Tag: BJ Mayes

Notable Pro Football Focus grades after Texas A&M’s 38-23 win over LSU

Several Texas A&M players earned high PFF scores, including quarterback Marcel Reed and cornerback BJ Mayes

Texas A&M (7-1, 5-0 SEC) is now the 10th-ranked team in the country after defeating LSU (6-2, 3-1 SEC) 38-23 behind a 31-6 second-half run, as Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed entered the game, immediately utilizing his legs and scoring three rushing touchdowns.

While the Aggies certainly have plenty to clean up after falling behind 17-7, most of the focus has been on head coach Mike Elko, and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s second-half adjustments have been a sight for sore eyes for every Aggie fan scarred by former head coach Jimbo Fisher’s lack of changes when in-game issues occurred.

However, the spotlight will be on quarterback Conner Weigman, who was benched for Marcel Reed after completing just six passes in the first half. The redshirt sophomore is expected to rebound in practice, leading to another interesting decision for Mike Elko ahead of Texas A&M’s Week 10 road game vs. South Carolina.

After the game, Pro Football Focus released the latest grades from the matchup. Here are the most notable grades on both sides of the ball for every Texas A&M contributor:

Offense:

Redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed unsurprisingly earned the highest offensive grade (91.5) in just 25 snaps. Despite completing just two snaps, Reed earned the 10th-highest passing grade (88.3) on the weekend.

Conner Weigman, who attempted just 18 pass attempts, was pressured on 54.2% of his dropbacks while receiving a 45.7 offensive grade and 47.0 passing grade.

Across the offensive line, as you can see from Weigman’s pressure percentage, was anemic at best. However, the run-blocking scores were much better, as seven O-linemen earned a grade above 50, and the Aggies racked up 246 rushing yards. Starting left guard Chase Bisontis’s replacement, sophomore TJ Shanahan, earned the lowest offensive grade (44.2), including a 17.7 pass-blocking mark.

Defense:

Starting MLB Taurean York (85.5) and cornerback BJ Mayes (88.6) earned the highest defensive grades, while defensive end Nic Scourton (73.1) led the team with six hurries and one of two Aggies sacks, earning the highest pass-rush grade (71.3). Sophomore defensive lineman DJ Hicks earned the third-highest defensive grade (82.0) and the highest run defense grade (79.9).

York (80.9) and Mayes (89.7) were elite in coverage, allowing just 32 yards through the air. Overall, the defense played one of its best games despite the secondary’s poor performance in the first half.

Texas A&M will travel to Columbia to face South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 2nd, at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on either ABC or ESPN+

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How will Texas A&M’s secondary cover Missouri WR Luther Burden?

Should Texas A&M CBs BJ Mayes or Jaydon Hill cover Missouri WR Luther Burden?

In less than 24 hours, Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC) will host the 9th-ranked Missouri Tigers in a critical Week 6 matchup with plenty of postseason implications for both programs as the midpoint of the 2024 season nears.

Coming off a bye week, the Tigers are healthy and ready to enter what could be a density-packed Kyle Field for an early kickoff and their first road trip of the year. On the other side, Texas A&M’s 21-17 win over Arkansas featured plenty of progress from the defense, especially junior defensive end Nic Scourton, who notched two sacks and four tackles for loss.

While A&M’s pass rush will look to pressure Tiger’s QB Brady Cook early and often, it’s the secondary that will have its hands full against Missouri star wide receiver Luther Burden, who will likely line up in the slot for most of the game. Here’s what head coach Mike Elko had to say about handling the star receiver earlier this week:

“It’s really hard to keep the ball out of his hands. We have to limit his touches as best we can and limit the explosive plays as best we can.”

With senior Texas A&M cornerback Tyreek Chappell lost for the season, former Florida CB Jaydon Hill has stepped in. He thrives as a blitzer but has struggled in man coverage. Standing at 5-11 and over 200 pounds, Burden is nearly unstoppable in the open field, so neutralizing him at the LOS is the best way to slow down his production.

While Hill will likely start in the slot due to his size, senior cornerback BJ Mayes is another option to consider due to his size, length, and previous success in man coverage, especially with ascending junior corner Will Lee starting on the outside.

Suppose the coverage game plan is similar to last week. In that case, I expect Hill to take most of the nickel snaps, but if he struggles, I expect Mayes or sophomore Bravion Rogers to step in to counter Burden, possibly.

Texas A&M will host Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 11:00 a.m. CT. The game will air on ABC and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

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Texas A&M’s BJ Mayes has been one of the best cornerbacks since the 2022 season

New Texas A&M cornerback BJ Mayes has been one of the best cornerbacks in the country since the 2022 season

Mike Elko’s first job as Texas A&M’s head coach was to review the 2023 tape for every position group during Jimbo Fisher’s last season with the program. Noting depth issues, coupled with a lack of talent in the secondary, the former Duke head coach knew that changes needed to be made ahead of his inaugural season.

Since last December, Elko has strategically bolstered the team’s defense by adding five cornerbacks from the portal. Notably, former UAB CB BJ Mayes, with his experience, is a valuable addition to a roster that was in dire need of dependability on the boundary. Mayes’s impressive track record, including 82 tackles, three interceptions, and 21 pass breakups since the 2022 season, has recently been validated by Pro Football Focus.

According to PFF, Mayes has actually forced 24 incompletions, allowed just a 59 passing grade and a 49% completion grade when throwing against him, and earned an 82 coverage grade after almost identical back-to-back seasons on the field.

Standing at 6-1 and nearly 190 pounds, Texas A&M’s cornerback room, combined with fellow transfers Will Lee Jr., Donovan Saunders, and Jaydon Hill, looks much improved on paper and should make the Aggie’s defense one of the best in the SEC in combination with an already stacked defensive line.

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Here are the Top 5 incoming defensive transfers to watch out for during spring football

Here are five of the incoming transfer portal members on defense for Texas A&M to watch during the start of spring football next month.

It may be early in the offseason, but Texas A&M’s spring football season is less than a month away, and all eyes will be on how new head coach Mike Elko and his impressive coaching staff will develop the defense, including a bulk of the incoming defensive transfers looking to contribute in 2024 immediately.

Bringing in a wealth of elite defensive knowledge, Elko, combined with new defensive coordinator/ linebackers coach Jay Bateman, see eye to eye scheme-wise, but for consistent success to be had, the newly acquired seasoned veterans paired with key returners such as senior defensive lineman Shemar Turner is the only way towards said production.

With 13 of the program’s 22 portal additions coming on defensive, Aggie’s horrific performance in the secondary last season, specifically a lack of size, depth, and overall talent at cornerback, provided Elko a blueprint on how to attack the portal, landing five corners and two safeties to compete for starting/rotational spots.

Looking ahead to the start of Texas A&M’s spring football season, here are five transfer portal defenders to watch out for next month!

Badgers offer cornerback in transfer portal

Wisconsin offers another player in portal

The Badgers football team has been active in the transfer portal and they extended a scholarship offer to former UAB cornerback BJ Mayes on Wednesday.

Mayes began his collegiate career at the University of the Incarnate Word, a Division II football program in San Antonio, Texas, in 2022. He then spent the 2023 campaign with UAB, recording 41 tackles (31 solo) while intercepting two passes and deflecting 10 others over 12 contests with the Blazers.

With Jason Maitre leaving the Badgers after one season with the team, Mayes could fill a hole left in Luke Fickell’s secondary if the cornerback decides to commit to Wisconsin ahead of the 2024 campaign.

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Auburn offers UAB transfer CB BJ Mayes

Auburn has offered former UAB and Incarnate Word cornerback BJ Mayes.

A new transfer target has emerged in the secondary for Auburn, former UAB cornerback [autotag]BJ Mayes[/autotag] announced a scholarship offer from Auburn on Tuesday.

Mayes spent the past season at UAB after starting his career at Incarnate Word. He started 11 games for the Blazers, making 41 tackles, breaking up 10 passes and snagging two interceptions.

The Houston native played in six games as a freshman at Incarnate Word before breaking out as a sophomore in 2022. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder made 48 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 14 pass breakups and one interception.

Auburn is far from the only school interested in Mayes, he has announced offers from Texas A&M, Illinois, Memphis, Arkansas in addition to his one from Auburn.

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