Star pitcher Ryan Prager discusses his return to Texas A&M in TexAgs interview

Here’s what Ryan Prager had to say regarding his decision to return to Texas A&M for a final season

New Texas A&M baseball head coach Michael Earley will be more than well-equipped ahead of his first season leading the program, as it was revealed that 2024 ace pitcher Ryan Prager would return to College Station for a final season, forgoing the MLB for one more year.

Drafted in the 3rd round by the Los Angeles Angels, Prager, in an interview with TexAgs Radio, provided a clear and concise answer that should excite every Aggie fan ahead of the 2025 season, as the redshirt junior feels is just too good not to make another postseason run:

“Ultimately, I was put in a position where I felt really comfortable enough to bet on myself,” Prager stated. “The development that we have here is elite, and also, we were so close to winning a national championship. You feel like you have some unfinished business there.”

Outside of a handful of forgettable starts, Ryan Prager lived up to his ace billing, finishing the season with a 9-1 record, 124 strikeouts, and a 2.98 ERA. With another full season under his belt, expect Prager to dominate on the mound with added confidence, knowing that plenty of talented arms are behind him.

With his family and personal coaches behind his decision, Ryap Prager is only helping his MLB future as the college baseball landscape continues to increase in value.

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Texas A&M SP Ryan Prager discussed his playing future after Jim Schlossnagles’ exit

Could Ryan Prager return for a final season in Aggieland? That likely depends on who Texas A&M hires to replace Jim Schlossnagle

It’s been a heck of a week, or merely three days after Texas A&M baseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s’ shocking exit to head the Texas Longhorns after three seasons, as the move was finalized just a day after the Aggies College World Series final loss to Tennessee.

While the optics were disastrous, it’s time to look to the future and find Schlossnagle’s replacement, as D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers has released three names that have conducted interviews with Agges’ AD Trev Alberts, including former hitting coach Michael Earley, who recently followed Schlossnagle to Texas this week.

As the Aggies’ roster continues to express their thoughts on the abrupt departure, star pitcher Ryan Prager, who still has two more years of eligibility remaining, sat down with TexAgs Radio’s David Nuno to not just provide his personal opinion on the news but also give details on his playing future with the Maroon & White.

“There’s so much uncertainty right now, but I know everyone’s “Plan A” right now is Texas A&M” he stated. “Texas A&M is on the forethought of everybody’s mind because of what the school has done for everybody, the fans. I think everybody feels what this place is about.”

While most of the players on the roster or currently in the transfer portal are in clear favor of the Aggies hiring Michael Early as the team’s head coach, Prager will test out his MLB value before making a decision regarding his potential return to the program this summer.

Earning multiple accolades, Prager finished the season with a 9-1 record, 124 strikeouts, and a 2.95 ERA.

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‘We want to be extremely tough, mentally and physically’ Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks on TexAgs Radio

On Monday, Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko sat down with David Nuño and Billy Liucci of TexAgs radio to discuss his inaugural season at the helm.

Texas A&M’s 2024 football season may be seven months away, but new head coach Mike Elko makes the media rounds whenever possible, helping preview what’s to come during his inaugural campaign.

On Wednesday, Elko, for the first time this year, sat down with TexAgs Radio host David Nuño and Billy Liucci to discuss his transition from Duke after two seasons as the Bluedevils’ head coach while discussing his recent staff hires, recruiting success and the 22 players acquired through the transfer portal this offseason.

Due to the current offseason success, Texas A&M has received a bit of preseason hype from ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” 2024 Top 25, coming in at, yes, No. 25 due to the returning production led by quarterback Conner Weigman and senior defensive lineman Shemar Turner.

Elko’s past employment with the program, serving as the Aggie’s defensive coordinator from 2018-2021, has provided A&M fans a pathway toward realistic expectations from the jump, especially knowing that under Elko and new D-coordinator Jay Bateman, Texas A&M defense could be borderline elite in 2024.

In one of the better interviews you’ll hear this month, here is everything Mike Elko had to say in his interview with TexAgs radio.

Texas A&M QB Max Johnson’s status vs. Mississippi State is still up in the air

Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson could miss Saturday’s night’s matchup vs. Mississippi State.

Even though Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher stated that starting quarterback Max Johnson, who sustained an apparent rib injury in the Aggies 38-35 loss to Ole Miss last weekend, is set to play vs. Mississippi State on Saturday night, trusting Fisher’s word may not be enough to garner confidence that Johnson is healthy enough to see the field.

For reference, after a rumor regarding Johnson’s rib injury made its way through social media just a day after the Ole Miss loss, Fisher surprisingly revealed that the veteran signal-caller was injured but would not miss any playing time during his annual Monday press conference.

“Max was able to finish the game, was a couple off tough shots, but we’ll wait and see how it goes. But he should be good. I’m planning on him playing and hopefully we’ll see as it goes day-by-day.”

Fast forward to Wednesday, Fisher stated that Johnson had been practicing during the week, which solidified that Max would start against the Bulldogs, Right? Well, Friday’s reveal from TexAgs Executive Editor Billy Liucci stated on TexAgs Radio that he does not expect Johnson to suit out on Saturday. At the same time, star wide receiver Evan Stewart is doubtful to play.

However, starting cornerbacks Tyreek Chappell and Deuce Harmon have practiced all week and are slated to return. Again, if Max Johnson cannot go, former Fresno State quarterback Jaylen Henderson, who only has one career pass attempt, will start in his place. Buckle up, folks.

Texas A&M will return to Kyle Field to take on Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ESPN2.

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Josh Pates’ appearance on TexAgs Radio puts things in perspective regarding Jimbo Fisher’s public perception

247Sports’ Josh Pate discussed the country’s national opinion on Jimbo Fisher ahead of Texas A&M’s pivotal 2023 campaign.

Last weekend, CBS Sports personality Josh Pate, host of the famous “Late Kick with Josh Pate,” took to the airwaves to discuss a topic that every casual college football fan lives to debate in great detail: Jimbo Fisher’s future at Texas A&M.

Opinions from the public are useless whenever Fisher is presented as a topic of discussion, as pre-conceived biases make their way to social media in droves; Pate’s recent tweet asking, “What is your opinion of Jimbo Fisher” sparked some of the funnier responses in recent memory, but none of this moves the needle when attempting to predict how Fisher’s future with the Maroon and White will pan out.

On Tuesday morning, Pate made an appearance on TexAgs radio with host David Nuno to discuss the 2023 CFB season, including his recent visit to Miami., but of course, the tweet concerning the national perception of John “Jimbo” Fisher took over the conversation, starting with the overwhelming negative to positive ratio the public forum presented, as Pate felt that after asking the same question about Clemson Head Coach Dabo Sweeney, Fisher was the apparent choice to replicate the question:

“Someone said I should do that about Jimbo Fisher. So I did it. It was about 90 to 10, negative. There were several reasons given, but when you boil it down, it’s what you said. He doesn’t do what people want him to do. I listen to what comes out of Jimbo’s mouth, and that’s a lot, by the way. I listen to the takes about him nationally. It’s like having a Nick Saban attitude but not Nick Saban’s record. The difference is Saban has multiple trophies in his trophy case. You cannot question Saban’s methodology. Whereas with Jimbo, he may say the same things, just a little faster, maybe with different nomenclature, but the same messaging, and it’s ‘Who is this dude to talk to us like this?’ Especially nationally.”

Pate hits the proverbial nail on the head with this comparison based on vocal opinions juxtaposing success on the field. Jimbo Fisher and Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban are cut from the same cloth coaching-wise in many aspects of their general methodology.

Yet, Saban’s history of delegating responsibilities, such as play-calling, has yielded seven National Championships. At the same time, Fisher’s need to sustain full power on offense has finally let him down during the 2022 season, leading to what many have coined as a “hail mary hire” amid the 5-7 record turmoil.

“Let’s go down that road for a second. Let’s say Bobby Petrino is the guy who ups the level of offensive production. What, 15 percent? A&M lost five or six games by six points or less. It doesn’t take a quantum shift in the trajectory of the program. Just fractional changes here and there. Let’s say they are in the thick of it in mid-November. Let’s also say Fisher has kept his end of the bargain, delegated playcalling duties, and the offense is humming along good enough.

Then, all of a sudden, the country does what it shouldn’t do and realizes A&M has a ton of talent. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but it will. Imagine it’s not Alabama or LSU. It’s A&M that’s in Atlanta, representing the west come December. Hit the pause button right there. What that country is saying? They are saying, ‘Wow, Jimbo Fisher! Took a little longer than we would have liked, but he finally hit the right buttons.’ They would sound the same way about him as they do about Mike Norvell right now. ‘Good for them for having patience. Look at finally paying off.’ As hypocritical as that may be as a national narrative, that would happen. People would look at Jimbo in a different light. You add back in the same jovial attitude that he takes into the press conferences, and all of a sudden, people see that for what it is. Then Jimbo becomes that dude I used to hate, but now, I kinda like him. ‘He’s grown on me.’ What changed? They won.”

And there it is, the hypocrisy all of us have been screaming our collective heads off about, as many of us have predicted a significant rebound in 2023 and know how the general narrative will pan out, as the Aggies’ chances of, let’s say win 11 games and make it to Atlanta for the SEC Title match are highly improbable, but so was TCU’s historic run in the College Football Playoff Championship less than a year ago. Ultimately, winning and winning consistently changes perceptions, plain and simple.

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