By Brent Zwerneman
October 21, 2013
COLLEGE STATION - National signing day typically allows coaches to exhale following an exhausting recruiting process, but then-Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman had taken a late punch in the gut that February morning in 2010.
A longtime Aggies verbal pledge, linebacker Corey Nelson of Dallas' Skyline High, had surprisingly inked with Oklahoma. Coaches typically sport wide grins on signing day - when everybody wins - but Sherman was gruff in addressing the Nelson swing and miss.
They were - and they still are across the board defensively. The Aggies (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference), who dropped from seventh to 14th in the Associated Press poll based on a 45-41 upset by Auburn on Saturday, have been missing a bunch on defense this season, and the roots of those whiffs stem to Sherman's inability to recruit defensively."I don't feel like we're deficient in that area (of linebacker) in any shape or form," a defiant Sherman said.
One-sided inheritance
And Nelson was only one of many misses for the offensive-minded coach. Sherman was fired nearly two years ago after going 25-25 in four seasons. His successor, Kevin Sumlin, inherited a wealth on offense, but in perhaps the most aggravating aspect of the Sherman tenure for Aggies fans, the defense needed serious strengthening.
All while A&M shifted from the Big 12 to the SEC. The Aggies, buoyed by the senior leadership of defensive lineman Spencer Nealy and linebackers Sean Porter and Jon Stewart, played beyond expectations in 2012, finishing 11-2 in their first year in the SEC.
This season is a different story defensively, with little senior guidance and with A&M's coaches mixing and matching players at every position in trying to make the proverbial "chicken salad" out of their inheritance.
Standout defensive end Damontre Moore, one of Sherman's rare defensive jewels, would've been a senior this season, but he elected to turn pro early. Sumlin has shown signs of tabbing top defenders, but touted true freshmen are playing where freshmen shouldn't - on the interior defensive line, for instance - and the Aggies rank 118th out of 123 programs in total defense, allowing 494 yards per game.
"Talent-wise, we've got good, young players - but they are young," Sumlin said. "They're probably a year or two away."
As for the lack of upperclassmen asserting themselves? Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said that's no excuse.
"That's what we're here for as coaches," Snyder said following Saturday's loss. "If you don't have that leadership on the field, you have to create that."
The A&M offense led by Johnny Manziel, whose status is to be determined after he hurt his shoulder Saturday, has scored at least 40 points in a school-record 10 consecutive games. Two of those contests, however, have resulted in losses to Alabama and now Auburn. Prior to this season, A&M had scored at least 40 in regulation and lost only once (48-47 in overtime to Texas Tech in 2002).
Biggest goals vanish
So where to from here for A&M and its defense? National title hopes in what's likely to be Manziel's last season are gone (he's long indicated he'll likely declare for the 2014 NFL draft), and playing in a BCS game for the first time since 1998 is unlikely.
A&M plays three more home games, starting with Vanderbilt on Saturday, before ending the season at No. 13 LSU and at No. 5 Missouri. Meanwhile, the Aggies received a verbal pledge on Friday from Arlington Martin defensive end Myles Garrett, one of the nation's top prospects.
Their defense could have used him a day later against Auburn.