Scouting the opponent: Texas A&M

Texas A&M saw a promising season go off the rails in 2015, finishing 8-5 after starting the year 5-0. The Aggies also endured a turbulent offseason due to player transfers and staff departures. A program that only a couple of seasons ago looked poised to become a perennial challenger in the SEC West will open the 2016 campaign with some significant questions to answer.

Many of those questions center on the offensive side of the ball where the Aggies will be operating with a new offensive coordinator in Noel Mazzone, a new offensive line coach and a new starter at quarterback, former Oklahoma signal-caller Trevor Knight.

When the 2015 season began the Aggies looked like they had one of the most enviable quarterback situations in all of college football. We all know how that worked out. Both Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen, two formerly huge quarterback recruits, opted to transfer in the offseason after both apparently felt ill-used last fall.

Enter Knight, the former Sooner, who lost his job in Norman to Baker Mayfield, a name that will resonate with Vol fans. Knight had a spotty record as Oklahoma’s starter, throwing for almost 3,500 yards in a three year career, but with only 25 touchdowns against 19 interceptions. Knight is also capable of moving the sticks with his feet, rushing for over 800 yards in his time at Oklahoma.

How quickly not just he and Mazzone can gel, but how fast the whole offense can adapt to a new system will be a key factor in the Aggie’s 2016 season.

Knight will have the luxury of throwing to a talented and experienced group of wideouts. A unit that put up big numbers last fall despite the circus at the quarterback position. Electric kick returner and receiver Christian Kirk (80 rec., 1,009 yards, 7 TDs), Josh Reynolds (51 rec., 907 yards, 5 TDs), Ricky Seals-Jones (45 rec., 560 yards, 4 TDs) and Speedy Noil (21 rec., 226 yards, 2 TDs) are all back and should provide the offense with some explosive weapons if Knight can get them the ball with regularity.

Another Oklahoma transfer, Keith Ford who sat out the 2015 season, figures prominently in the Aggies tailback depth chart. Ford, who rushed for 594 yards in two years for the Sooners, missed much of spring with various injuries but is expected to be the starter when fall camp opens. Junior James White (55 att., 196 yards, 1 TD in 2015) and sophomore Kwame Etwi (20 att., 151 yards) also figure to get carries this fall.

Assuming night is at least adequate the Aggies biggest challenge is going to be rebuilding an offensive line that gave up 36 sacks last fall and will be replacing first-round pick Germain Ifedi at one tackle spot. Left tackle Avery Gennesy is the only full-time starter back on the offensive front from last year though guards Connor Lanfear and Jermaine Elumeanor along with right tackle Koda Martin all some game action last fall. Redshirt freshman Erik McCoy will be a player to watch as he takes over the starting center job.

The Aggies have some skill and talent on offense, especially at receiver, but big questions still loom to be answered. Can Knight steady the ship at quarterback, and can the entire side of the ball get on the same page with Mazzone to ensure that this isn’t merely a transition year for the Aggies?

The Aggies boast one of the most dynamic players in the country in junior defensive end Myles Garrett who’s back after leading the SEC with 12.5 sacks in 2015. That was the good news for a defense that must drastically improve against the run after giving up 213 yards per game on the ground last fall, next-to-last in the SEC.

The feeling is that the defense will be better in John Chavis’ second-year running the show, bringing back seven starters. And as bad as the Aggies were at times last year, they were still much improved, moving up to 51st in total defense under ‘the Chief’ after finishing 102nd nationally in 2014.

The defensive line is a strength. Garrett’s presence overshadows another playmaker opposite him in Dasheon Hall, who has 10.5 sacks and 19.5 TFLs in the last two seasons. Sophomore defensive tackle Dylan Mack is a potential star as well after playing in all 13 games as a freshman, recording 32 tackles.

Linebacker is a bit of a question mark where virtually all the talent is in the sophomore and freshmen classes. Junior Shaan Washington is the leading returning tackler with 81 in his career. This unit’s progress could largely hinge on how well Otaro Alaka bounces back from missing most of his sophomore campaign to injury. Sophomores Richard Moore and Dwaine Thomas are talented but somewhat unproven.

The secondary should be solid with juniors Priest Willis and Nick Harvey back after playing in all 13 games last fall at corner.

The pass defense was solid last year (2nd in the SEC, 166 yards per game), no doubt aided by Garrett’s presence up front. But opponents found the going so easy on the ground last fall it’s those numbers could be a little deceiving.

Texas A&M has a lot of nice young pieces on defense as well as some valuable experience returning and having a superstar like Garrett on the field can hide some blemishes. The Aggies should probably take another step forward on defense this fall, but the depth in the front seven doesn’t look quite elite yet by SEC standards and the linebackers in particular need to show some progress.

After last season’s absolute dumpster fire around the quarterback position and all the controversy that generated, you have to think this is a big year for Kevin Sumlin. It wasn’t that long ago that he was one of the golden boy’s of SEC football, but now he probably needs to prove that he can right the ship after a disappointing season.

The Aggies certainly have some talent to work with on both sides of the ball, there’s no denying that, but there’s enough uncertainty lingering from last year’s debacle that no one seems sure what to expect. Texas A&M was tabbed to finish fourth in the SEC West in the preseason media poll, and depending on how things go, they seem fully capable of both exceeding or falling short of that prediction.

Obviously, a huge factor will be how Knight performers after transferring to College Station. Perhaps even more crucial though will be how quickly the offense adapts to Mazzone and whether or not the offensive line can grow up in a hurry with some substantial change.

Those issues may not be resolved by the time Tennessee visits Texas A&M on Oct. 8. It’s a match-up the Vols look more than capable of winning, but there’s no question the Aggies have enough talent to make things dicey for any visitor to Kyle Field.