Texas A&M leaned heavily on a few true freshmen last season as they ended the year on a high note. Now as the Maroon and White enter a critical 2023 season, another true freshman could be on the radar as the next breakout star in college football.
According to Josh Prate of 247Sports’ “The Late Kick,” Aggie fans would be wise to keep an eye on true freshman running back Rueben Owens next season. While it’s not a given that every first-year player can break out onto the scene, Prate believes the opportunity ahead of Owens works in his favor.
“I think he will play this year…It’s a situation where they had Devon Achane leave and go to the NFL.”
Prate was also keen to preach patience when it comes to Owens’ workload, as the tailback out of El Campo is likely to work his way into the rotation.
“It may not be that he has 30 carries in Week 1, that’s not what I’m telling you…What I’m telling you is I think they will, not so subtly, ease him into the rotation and, by season’s end, he very well will be their best tailback.
While Amari Daniels will likely operate as RB1 at the start due to his experience, Aggies Wire did mention that both Le’Veon Moss and the aforementioned Owens should make an interesting battle for carries.
While Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino would be wise to lean on experience, Petrino in particular has a knack for scheming his offense around his best talent.
Owens was a five-star RB and the Aggies’ second-highest-ranked signee in the Class of 2023 for a reason: his talent on the field is off the charts. After logging 7,000-plus rushing yards and 100-plus touchdowns in high school, he’s the perfect solution when it comes to filling the void left by Achane (1,102 rushing yards, eight touchdowns).
Fisher and Petrino need to show that this partnership will work, and a turnaround season would brew some confidence when it comes to the trajectory of this program. You need your most talented players on the field in order to achieve that goal, so it’s likely a question of “when” and not “if” their true freshman running back will carve out a significant starting role.
Owens is putting on the pads for the first time Monday afternoon for Spring ball. While it may take a minute for him to ramp up when it comes to snaps, don’t be surprised if he puts the rest of the SEC on notice by the end of the season.
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