Tag: Jay Bateman

Former Pitt LB Solomon DeShields will transfer to Texas A&M

Texas A&M picks up a productive ACC player in former Pitt linebacker Solomon DeShields

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is getting a dose of competition in the defensive room to pair with All-SEC backer Taurean York with a productive linebacker out from Pitt.

Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman quickly added another highly active defensive player when former Pitt linebacker Solomon DeShields committed to the Aggies on April 22. DeShields brings some good size standing at 6’3″ weighing in at 225 pounds and had had his most productive year in 2023 recording 58 tackles, 8 TFLs, with 2 sacks.

With the spring portal now open, expect more names to flow in and out of College Station as players start to key in on where they might fall on the roster. No doubt Elko is keeping his ear to the portal streets looking for ways to improve his team.

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Texas A&M HC Mike Elko names his captains for the 2024 season

Texas A&M HC Mike Elko has named linebacker Taurean York and left tackle Trey Zuhn as the 2024 season captains.

On Monday afternoon, just five days before Texas A&M’s annual Maroon & White spring game, head coach Mike Elko, along with defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and offensive line coach Adam Cushing, presented the jerseys to the two young men selected as the 2024 captains.

The recipients, sophomore linebacker Taurean York and redshirt sophomore left tackle Trey Zuhn III, were by far the most deserving candidates due to their leadership in the locker room and consistent play on the field in 2023.

York finished second on the team in tackles with 74, including three sacks. At the same time, Zuhn, who has fought through injuries throughout his career as a starter, was the top-graded offensive lineman for the Aggies throughout last season.

Before leaving to become Duke’s head coach after the 2021 season, Mike Elko, who served as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator (2018-2021), helped recruit both players, helping further ease his transition before Texas A&M opens the 2024 season vs. Notre Dame on Aug. 31.

Congratulations to both young men!

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‘There is no better place to play’: Q&A with Texas A&M defensive coordinator Jay Bateman

Bateman sat down with the Aggie Football social media team for a Q&A and he had a lot to say about his first few months in College Station.

Texas A&M defensive coordinator Jay Bateman recently sat down with the Aggie Football social media team for a brief Q&A and he had a lot to say about his first few months in College Station.

Question: First impressions of the program?

Answer: I think the main thing is getting back to work with Mike has been great. You get back in the room with him, it’s been awesome. Feel really good about who we’ve added to the team. I feel really good about the kids that were on the team.

“I knew that, when you’re recruiting, you knew how talented they were, especially at some positions on defense. So I think to get here and get to work has been great.”

Q: What is it like to work with coach Elko?

A: I think he’s really driven, really bright. I think a lot of the things defensively people do in college football right now, Mike started. To get back with him, we have a lot of the same philosophies. We kind of grew up in this thing together and I think to get back has been awesome.”

Q: What kind of player are you looking for on defense?

A: I want guys that play with great passion and great effort. I think when you have those two things, we’re going to recruit good enough athletes here. Like when you play with passion, you play with effort, things are going to be pretty good.

“When people sit down in the stands, I want them to know that we’re going to play really, really hard for Texas A&M. We will play with great effort and play with great physicality. I think when they cut that film on Sunday to get ready for us, I want the opposing team to be a little bit nervous about coming in here.”

Q: What makes this program special?

A: “There’s very few places that you can go play in this conference and to a great degree, this is one of them. I played here two years ago and I was working at another school. We kicked off at 11 a.m. when 102,000 people sat in the stands.

“There is no better atmosphere, there is no better crowd, there is no better place to play. To do that and get a degree from a school like this is pretty unique.

“My formative years as a football player, the Wrecking Crew was the Wrecking Crew, right? I remember all of them guys. Quentin Coryatt, all of them guys. The first day you get here, you walk through the hallway and you see the statues, trophies & awards and you’re like ‘Holy moly,’ some of the best players to have ever played this game played here.

“I think as a coach you’re saying to yourself, ‘OK man, it’s my job to uphold this tradition. It’s my job to get these kids ready to play at that level of football.’ I think that’s a challenge but it’s one that you embrace if you’re a competitor.”

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What will Texas A&M safeties room look like if junior Jacoby Mathews transfers in spring portal?

Mike Elko, Jay Bateman, Ishmael Aristide and Jordan Peterson are assessing what the Aggies safeties room will look like if Mathews departs.

Following the 2023 regular season, former Texas A&M junior safety Jardin Gilbert returned home and chose LSU in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Now Gilbert’s presumed replacement at starting safety is potentially departing from College Station as well. Jacoby Mathews entered the spring transfer portal on Saturday afternoon.

While the incoming junior could still return, head coach Mike Elko, defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and co-defensive backs coaches Ishmael Aristide & Jordan Peterson are likely currently assessing what the Aggies safeties room will look like if Mathews does find a new home.

Gilbert is gone, Mathews is in the portal and incoming junior Jarred Kerr remains from the 2023 roster. Transfers include seniors Trey Jones from Central Michigan & De’Rickey Wright from Vanderbilt.

As a Texas A&M staff member texted Aggies Today on Saturday, “Don’t forget about (incoming sophomore) Dalton Brooks. He’s an all-conference player.”

According to TexAgs executive editor Billy Liucci on X, Mathews’ decision to enter the portal “had a lot more to do with no adjusting to heightened expectations inside the program in all areas.”

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Breaking: Former Florida LB Scooby Williams will transfer to Texas A&M

Texas A&M lands Former Florida Linebacker Scooby William through the transfer portal

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is on fire in the transfer portal and is hitting on some major positions of need. Back to the defensive side of the ball, they grab a productive linebacker to help replace the loss of Edgerrin Cooper and Chris Russell Jr.

Joining fellow former Florida cornerback Jaydon Hill, Elko has now secured a commitment from linebacker Scooby Williams, who is coming off of his 2023 sophomore season after totaling 52 tackles (27 solo tackles), two forced fumbles, and a sack on the year. In three seasons with the Gators, Williams has totaled 69 tackles while bringing his 6’3″, 230-pound frame that could at least put a bandage over Cooper’s lost production next season.

Texas A&M is already in the Top Ten in the 247 Sports transfer rankings, with more to come in the next few days as Elko keeps pounding the pavement in the transfer portal.

Williams is reunited with his 2023 linebackers coach and current Aggies defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and will join incoming sophomore LB Taurean York, who is coming off a stellar freshman campaign.

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Four-star Florida LB legacy signee talks coaching changes

Florida linebacker signee Myles Graham was just as shocked as everyone else when position coach Jay Bateman left the program.

When Florida announced the departure of inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman a day after the early signing period, plenty of fans questioned how the football program could withhold such information from its star signees in the position room.

The truth is that most of the people in Gainesville found out about Bateman’s decision at the same time the recruits who signed did. Four-star legacy linebacker [autotag]Myles Graham[/autotag] might be the defensive face of the 2024 Florida recruiting class, and even he was in the dark on Bateman’s move, according to Swamp247’s Blake Alderman.

“I was very surprised by it,” Graham said to Alderman. “I kind of found out how everyone else found out, through social media. It’s no hard feelings with him”

Even though Graham didn’t take the move personally, it still affected him.

“I was very shocked because I had been committed to him for almost two years. That was really my guy. We got close over that span. I love him to death, but he just did what was best for he and his family. It was surprising, but it was good for him. We are both going to do our thing, and go our separate ways, and we will see each other at the top.”

Graham said that Billy Napier found out on the same day everyone else did. The Florida head coach made sure to reach out to Graham and explain the situation, ensuring the blue-chip talent signed would have somewhat of a say in the hiring process.

After three straight losing seasons, Florida desperately needs to find some success in 2024. The Gators face what many consider the toughest schedule in the country, but Graham says that the team has the talent to win. Coming together as a unit will be the key.

“I think we need leadership,” he said. “I think we need guys to rally together, and put their all into the field. We got the talent, we just just need to have the right play callers in the right place for us to be successful. That’s one and off the field. We got a lot of work to do in the weight room, and all that. Learning the new scheme and coaches and everything. That is the best thing I can do.”

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Mike Elko era in College Station officially begins today for Texas A&M football team

Dec. 28, 2023 will be remembered forever as the first official day that Mike Elko began as the head coach of the Texas A&M Football program.

Dec. 28, 2023, will be remembered forever as the first official day that Mike Elko began as the head coach of the Texas A&M Football program.

The Aggies lost the Texas Bowl 31-23 against No. 20 Oklahoma State last night in Houston. While it’s never encouraging to see Texas A&M lose, the Aggies overcame early adversity with the loss of sophomore quarterback Jaylen Henderson to injury on the game’s first play from scrimmage.

Texas A&M finished the 2023 season with a 7-6 overall record. Now, the Elko Era in College Station officially begins.

In the last month since being hired, Elko has assembled his coaching staff and those moves became official Thursday as well. Kansas State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Collin Klein was hired for the same position at Kyle Field, replacing Bobby Petrino.

Florida inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman was hired as the Aggies’ new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, replacing D.J. Durkin, who coached his last game for Texas A&M at NRG Stadium on Wednesday.

Other additions to the coaching staff include hiring Sean Spencer from Florida to coach the defensive line, Ishmael Aristide from Duke to coach cornerbacks and Tommy Moffitt as director of football strength & conditioning.

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What does new Texas A&M DC Jay Bateman bring to the Aggies defense?

Texas A&M will hire former Florida ILB coach Jay Bateman as the program’s new defensive coordinator, bringing a unique scheme in 2024.

On Thursday, Dec. 21, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko took another critical step toward finishing his 2024 staff, hiring former Florida inside linebacker coach Jay Bateman as the program’s new defensive coordinator.

While the initial reactions to Bateman’s hiring have been varied, any negative feelings likely stem from a lack of understanding regarding the veteran assistant’s scheme, which, on its face, is very similar to what Mike Elko deployed as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator from 2018-2021.

Spending just two seasons (2022-2023) under Florida head coach Billy Napier, it was Bateman’s successful four-year stint as Army’s defensive coordinator that led to an incredible turnaround, taking the Black Knights from 81st defensive ranking to 9th in the county during the 2018 season.

One of the highlights of Bateman’s time at West Point came against the then-quarterback Kyler Murray led Oklahoma Sooners, presenting one of the only challenges in limiting the prolific air raid offense to 355 total yards. Due to his efforts, Bateman was named as a finalist a finalist for the Broyles Award (top assistant coach in college football) in 2018.

On paper, Bateman’s 4-3 scheme focuses on producing negative plays (tackles for loss) and preventing explosive plays in the passing game while not sacrificing players in coverage, mainly rushing just four to five defenders. During the 2019 Angelo Football Clinic, Bateman, going into his first season as North Carolina’s DC (2019-2022), explained his philosophy, which he has implemented throughout his coaching career.

“It’s simple math – every time you add one more rusher, you take away from the coverage,” Bateman stated. “So if you’re rushing four and dropping seven, you can play all of the coverages known to man. If you rush five and drop six, well, now there’s starting to be holes in the coverage. And then if you rush six, now there’s major holes in the coverage …

“It’s my job to try to find a way to bring the least amount of players and have the most in coverage and create the most havoc.”

Knowing that Bateman will now possess the athletes to run this scheme properly, Mike Elko’s heavy influence, especially on third down, should make his job easier while calling defensive plays for the first time in three years.

Again, nothing is set in stone, but limiting big plays to make an opposing offense drive the field is much more sustainable than simply recording sacks at a sporadic rate, as A&M’s struggles in pass coverage were never truly covered up by the productive pass rush when it mattered during the 2023 season under then-defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.

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Social media reacts to Jay Bateman being the next Texas A&M defensive coordinator

Texas A&M is set to hire Florida ILB coach as the program’s new defensive coordinator

News broke via TexAgs on Thursday morning that Texas A&M is in the process of hiring Florida’s assistant coach Jay Bateman to be the new defensive coordinator for the Aggies.

After coach Mike Elko mentioned in his press conference on Wednesday that we could expect a hire soon, rumors started to swirl. The name that came up the most was the former Aggie linebacker coach and current Duke defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci.

We know how the internet can be, and the Santucci hate was abundant and unwarranted. Now, with the Bateman, some of the same people are still complaining.

With Elko being a defensive coach, the thought behind the hire really came down to how good of a fit Bateman would be within Elko’s system and the staff. Granted, Bateman has been up and down with his success, but he is known mainly for turning around a struggling Army defense and being named as a 2018 Broyles Award finalist.

It’s not the splash hire fans might have wanted, but Elko seemed more interested in building a grounded staff that can recruit and will jell with the university. But like everything in life, not everyone will agree with everything that someone does, and social media gave us a taste of both sides.

Breaking: Texas A&M is set to hire Jay Bateman as the program’s new defensive coordinator

It has been reported by multiple sources that Texas A&M will bring on former Florida ILB coach Jay Bateman as the program’ new DC.

Texas A&M and head coach Mike Elko are reportedly finalizing a deal to hire Jay Bateman as the program’s new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach after a brief stint at Florida as the Inside linebackers coach. TexAgs’ Billy Liucci first reported the news, which was further confirmed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Like several of the Aggies’ new assistants, Elko and Bateman go all the way back to the early 2000s during their time at Richmond as defensive assistants, as the new head coach has smartly brought on familiar faces whom he trusts, as every first-year coaching transition presents a bevy of challenges.

Outside of simply knowing Mike Elko, Jay Bateman is very accomplished in his own right, serving as a defensive coordinator at five programs, including a highly successful stint at Army (2014-2018), where he helped take a once 91st-ranked defense to 8th in the nation during his final season, resulting in being a finalist for the Broyles Award (top assistant coach in college football) in 2018.

Also known as an impressive recruiter during his brief two-year stint at North Carolina as DC/Safeties coach, Batemen helped secure several elite defensive prospects.

Bateman will replace D.J. Durkin, who served as the Aggie’s DC for the last two seasons and follow current A&M defensive line coach Sean Spencer, who also left Florida for the same position earlier this month.

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