A football team from the state of Texas hasn't yet reached the College Football Playoff. The Texas A&M Aggies hope to change that narrative soon. The talent assembling in College Station is capable of beating any program in the nation. But are the Aggies ready to step out of the on-deck circle and into the batter's box with college football's elite? A few questions must be answered before Jimbo Fisher's program is considered on the level. 

1. Can Texas A&M take the next step? 

Many scoffed when the Aggies hired Fisher as a declaration of intent to compete with the big boys in the SEC. Four seasons later and Texas A&M is right on the doorstep of true national relevance as a football program. The first step to play for, and eventually win, a national championship is on the recruiting trail. Texas A&M is acquiring talent as well as anybody in the country, inking the No. 1-ranked class in the 2022 cycle. The group included eight five-star talents and was rated as the best class in modern recruiting history. 

But is 2022 too soon? Fisher said the early enrollees are already making an impact. Five-star wide receiver Evan Stewart could make a similar impact as a true freshman as Xavier Worthy did for rival Texas in 2021. Jake Johnson might be the favorite to start at tight end. Denver Harris and Bryce Anderson add to an already talented secondary. Quarterback Conner Weigman is in a three-way battle with transfer Max Johnson and a healthy Haynes King. 

The real run for Texas A&M might be a year away. The Aggies’ best players at most positions are underclassmen. Fisher’s squad should know its quarterback going into 2023. The offensive line will be led by juniors Bryce Foster and Reuben Fatheree II. The new crop of talented defensive linemen will have a season of SEC play under their belts. The weapons at tight end and wide receiver will be seasoned. Oh, and Fisher is sure to sign another top-10 class to fill the ranks. 

The 2022 season is about building confidence. At quarterback, at the skill positions, in the front seven of the defense. Texas A&M went 8-1 in SEC play during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Aggies are a combined 13-11 in the SEC under Fisher in the other three seasons. Taking the next step for Texas A&M is seriously competing for the West Division title in the SEC. A&M has lost at least four SEC games in seven of the last nine years. The program lost at least three conference games in eight of the 10 seasons played in the SEC. Take away the pandemic year and Texas A&M hasn’t finished ranked in the top 15 of the final AP Poll since Johnny Manziel was on campus. 

With so many new faces, anything better than eight wins should be considered a success and a platform to jump into 2023 with College Football Playoff aspirations. The talent is on campus, but it might need another season before its ready to consistently win in the toughest division in college football. A division that’s produced five national champions since Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012. 

2. Who starts at quarterback? 

Fisher is notoriously hard on quarterbacks. Not every player is built to handle the demands he places on the position. Which is why it is a good thing that he has three options to choose from heading into 2022. The three-man battle between King, Weigman, and Johnson should extend into the summer and possibly through the first couple of games of the 2022 season. King must be considered the favorite because he won the job in 2021. An ankle injury in the second game of the season ended his season. 

Johnson transferred in from LSU and instantly became the most experienced quarterback on the roster. He started two games as a freshman in 2020, throwing for 1,069 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception with a 58.7 percent completion percentage. Johnson earned the starting job again in 2021, improving his completion percentage to 60.3 percent while passing for 2,814 yards, 27 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Weigman, a product of Cypress Bridgeland High School, was a two-sport star in high school. 

3. Are the young guys ready along Texas A&M’s front seven?  

Linebackers Aaron Hansford and Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M’s two leading tacklers in 2021, are gone. As are defensive linemen such as DeMarvin Leal, Jayden Peevy, Michael Clemons, and Tyree Johnson. Those six players combined for 331 tackles, 55.5 tackles for loss, and 29 sacks. That was 63 percent of Texas A&M’s tackles for loss and 74 percent of its sacks from a year ago. 

A new group of players must fill those voids. The Aggies possess plenty of potential on the roster. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper was tremendous as a freshman with 58 tackles (tied for fourth on the team), 5.5 tackles for loss, and one interception. Fellow linebacker Andre White Jr. enters his senior season after recording 57 tackles in 2021. The names to know along the defensive line include Shemar Turner, Walter Nolan, Shemar Stewart, and Tunmise Adeleye. 

Texas A&M added another five-star defensive lineman to its 2022 recruiting class last week when Georgia native Lebbeus Overton picked the Aggies. Overton is a top-20 prospect in the 2022 cycle and the fifth-best defensive lineman in the class per 247Sports Composite. The Aggies signed five of the top six defensive linemen in the entire country.