Texas A&M’s defense has made a big leap forward, but the secondary is a step behind

Bosting a top ten defensive in the nation the Aggie can make a big jump with four games remaining if the secondary can find their footing.

How do you feel about the 2023 football season, eight games through the regular season? Me?… I’m in the “meh” stage of what has become the standard of a Jimbo Fisher-led team in Bryan-College Station. Excluding the outlier year in 2022, I’ve come to expect an eight-win season and a bowl-game win, giving me something to look forward to in the next season.

Even within the ups and downs of this year, the talented defensive line full of blue-chip talent is coming into its own, creating opportunities for the linebackers to run and hit. Aggie defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin has also been mixing it up with blitzes from the secondary and linebacker, putting a load of stress on opposing quarterbacks, and ranking them among the top units in the country.

Despite how impressive the front seven are playing, we may forget about the elephant in the room, which is coverage. Two or three games into last season, it appeared that Denver Harris and Tyreek Chappell would be a formidable duo to throw the ball against this season. Fast forward a year, and Harris is no longer with the program, and Chappell is moving around while the staff is rotating a few other cornerbacks as they try to find the best combination.

Without being able to watch practices, I have no idea how everyone looks and what goes into the game-day decisions. So, we have to do what we do best and speculate on what we can find. There are some opinions that transfer Sam McCall and freshman Jayvon Thomas need to see the field a little bit more.

Ole Miss may not be the game to jump down the depth chart for the cornerback position, but I am curious how some of these other CBs will fare against SEC competition. I’d now play Chappell, Harmon, and DeBerry at the nickel position. Then, a rotation that included the two mentioned in the paragraph above and sophomore Bobby Taylor.

Whatever the decision may be, Lane Kiffin will be bringing in a high pace offense and a mobile quarterback that can put stress on a defense. The secondary will have to be on their game to help take away that first read, allowing the pass rush to cook.

The Aggie defense is the top-ranked defense in the SEC and a top-ten defense in the nation. If the secondary can find their groove, they can quickly move into the top five in the country and help quite some of the de-commit chatter around the team if they can win out and look good doing it.

Texas A&M and Ole Miss will kick off from inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 11:00 a.m. CT and will air on ESPN.

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 Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Texas A&M 2023 college football season countdown: No. 16 Sam McCall

Florida State transfer Sam McCall has experience at both cornerback and safety, which sets him to contend for a starting role in Texas A&M’s secondary unit.

Fear not, Aggie fans, meaningful college football is just around the corner, with the start of the 2023 season under a few weeks away! Here at Aggies Wire, we’ll be counting down by looking at each Texas A&M football player that corresponds to the number of days left till the start of the football season.

With 16 days until kickoff, we’re looking at No. 16 for the Maroon and White: sophomore defensive back Sam McCall.

The Aggies landed McCall out of the transfer portal in December with the immediate expectation that he would compete for snaps at cornerback and possibly safety, given his experience playing both positions. McCall was used sparingly during his 2022 season at Florida State, logging 70 total snaps, with 38 coming in run defense and 32 in pass coverage.

According to Pro Football Focus, he finished the 2022 season with an overall 73.6 defensive grade, including a solid 79.6 tackling grade and a 73.1 coverage grade. The Maroon and White are adding another top-tier talent in McCall to the fold, as he was ranked as the No. 49 prospect in the 2022 class before committing to the Seminoles.

Texas A&M is coming off a 2022 campaign in which they allowed the fewest yards through the air (156.2 ypg) in the entire SEC, but that unit also saw the departures of Antonio Johnson and Jaylon Jones to the NFL. That means the backend unit had to be shored up in the best method possible through the portal, and McCall joins a group that includes Tony Grimes and Josh DeBerry as transfers ready to make an impact in their new home in College Station.

With the recent development that freshman Jayvon Thomas is in a training camp battle with Grimes for one of those cornerback spots, time will tell if McCall has a lock on the other starting job. No matter how the depth chart shakes out, the former Seminole will be relied on to ensure the secondary remains cohesive and in sync, as they work in tandem with a promising Aggies front-seven, which should only result in wreaking havoc for opposing offenses.

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 Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.

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Texas A&M Football 2023 Position Preview: Cornerbacks; Transfer additions will be key to success

Despite boasting a potential breakout star, key departures leave Texas A&M’s cornerback group with questionable depth heading into the new season.

Texas A&M kicks off the 2023 college football season in just under two months, and while the offseason is nearing its conclusion sooner than later, it’s time to preview what Jimbo Fisher and his staff will be working with from a roster perspective.

The cornerback unit is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign in which they allowed just 162.1 yards per game through the air, which was the best mark in the SEC. However, some key departures leave this unit with questionable depth heading into the new season.

Returning production: Junior Tyreek Chappell returns after appearing in 11 games last season, having logged 44 total tackles and eight pass breakups. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished with a 65.9 overall defensive grade and a 69.8 coverage grade.

Sophomore Bryce Anderson returns for what could shape up to be his breakout season, having appeared in 11 games last season while recording 28 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. As a true freshman, Anderson finished with a 66.9 overall defense-grade and an 80.9 run defense grade.

Rounding out the returning production is redshirt sophomore Deuce Harmon, who appeared in four games last season while logging nine total tackles.

Departures: Junior Jaylon Jones departed Aggieland after declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft. Jones was selected in the seventh round by the Indianapolis Colts after appearing in 10 games for Texas A&M last season, recording 33 tackles with two pass deflections and one fumble recovery.

Incoming sophomore Denver Harris transferred to LSU, Marquis Groves-Killebrew transferred to Louisville, Myles Jones transferred to Duke, Brian George transferred to Houston, and Josh Moten entered the portal but has yet to find a new program. Defensive back Smoke Bouie had transferred to Georgia but has since departed the team.

Final Observation: With the exception of Anderson’s likely breakout campaign as the nickel corner, the Aggies will rely on transfer additions Tony Grimes and Sam McCall to lead the group. Boston College transfer Josh DeBerry adds some veteran depth behind them, but otherwise, the unit does not boost nearly as many experienced players as the other positions on the roster.

To put it gently, it’s less than ideal for an Aggies team heading into a significant 2023 season. However, with fall camp just around the corner, it provides a perfect opportunity to build a good rapport with the new faces on the roster. That, coupled with a string of good health for the long haul of the season, should put Texas A&M in good shape.

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 Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.

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Ranking the Top 5 new players on Texas A&M’s 2023 football roster

Texas A&M will have a plenty of new faces joining the football roster this season, and these are the five players who should have the most impact in 2023.

Texas A&M will rely on a promising core of returning talent to assemble a comeback season in 2023, but they’ll need help to shoulder the load.

While much conversation has been made about the number of departures from this Aggies team throughout the offseason, the Maroon and White have bolstered the roster with some key additions. As we’ve seen in an ever-evolving college football landscape, the emergence of the transfer portal can genuinely make or break a season.

That sentiment has been echoed by head coach Jimbo Fisher throughout “talkin’ season” over the last few weeks, who noted that Texas A&M would continue to remain aggressive regarding adding names to the roster.

While there is still a door open for moves to be made, the roster as it stands now is more or less situated for the coming fall season.

With that in mind, we’re ranking the top five additions to the Aggies football roster. Our ranking combines talent, experience, and impact on the area of need for this year’s team. So while one transfer addition may boast a high potential, another may be ready to play meaningful snaps come Week 1.

Texas A&M Aggies cornerback unit shows promise, but questions still remain following spring football

Plenty of questions surrounded the Aggies cornerback group heading into spring. But with a key transfer addition, is there clarity with the 2023 season just months away?

Heading into their spring football program there were plenty of questions surrounding Texas A&M‘s cornerback unit, following a handful of key departures. But now with the Aggies’ Maroon and White game in the books and the transfer portal nearly closing, did the unit provide some clarity heading into next season?

Let’s quickly recap how much of an overhaul this unit has dealt with since the close of the 2022 season. First off, the Maroon and White lost five corners to either the NCAA transfer portal or via the NFL Draft heading into the spring. To remedy those losses, the Aggies added Tony Grimes from North Carolina and Sam McCall from Florida State, along with early enrollee Jayvon Thomas.

The aforementioned three joined the reliable Tyreek Chapell, who appeared in 11 games for A&M last season and recorded 44 tackles (31 solo) with eight pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

Still, those additions alone couldn’t soften the blow of losing reliable talents like Antonio Johnson and Jaylon Jones. More reinforcements would have to be on the way, and the fact that many of the new faces were sidelined through spring football only heightens the ambiguity at the position.

Chappell, Grimes, and Thomas all missed large parts of the Aggies’ spring football program, and all three, coincidentally, missed the spring game as well. From what has been observed in practice, Chappell remains the best cover option due to his physicality and refined form in tracking the ball. Grimes has quick feet and a nice recovery speed that should help in defending against wideouts over the top, while McCall possesses even better speed and length.

Yet the biggest x-factor could be the addition of Boston College transfer Josh DeBerry, who committed to the Aggies back on April 18. The former Eagle saw playing time as both a slot corner (286 snaps) as well as on the outside (364) according to PFF, although he graded better at the nickel position during the 2021 season versus last year.

DeBerry’s veteran experience and ability to slide into the slot could prove huge dividends for a backend unit that, while not inexperienced based on age, still boasts a handful of unknowns given the new faces on the roster.

Additionally, there remains an opportunity for some of the younger talents to see playing time like Class of 2022 four-star prospect Bobby Taylor, who recently opted to stay with the Aggies after removing his name from the transfer portal.

Ultimately, this backend unit has plenty of promise heading into next season, but questions still linger given the lack of time on the field through spring. At the of the day, those questions will only be answered once the 2023 season officially kicks off, which makes it a reality that the Aggies will have to swallow for now.

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 Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee

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Texas A&M Spring Football 2023: Cornerback position breakdown

As spring football for the Aggies nears its end, we assess the current state of the cornerback unit which spotlights as a big question mark for the Maroon and White.

Spring football for Texas A&M is well underway, which means it’s every fan’s obligation to parse through the depth chart ahead of what will be an important 2023 season. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered by breaking down each positional battle, and up next is taking a look at what arguably is a big question mark for the Maroon and White in their cornerback unit.

It’s amazing how quickly the narrative can change over the course of 12 months. A season ago the Aggies boasted a unit of loaded talent on the backend, and that belief translated into production on the field. A&M finished the 2022 season allowing the fewest passing yards per game (156.2) through the air in the FBS.

Now that once highly-lauded unit is arguably one of, if not, the biggest question mark for Jimbo Fisher and this football program as spring football nears its end.

The departure of Jaylon Jones to the NFL certainly stings, and an inconvenient timing of injuries means that valuable snaps could be given to the newcomers and transfers to College Station. Unless some big moves are taken, it could spell early-season trouble for the Maroon and White.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how the current cornerback group is shaping up for the Aggies:

Returners (2022 season stats)

Junior Tyreek Chappell (11 games, 44 total tackles, 8 pass breakups)
Redshirt sophomore Deuce Harmon (4 games, 9 total tackles)
Sophomore Bryce Anderson (11 games, 28 total tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble)
Sophomore Jarred Kerr (11 games, 22 total tackles, 2 pass breakups)

Departures

Junior Jaylon Jones (declared for the 2023 NFL Draft)

New additions

Transfer senior Tony Grimes
Transfer sophomore Sam McCall
Freshman Jayvon Thomas
Freshman Bravion Rogers

With Chappell and Thomas not being on the field since the start of spring training, and with Harmon rehabbing from ankle surgery, the Aggies are greatly lacking experienced players at the cornerback position. That spells trouble heading into next season, and if the injury bug continues to persist, then that would mean defensive coordinator DJ Durkin would be handing the starting reigns over to the likes of transfers Tony Grimes and Sam McCall.

To put it gently, that’s very much less than ideal for an Aggies team heading into a significant 2023 season. Jimbo Fisher would be wise to explore every avenue possible when the transfer portal reopens in May, and offering former Boston College corner Josh DeBerry only illustrates how this position group is likely top of mind for Fisher.

It’s not a stretch to claim that the state of the cornerback room today makes it the most uncertain positional group for the Maroon and White. Thankfully there’s still some time ahead of the fall season, and the Aggies will likely need a combination of good health and transfer portal additions to bring some added assurance to this unit.

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 Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee

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Two Aggies are listed among 150 of the ‘best transfers in college football’

With the additions of cornerback Tony Grimes and safety Sam McCall, the Aggies are loaded with experience in the defensive backfield ahead of the 2023 season

Texas A&M’s 2023 football season is still more than five months away, but with spring practices officially starting on Monday, March 20th, it feels like the beginning stages of what could be a complete revamp of what we all had to painfully witness during the 2022 season, where the Aggies went 5-7, and a dismal 2-6 in SEC play.

Even worse, the Aggies lost over 25 scholarship players to the transfer portal, and although a majority of them were not starters, depth on both sides of the ball took a massive hit. Well, with attrition comes addition, as Head coach Jimbo Fisher secured commitments from North Carolina transfer cornerback Tony Grimes, and Florida State transfer safety Sam McCall, who will immediately fill the void left after both highly productive defensive backs Antonio Johnson and Jaylon Jones both declared for the NFL Draft just a mere month ago.

This week, 247Sports writer Chris Hummer listed over 150 college football transfers who have landed with a new program going into 2023, and low and behold, both Tony Grimes and Sam McCall were included in the rankings, as Hummer briefly explained both selections, starting with McCall at 39:

“Sam McCall left FSU abruptly. But his departure is A&M’s gain. McCall is going to help the Aggie secondary greatly.”

Tony Grimes who land at 132, played his last three seasons under Head coach Mack Brown at North Carolina, Hummer perfectly described just has impactful the senior corner can be for the maroon and white this season:

“Was it the system/coaching at North Carolina or Tony Grimes’ play that contributed to the former five-star never living up to the hype? We’ll find out in College Station. Personally, I’d bet on the talent to win out.”

Among all the questions surrounding Texas A&M’s roster that we will of course cover in-depth during most of the offseason, both Grimes and McCall are two players that will simply do their jobs to help the Aggies achieve their goals in 2023.

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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Five-star 2022 ATH Sam McCall commits to Florida State

Five-star 2022 Lake Gibson (Fla.) athlete Sam McCall committed to Florida State on Sunday night.

Five-star 2022 Lake Gibson (Fla.) athlete Sam McCall committed to Florida State on Sunday night, picking the Seminoles over offers from Alabama, Florida and others.

McCall announced his decision via Twitter. Although listed as an athlete, he will likely play safety at Florida State.

COMMITTED 100% 🙏🏾🖤 pic.twitter.com/j4bok5ulgA

— 10k.sam🥶💯 (@alabama313) February 28, 2021

McCall, a one-time Florida commit, joins Travis Hunter as the second five-star recruit in Florida State’s 2022 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, he is the No. 35 overall recruit in the class of 2022. His scouting report reads:

Just over 6-foot and growing. Adequate length in the arms with some defined muscle. A versatile athlete that has found ways to impact the game on offense, defense and special teams throughout his prep career. Instincts and range suggest, however, that his future is likely at defensive back. Does a nice job of feeling out routes around him and is able to take advantage of the mistakes that quarterbacks make. Superb ball skills also result in takeaways. Smooth in the backpedal with the ability to plant and drive. Doesn’t lack foot speed in any way. Can mirror opposing pass catchers, although man coverage techniques still being developed. Willing tackler, but that’s another area of his game that he can improve. One of the more impressive athletes in the Sunshine State for the 2022 cycle given movement patterns. Has a chance to play corner at the Power 5 level, but could emerge as an all-conference type player at safety. NFL upside.

2022 Gators Football Recruiting Profile: Sam McCall

Florida Gators recruiting class of 2022 features five-star athlete and cornerback Sam McCall from Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, FL.

Name: Sam McCall

Position: Cornerback

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 189 lbs

Hometown: Lakeland, Florida

High School: Lake Gibson

Twitter: @alabama313

247Sports Composite: Five-star

Rivals.com: Four-star

Overview:

Listed as the No. 4 athlete in the 2022 class by the 247Sports Composite, which also ranks McCall as the fifth-best player in the talent-rich state, he committed to the Gators on October 28, choosing the program over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida State Seminoles and Oklahoma Sooners.

Cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray was McCall’s primary recruiter, with an assist from passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales.

“Athlete” can be a wide-ranging term when it comes to recruiting, but the expectation, according to many people around the program, is McCall will play cornerback in Gainesville, with the possibility existing of him contributing as a wide receiver, too.

Earning a grade of .9844 from the Composite, he is the 41^st-highest all-time commit for Florida.

Presently, McCall is one of just two members in the Gators’ 2022 class, joining Miami four-star wide receiver Syveion Ellis.

Video:

Florida Gators add three commits to two classes in 11-day span

UF added three names to its recruiting class signing defensive end Jeremiah Williams, athlete Sam McCall and guard Yousef Mugharbil.

As pointed out by The Independent Florida Alligator, Dan Mullen’s program has been on a nice run on the recruiting trail, adding three commits – spanning both the 2021 and 2022 classes – from October 26-to-November 6.

First came Birmingham, Alabama weakside defensive end Jeremiah Williams, who, at 6-foot-3-inches and 224 pounds, is the No. 5 prospect at the position and a top-five player in his state, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Williams was recruited by linebackers coach Christian Robinson and chose the Gators over a Southeastern Conference West Division power, Gus Malzahn’s Auburn Tigers.

The program’s third-highest rated commit in the class – trailing only five-star cornerback Jason Marshall, Jr. and four-star safety Corey Collier, who are teammates at Miami Palmetto – Williams, paired with St. Thomas Aquinas four-star defensive end/tackle Tyreak Sapp, gives Florida a promising pass-rushing duo to build around.

NEXT: Five-star athlete Sam McCall

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