Tag: Brad Crawford

Is Texas A&M a preseason Top 25 team ahead of the 2025 season?

Texas A&M is considered a Top 25 team before the 2025 season begins, mainly due to the success of this offseason’s transfer portal.

Texas A&M’s 2024 season ended sourly after Mike Elko was introduced as the program’s newest head coach. The Aggies finished the year 1-4, including consecutive losses to rival Texas and the USC Trojans in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Still, ending any inaugural campaign in one of the toughest conferences in the country with eight wins is nothing to scoff at, especially after dealing with the loss of star running back Le’Veon Moss midseason, who served as the offense’s primary catalyst throughout the year.

As they enter the offseason with significant tasks ahead, Elko and his team have secured 12 commitments from the transfer portal, featuring former NC State wide receiver KC Concepcion. Additionally, they have received four commitments for the defensive line, with the possibility of more signings this month.

Combined with the returning players from the 2024 roster and the incoming 2025 signing class, the Aggies are competitors on paper. However, they face a demanding 2025 schedule, which includes a rematch with potential CFP National Champion Notre Dame on the road in Week 4.

Looking ahead to the preseason evaluation process, when analysts like myself select which teams deserve recognition as a top 25 program entering the new season, roster talent/depth and previous post-season success are the two measuring guidelines.

According to 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, who released his early Top 25 rankings last week, the Aggies are still considered one of the best teams nationally despite their poor finish in 2024.

Coming in at No. 18 in Crawford’s rankings, the return of starting quarterback Marcel Reed, along with Le’Veon Moss and the improved wide receiver rotation and overall defensive depth, plays a large part in his projection.

Still, Texas A&M is far from matching its rival Texas, which will start and likely finish the year with quarterback Arch Manning in his first full-time starting season. Here are the rest of Crawford’s initial Top 25 rankings:

1. Texas

2. Ohio State

3. Georgia

4. Oregon

5. Notre Dame

6. Clemson

7. Penn State

8. Alabama

9. Miami

10. LSU

11. SMU

12. South Carolina

13. Tennessee

14. Florida

15. Arizona State

16. Kansas State

17. Ole Miss

18. Texas A&M

19. Indiana

20. Illinois

21. Michigan

22. Auburn

23. Nebraska

24. Texas Tech

25. UNLV

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

247Sports projects Notre Dame-Ole Miss for College Football Playoff

The Irish don’t host in this projection.

Until the 2024 season begins, we’re left to make our own predictions for the newly expanded College Football Playoff. The only certainty is that Notre Dame can’t have higher than a fifth seed since the top four seeds are reserved for conference champions.

Most people think the Irish will host a first-round game, but Brad Crawford of 247Sports says not so fast. Crawford released his bowl projections for the season. While he does have the Irish in the No. 5 vs. No. 11 game, he has them as the 11th seed, traveling to Ole Miss.

The Irish and Rebels haven’t played each other much, and it’s been a long time. The Rebels were the only team the Irish lost to during their 1977 championship season, and the Irish won their only other meeting in 1985 in South Bend. Historically, this isn’t anything close to a rivalry.

Still, the Irish could use this as bulletin-board material. They know they’re good enough to host a first-round game at Notre Dame Stadium, and this should give them extra motivation to have a season that guarantees them that honor.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Who are the top SEC head coaches ahead of spring football?

With spring football practices just around the corner, courtesy of 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, here is a fresh set of SEC head coach rankings.

With last month’s news that Alabama head coach Nick Saban will not return to Tuscaloosa after 17 highly successful years at the helm, The SEC will look a lot different in 2024, including several new hires led by Mike Elko (Texas A&M) and Saban’s successor, former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer.

With Texas and Oklahoma entering the SEC this Fall, renewed rivalries are afoot, with the Lone Star Showdown between Texas and Texas A&M returning for the first time in 13 years. Spring football practices on the horizon, including DeBoer and Elko, have led 247Sports’ Brad Crawford to look closer at the head coach rankings, especially in the middle tier.

The SEC’s four-year title reign ended with Michigan winning the National Title in 2023. Still, with the expanded 12-team playoff structure making its debut next season, either Georgia or, yes, the loaded Texas Longhorns will make a run.

Up for clear debate, here are Crawford’s complete SEC head football coach rankings ahead of spring practices.

247Sports thinks this Notre Dame star could sit out the bowl game

Do you think this is a possibility?

Right now no one knows which bowl they will be attending but the recent trend of star players sitting out in preparation for the NFL has seen many miss their final game. Brad Crawford of 247Sports looked at who might opt-out of playing in their final contest and chose plenty of big-name players, including Notre Dame star tight end [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag].

Crawford’s rationale is pretty simple, “tight end is a position of need for most NFL teams” and he believes that Mayer will be the “first player off the board in this spot unless things go awry during the pre-draft process.” It’s hard to argue with the way he is thinking but at this moment he is just guessing on what Mayer will do.

If I had to guess, I would actually expect him to play in a bowl game. Mayer loves this team and the Irish and opting out just doesn’t seem like something he would do.

There is another player that could potentially do the same for the Irish that Crawford fails to mention, defensive end [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag]. Both players should get selected very early and have plenty of data for teams to analyze them. Hopefully, this weekend isn’t the final time we see both Mayer and Foskey in Blue and Gold.

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Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

What the experts are predicting: Notre Dame vs. USC

See who thinks the Irish have a chance.

Notre Dame really needs to find a way to beat USC. The national title hopes are gone, but this could be key in determining the direction of the program. Win, and everything will seem fine, at least for one night. Lose, and even more questions will be raised.

Here are the prognostications from some college football experts:

What the experts are predicting: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State

Who do you have in this game?

Notre Dame is hosting Ohio State on Saturday. Does anything else need to be said? No? OK, let’s just see who the experts think will win:

Texas A&M listed among 247Sports’ ’10 most dangerous teams to watch in 2023′

According to 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, Texas A&M is one of the ’10 most dangerous teams’ ahead of a pivotal 2023 season for the Aggies.

It’s preseason, better known as “Talkin’ Season” by those who cover college football daily. Even though the summer is mainly filled with hot takes and season predictions with zero merits, it’s our job to weave through the mess and focus on the content based on realistic potential outcomes.

For Texas A&M, the Aggies are coming off of their memorably disappointing 5-7 2022 season, but as we all witnessed TCU’s incredible run to the National Championship game after going 5-7 in 2021, anything is possible for the Maroon and White, who possess one of the most talented rosters ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Heading into his sixth season with the program, head coach Jimbo Fisher is under immense pressure to not only turn things around ten-fold, but after bringing new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino into the mix, the future of sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman’s progression is now in his hands, but the job should be more seamless than rocky with the return of swiss army knife wide receiver Ainais Smith, paired with the standout of wideouts Evan Stewart and Moose Muhammad and one of the deepest running back groups in the SEC.

Though I may be on an island alone in believing that the Aggies can completely turn things around, 247Sports’ Brad Crawford placed Texas A&M among his Top 10 “most dangerous teams to watch in 2023,” coming in at No. 8 on the list.

Here is what Crawford had to say:

Why the Aggies are dangerous: There is a reason Jimbo Fisher’s team garners national acclaim despite last season’s failures. The roster, despite turnover, remains elite and the addition of Bobby Petrino has a chance to pay off in a big way for the Aggies offensively. With Evan Stewart and Ainias Smith — who many have compared to Deebo Samuel due to his versatility — are back, along with promising wideout Moose Muhammad III, there’s a lot to work with for Petrino if quarterback Connor Weigman is able to take the next step. With a couple sophomores expected to start along the offensive front, that might be the defining position group this fall as Texas A&M tries to find more potency on Petrino’s side of the football.

As the offense is slated to take a huge step, especially in the passing game, Crawford and I agree that the trenches may define this team from a consistency standpoint. Defensively, the Aggies are expected to dominate at the line of scrimmage due to a deep defensive line rotation, yet the depth at defensive back, despite the starting talent, remains an issue, leading to Fisher’s recent comment that more additions through the transfer portal are coming in due time,

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Texas A&M possesses one of the 12 “most lethal rosters for 2023”

According to 247Sports, Texas A&M is among 12 programs with college football’s “most lethal rosters” heading into the 2023 season

The Aggies are just a mere month and a half away from their 2023 Maroon and White spring game on April 15th, ahead of what should be one heck of a season in what many will coin as a “revenge tour” for Head coach Jimbo Fisher after a disappointing 5-7 finish after the 2022 season.

Texas A&M will be stockpiled with talent and returning experience heading into the 2023 campaign, headlined by the return of wide receiver Ainias Smith, who missed the final eight games in 2022 after a season-ending leg injury. Other highly regarded returnees include strong safety Demani Richardson, nose tackles McKinnley Jackson and Walter Nolan, and linebackers Edgerren Cooper and Chris Russell Sr.

Through the transfer portal, the Aggies made four key additions on offense and defense, adding cornerback Tony Grimes, safety Sam McCall, linebacker Aidan Siano, and wide receiver Tyrin Smith, and let’s not forget the incoming freshmen from one of the most underrated recruiting classes in the 2023 cycle.

According to 247Sports writer Brad Crawford, Texas A&M possesses one of the “most lethal rosters” heading into the 2023 season, tied for 5th with the Texas Longhorns in his Top 12 rankings, stating,

Texas A&M pulled in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class last year — an all-timer — and the Aggies’ 2023 class is among the country’s biggest “sleeper classes,” according to Late Kick host Josh Pate. A year after inking the nation’s top-ranked class, Texas A&M currently has the No. 12 class in the country, one that brings two more five-star players to College Station along with 11 four-star players. Katy (Texas) Paetow defensive lineman David Hicks is the top-ranked player at his position, and the No. 11 overall player. Texas A&M’s other five-star get also came from the Lone Star State in El Campo (Texas) running back Rueben Owens, the No. 2 running back and No. 31 overall prospect. And while Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep interior offensive lineman Chase Bisontis didn’t garner a five-star ranking, he was the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the class.

No matter how bad things looked on the field last season, Jimbo Fisher has a tight grip on a program that is back on the upswing, and with Quarterback Conner Weigman’s first season as the full-time signal caller, the possibilities are endless for one of the best rosters in the country going into the pivotal 2023 season.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty

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Reports: Haynes King dealing with a significant injury

Is Aggies quarterback Haynes King dealing with a significant injury?

Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC) is nearly halfway through their bye week, set to end next Monday as the team will begin preparations for their Oct. 22nd matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina.

The team is in the same “reflection” mode as we are here at Aggies Wire during the bye, looking back in great detail on what went wrong, and what went right against an Alabama team that was favored by 24 points, while escaping 24-20 after holding the Aggie offense from scoring what would have been the game-winning touchdown in the final 3 seconds.

The immediate reaction after the loss from most of the media centered their focus on the low-hanging fruit being the final offensive play call orchestrated by Aggie head coach Jimbo Fisher, yet the tough, gritty play by quarterback Haynes King, who threw for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss was also pointed out, with many noticing King limping around paired with pain induced boy language in the final seconds of the game.

Early Wednesday, Brad Crawford of 247Sports tweeted a rumor that Haynes King may be dealing with a semi-serious injury that could keep him out of the Oct. 22nd game against the Gamecocks.

Information regarding King, along with other Aggie injuries, has been scarce due to Jimbo Fisher’s lack of media availability during the bye week, and until we hear it from Jimbo or someone in the program, it’s impossible to know for sure.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty

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Twitter reacts to Michael Mayer touchdown to put Notre Dame on board

Nice first touchdown.

To put it lightly, Notre Dame had a bad first quarter against North Carolina. The defense allowed a 12-play, 76-yard drive that culminated in a fourth-down touchdown for the Tar Heels. The offense barely could gain any yardage to save itself. The result was a 7-0 Heels lead after the first 15 minutes.

Once the second quarter began, the offense finally showed signs of life. The first play saw [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag] connect with [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] for a 34-yard completion to get into Heels territory. After three straight runs from [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag], Pyne completed a pass beneath the Heels’ secondary to [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag], who ran for a 10-yard touchdown to tie the game:

Mayer entered the week with fewer receiving yards than [autotag]Lorenzo Styles[/autotag]. Hopefully, this is the game that gives him the team lead for good. Until we can find that out, look at how Twitter users expressed themselves after Mayer’s latest touchdown: