Eager to put lackluster 2022 behind them, Aggies mix it up and go back to basics

Texas A&M proved that the blue-chip ratio doesn’t guarantee success last season when one of the most talented rosters in college football limped to a 5-7 finish in Year 5 under Jimbo Fisher. 

Injuries and youth, alongside a stale offense and immaturity off the field, plagued the Aggies and forced Fisher to rearrange his coaching staff in the offseason, including the addition of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. 

The 12th Man hopes the mass exodus of more than 30 players to the transfer portal is addition by subtraction. At least that’s what the current roster believes, according to star wide receiver Ainias Smith, who chose to return for his senior season after missing the final eight games of the 2022 campaign with an injury. 

“At the end of the day, you can have a bunch of talent, but if everyone is playing for themselves, what happens to the team?” he asked rhetorically. “I think we saw what can happen. This group of guys is all on the same page and we all have the same goal. The best teams are built by guys who are working for the same purpose.” 

Improvement is relative in the mighty SEC West, and the road theoretically only gets harder in 2024 when Oklahoma and Texas join the fray. An improved Aggies squad doesn’t mean an easy run to a conference title. The roster is still littered with young faces, though it’s chalked full of experience due to those trials by fire in 2022. 

Texas A&M is 39-21 overall and 23-18 in SEC play through five seasons of Fisher’s reign. The Aggies are 13-11 and 6-10 in conference over the last two seasons. Kevin Sumlin was 15-11 overall and 8-8 in the SEC over his final two years in charge. Take out the 9-1 run during a weird COVID season and Fisher’s overall record at Texas A&M is 30-20 with a 15-17 mark in the SEC.

Even with the departures, Texas A&M ranked in the top 10 overall in returning production, according to ESPN.com. The Aggies return 82 percent of their offense, including Smith, wide receiver Evan Stewart, and two productive quarterbacks. The defense brings back 77 percent of its production, including safety Demani Richardson and a talented defensive line. 

“There’s more maturity on this team,” Smith said. “The young guys gained experience last year. The team camaraderie is as high as I’ve seen it.” 

Expectations in College Station remain the same despite a losing record in 2022, and that’s to  compete with the blue bloods of the SEC for a conference title. LSU made the jump from mediocre in 2021 to the SEC title game in 2022. The talent at Texas A&M means the Aggies can realistically cling to those aspirations despite only winning six SEC games in a single season twice since joining the conference back in 2012. One of those times was in that first year with a roster built by Big 12 recruits, and the other was during the COVID season of 2020. 

“We need to get back to doing the little things right,” Smith said. “Make your bed. Go to bed on time. Get to study hall. Don’t miss meetings. Eat right and put in the work. The little things are the things. We’ll be a better football team if we go back to the basics.”  

DCTF'S TAKE

On paper, Texas A&M is one of the most talented rosters in the nation. The Aggies added a great offensive mind in Bobby Petrino and another group of uber-talented recruits and transfers to compete in the SEC. But the game isn’t played on paper. Even an improved Texas A&M team doesn’t guarantee a result better than seven or eight wins. We wouldn’t be shocked if the Aggies stormed to 10 wins or suffered another losing season. Maybe that’s the problem in College Station.