What the 2018 season holds for Texas A&M football is a challenge to figure out with so many unknowns with a new coaching staff in College Station.
Only a few teams in the SEC have as many question marks year in and year out as the Aggies. However, Texas A&M football seems to be an unknown in the SEC West in most preseasons. This is now extending beyond the tenure of Kevin Sumlin.
Now, Texas A&M football is looking to move forward with a head coach that found plenty of success in his time with his former program in the Florida State Seminoles. Jimbo Fisher is generating plenty of buzz throughout the off-season due to some of the changes made on both sides of the ball and the level of recruiting for the 2019 class.
Fisher is having a similar effect for the Aggies as to what the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, Tom Herman, had last year for his squad. However, Texas A&M is not listed as a top 25 team in either the initial release of the Coaches Poll or the AP Poll during the preseason. Meanwhile, the Horns are in the top 25 for both major preseason polls.
Fisher returns a good portion of his starters on offense from last season. The issue is that he loses his most impactful player on both sides of the ball. The Aggies lose standout safety Armani Watts, who was a game breaker for the past three or four years for this defense.
The offense loses the former All-American and ultra-elusive wide receiver Christian Kirk, who was a huge threat in open space. Recovering from the losses of both Kirk and Watts will make for a challenging time for this team. However, Texas A&M does return some key pieces beyond those two.
A quarterback controversy that features a pair of sophomores in Kellen Mond and Nick Starkel could actually help this offense. Starkel is the favorite to win that battle and take advantage of a stacked backfield. A deep stable of running backs is led by the potent junior Trayveon Williams.
This defense will revolve around a standout linebacker and experienced defensive back in Tyrel Dodson and Donovan Williams. A lot of young players will fill in the secondary and the front seven is experienced and potent but still needs to prove something.
Texas A&M could be one of the best teams out of the SEC West this year. Fisher won a national title within the past five college football seasons, so he’s a very accomplished head coach. It’s difficult to tell what a realistic outlook is for the Aggies this fall.