Courtesy of Gigem247 Sports
Quarterback
1 - Ryan Tannehill
2 - Jameill Showers
There’s not much drama on the offensive side of the ball, but the biggest position of interest all fall has been the battle for backup quarterback. Though Mike Sherman isn’t expected to make it official until Monday, look for it to be Jameill Showers.
Showers has a good grasp of the offense and has incredible arm strength, but more importantly he gives the Aggies the best chance to win a football game if Ryan Tannehill goes down. He’s also similar to Tannehill in that he’s mobile and can effectively move in the pocket and extend plays with his legs.
Running Back
1 - Cyrus Gray
2 - Christine Michael
3 - Ben Malena
The Aggies may have not only the best back in the Big 12, but they might have the best two. Michael and Gray have both had solid falls, and both look like they’re 100% healthy to start the season. The duo will probably each see 15-20 touches per game, which won’t be hard with the tempo that Mike Sherman likes to run the offense at.
The biggest issue at the running back position is going to be watching how the two backs get into the flow of the game and how Sherman chooses to sub them in and out.
Despite his fumble problems earlier in the camp, Ben Malena had a strong effort overall and will be the third back heading into the season. Malena isn’t a gamebreaking back, but he rarely makes mental mistakes and he’s an asset out of the backfield.
Wide Receiver
1st Group - Jeff Fuller - Ryan Swope - Uzoma Nwachukwu
2nd Group - Nate Askew - Kenric McNeal - Malcome Kennedy
3rd Group - Mike Evans - Lekendrick Williams - Brandal Jackson
The receiving unit is extremely deep, with six different players who all have big playmaking ability. There’s also a lot of flexibility with positions as Nwachukwu, Kennedy, and Jackson can all move around.
A couple of notes on this position:
Evans is the third teamer at that position, but unless there’s an injury to Fuller or Askew early in the season, we expect that Evans will likely redshirt. Evans is still extremely raw and has a long way to go, and you wouldn’t want to waste a potential huge season down the road because of a few plays as a freshman. If Fuller or Askew were to go down late the season, Nwachukwu, Kennedy and Jackson are all capable of sliding over in filling that role so that Evans wouldn’t have to burn a shirt late in the season.
Chance Nelson would probably be ahead of LeKendrick Williams on a true depth chart, but Nelson will likely redshirt this season. With the depth of talent on the inside, there no real reason to burn the shirt of Nelson for a few plays when Williams is available.
Tight End
1A- Hutson Prioleau
1B - Michael LaMothe
3 - Nehemiah Hicks
Despite his ability to make plays up field and his athletic ability, Hicks just hasn’t been consistenty enough to be a part of the starting line up. Depending on what type of plays Sherman has scripted for the beginning of the game, you could see either LaMothe or Prioleau.
While tight end may not be one of the strengths of the A&M offense, the good news is that it doesn’t have to be. The unit just has to be able to make blocks out of the backfield, and hold on to the ball when their time is called.
That’s why Prioleau and LaMothe will likely split most of the reps. That duo has been very consistent with their assignment pick ups, and they rarely drop the ball.
Offensive Line
First Group (Left to Right):
L. Joeckel - B. Thomas - P. Lewis - S. Klinke - J. Matthews
Subs: C. Ogbuehi, E. Eike, J. Harrison
The situation on the offensive line isn’t a true depth chart, as certain injuries would cause position moves. For example, if Patrick Lewis were to go down it’s likely that Brian Thomas would move to center and Evan Eike or Jarvis Harrison would take his place at guard.
The good news over a year ago at this time is that the Aggies know who their starting unit will be, and it doesn’t seem very likely that it will change at any time. That group has really started to come together over the last several practices.
Sherman also feels comfortable that they have eight players who could step in and be effective along the offensive line.
The offense line certainly had it's struggles early on in the camp, and we'll be watching closely to see how the group performs early on. Remember, the Aggies only have two games to prepare for top ten Oklahoma State coming to Kyle Field on September 24th.
Punter
Drew Kaser
Ryan Epperson
This position battle may be the only one on the team that goes into the final days leading up to the game against SMU.
Kaser was hurt for the majority of the fall camp, and as a result we haven’t seen much out of him. However in the last couple of days he did look to have a stronger leg than Epperson, and looked like he could control his kicks a little better.
Ultimately, expect Kaser to win out, but the question is whether or not he’ll win out before the Aggies open up next Sunday.
Quarterback
1 - Ryan Tannehill
2 - Jameill Showers
Showers has a good grasp of the offense and has incredible arm strength, but more importantly he gives the Aggies the best chance to win a football game if Ryan Tannehill goes down. He’s also similar to Tannehill in that he’s mobile and can effectively move in the pocket and extend plays with his legs.
Running Back
1 - Cyrus Gray
2 - Christine Michael
3 - Ben Malena
The Aggies may have not only the best back in the Big 12, but they might have the best two. Michael and Gray have both had solid falls, and both look like they’re 100% healthy to start the season. The duo will probably each see 15-20 touches per game, which won’t be hard with the tempo that Mike Sherman likes to run the offense at.
The biggest issue at the running back position is going to be watching how the two backs get into the flow of the game and how Sherman chooses to sub them in and out.
Despite his fumble problems earlier in the camp, Ben Malena had a strong effort overall and will be the third back heading into the season. Malena isn’t a gamebreaking back, but he rarely makes mental mistakes and he’s an asset out of the backfield.
Wide Receiver
1st Group - Jeff Fuller - Ryan Swope - Uzoma Nwachukwu
2nd Group - Nate Askew - Kenric McNeal - Malcome Kennedy
3rd Group - Mike Evans - Lekendrick Williams - Brandal Jackson
The receiving unit is extremely deep, with six different players who all have big playmaking ability. There’s also a lot of flexibility with positions as Nwachukwu, Kennedy, and Jackson can all move around.
Evans is the third teamer at that position, but unless there’s an injury to Fuller or Askew early in the season, we expect that Evans will likely redshirt. Evans is still extremely raw and has a long way to go, and you wouldn’t want to waste a potential huge season down the road because of a few plays as a freshman. If Fuller or Askew were to go down late the season, Nwachukwu, Kennedy and Jackson are all capable of sliding over in filling that role so that Evans wouldn’t have to burn a shirt late in the season.
Chance Nelson would probably be ahead of LeKendrick Williams on a true depth chart, but Nelson will likely redshirt this season. With the depth of talent on the inside, there no real reason to burn the shirt of Nelson for a few plays when Williams is available.
Tight End
1A- Hutson Prioleau
1B - Michael LaMothe
3 - Nehemiah Hicks
Despite his ability to make plays up field and his athletic ability, Hicks just hasn’t been consistenty enough to be a part of the starting line up. Depending on what type of plays Sherman has scripted for the beginning of the game, you could see either LaMothe or Prioleau.
While tight end may not be one of the strengths of the A&M offense, the good news is that it doesn’t have to be. The unit just has to be able to make blocks out of the backfield, and hold on to the ball when their time is called.
That’s why Prioleau and LaMothe will likely split most of the reps. That duo has been very consistent with their assignment pick ups, and they rarely drop the ball.
Offensive Line
First Group (Left to Right):
L. Joeckel - B. Thomas - P. Lewis - S. Klinke - J. Matthews
Subs: C. Ogbuehi, E. Eike, J. Harrison
The good news over a year ago at this time is that the Aggies know who their starting unit will be, and it doesn’t seem very likely that it will change at any time. That group has really started to come together over the last several practices.
Sherman also feels comfortable that they have eight players who could step in and be effective along the offensive line.
The offense line certainly had it's struggles early on in the camp, and we'll be watching closely to see how the group performs early on. Remember, the Aggies only have two games to prepare for top ten Oklahoma State coming to Kyle Field on September 24th.
Punter
Drew Kaser
Ryan Epperson
This position battle may be the only one on the team that goes into the final days leading up to the game against SMU.
Kaser was hurt for the majority of the fall camp, and as a result we haven’t seen much out of him. However in the last couple of days he did look to have a stronger leg than Epperson, and looked like he could control his kicks a little better.
Ultimately, expect Kaser to win out, but the question is whether or not he’ll win out before the Aggies open up next Sunday.
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