carries because Manziel and departed RB Ben Malena typically were the first options. None figure to rush for 1,000-yards because carries figure to be spread out. But any of them could have big performance each week.

Receivers — B: Much like the running backs there is a lot of talent on hand, but it’s also unproven. Malcome Kennedy is the sole returning starter and he’s looking to build on a 60-catch effort in ’13. Noil and Seals-Jones have the ability to be game-breakers, but must establish themselves.

Quiz Gonzalez also adds a lot of speed to the position. Newcomer Josh Reynolds made a big impression this summer and veteran Edward Pope has great hands, but is frustratingly inconsistent.

Offensive line — A: The Aggies were good up front last season and figure to be better this year, even without Jake Matthews. That’s because four starters return and Mike Matthews and Germain Ifedi now have a season’s experince as starters under their belts. Mike Matthews projects to be much better than he was a year ago.

The only major question is the identity of the fifth starter. It could be Garrett Grambling, who started a couple of games last season and filled in for Harrison in the second half of the Chick fil A Bowl and played well. Everyone concerned would be comfortable with Grambling in the starting lineup.

Defensive line — C: Isaiah Golden was solid as a starter in the second half of last season. As a sophomore he has the potential to be dominant. But the Aggies are counting on potential quite a bit in the front four.

Incoming freshman Miles Garrett was rated the No. 1 defensive end prospect in the nation by some recruiting services. Yet, he’ll just be a true freshman and they typically need time to develop.

DE Gavin Stanbury played well in the second half of last season and the Aggies are hopeful he’ll continue that momentum. Hall showed impressive athletic ability as a freshman, but was just too light to take on SEC tackles on a weekly basis. Though he missed the spring with a shoulder injury, he’s anticipating being bigger and better this season.

Also, sophomore tackles Justin Manning, Hardwreck Walker and Jay Arnold are ready to make contributions at DT. They will provide depth behind starter Alonzo Williams and finally give the Aggies a rotation there.

Linebacker — C: It would be easy to call it a D, but we’ll give the benefit of the doubt because players are just expected to be better as sophomores than they were as freshmen.

Mastrogiovannia and Darion Claiborne both started games as freshman and both figure to start as sophomores. Claiborne is shifting from the middle to the left side, where he figures to be more productive.

Strongside linebacker was a migraine headache in ’13. TCU transfer A.J. Hillard will ease that. Sophomore Shaan Washington would be an upgrade there, too.

Secondary — C: If just rating the cornerbacks the Aggies could get an A. Deshazor Evertt and third-year starter De’Vante Harris are as good a pair as any in the SEC.

The uncertainty at safety remains a concern, though. There were too many missed assignments and missed tackles. Talk is that Howard Matthews and Floyd Raven made strides under new secondary coach Terry Joseph.

However, talking is easy. Playing isn’t. They have to prove themselves. If they falter the Aggies may look to heralded freshmen Nick Harvey or Armani Watts.

Special teams – A: Drew Kaser is an All-American punter and Ray Guy Award finalist. He may be the best in the nation at his position. K Josh Lambo added stability to the kicking game when he was promoted early last season. He converted 8 of 10 field goals.

Trey Williams is dangerous on kick returns. Yet, he may not draw that assignment because of Speedy Noil. The Aggies have no shortage of players capable of making big plays on returns.

What can we expect from Texas A & M in 2014?

A 7-5 or 8-4 finish would seem like a realistic goal. The loss of Manziel will hurt, but don’t count on Kevin Sumlin’s offense to fall apart without him. If the Aggies get good quarterback play they could still be explosive. They will be good with merely adequate quarterback performances.

The key is how much A&M improves in run defense. The Aggies were abysmal against the run last season and have to get better. The feeling is they will be. If they continue to struggle against the run the Aggies might struggle to post five wins.

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Olin Buchanan of TexAgs.com provided the information for our Texas A&M 2014 spring football wrap up.  For more Texas A&M football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Olin on Twitter @OlinBuchanan and @TexAgs.

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