Texas A&M held an open practice Sunday in Kyle Field as a chance to get a first-look at the re-tooled, and motivated, football team.
While the media was treated to just a glimpse of how this roster is shaping up to be, Sunday’s lone open practice of fall camp provided a few notable takeaways nonetheless. The Maroon and White weren’t in full pads, rather they were in helmets and shells, but the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work should have fans animated for the fall.
First and foremost, it’s looking like we’re headed for a Noah Thomas breakout season. Hot off being named the team’s spring offensive MVP, Thomas illustrated his big-play potential with a few highlight-worthy grabs in Sunday’s practice. Among them, the sophomore fended off safety Jardin Gilbert and cornerback Jayvon Thomas while catching a deep pass from quarterback Conner Weigman toward the sideline.
As echoed by GigEm247’s Carter Karels, the Thomas hype is real heading into 2023:
Maybe my biggest takeaway from Texas A&M’s practice — the Noah Thomas hype is very much real.
Tall receiver who uses his length/wide catch radius well. Shows great hands too when catching passes in traffic.
He’s going to be a major big-play threat in this offense.
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) August 7, 2023
Secondly, Texas A&M should be in good hands when it comes to the backfield. De’Von Achane’s departure leaves some big shoes to fill, but the trio of Amari Daniels, Le’Veon Moss, and true freshman Reuben Owens should give the Aggies more than an ample running game. Owens, in particular, has the makings of being a dual-threat option with his knack for catching the ball.
Whether it’s Weigman or Max Johnson, which will likely be a position battle that goes down to the wire, either signal-caller should benefit from Owens’ vision and patience when it comes to the passing game. As Karels echoed, the five-star true freshman looks anything but when it comes to his play on the field:
I really like the RB trio of Amari Daniels, Le’Veon Moss and Reuben Owens. Owens stood out today.
His vision, patience and hands are very impressive. Does not look like a freshman, and I expect he will play a lot this season. Could see him catching a lot of passes in his career.
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) August 7, 2023
On the defensive side of the ball, there is reportedly some surprise competition in the secondary. As we recently shared here at Aggies Wire, freshman cornerback Jayvon Thomas shared first-team reps on the outside with graduate transfer Josh DeBerry. That’s an intriguing development given the assumption that transfer Tony Grimes would start across junior Tyreek Chappell.
Of course, Aggie fans should take these early takeaways with a grain of salt, as they derive from a small sample size. There is still plenty of time ahead of Texas A&M’s season opener on Sep. 2, so we could absolutely see things shake out as expected. However, the brief glimpse into how this team is developing should give fans cause for enthusiasm. Buckle up, because we have just four Saturdays left until the start of a pivotal 2023 campaign.
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