Tag: Texas A&M Aggies

Chiefs scouting report: Texas A&M Aggies DT Shemar Turner

The Kansas City #Chiefs could look to select a player like Texas A&M #Aggies defensive tackle Shemar Turner in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs lose several interior defensive linemen to free agency in a few weeks. Selecting new linemen through the 2025 NFL draft will provide the Chiefs with cost-effective contracts. Several Texas A&M Aggies, including star defender Shemar Turner, could be on Kansas City’s draft board.

Turner is verified at 6’3″, 289 lbs. with 33 1/4-inch arms, which makes him an undersized interior presence. He spent most of 2022 and 2023 playing defensive end before kicking inside for his final season. This suggests he will gain more weight and continue adjusting his technique once he reaches the NFL.

Turner’s active hands play a large role in his pass rush plan. He knows a full arsenal of moves and counters but doesn’t deploy them consistently. Turner uses club-rips, club-swims, push-pulls, swipe-chops and two-handed swipes. His swim is the most refined move in his pass rush plan. He sometimes gets skinny to shoot the A-gap.

Turner lacks instant-win pass rush moves and doesn’t deploy enough counters to revive his attack once it stalls. His upright pad level and undersized frame limit his ability to generate power. Turner’s active hands lack precision and often miss their marks on chops and swipes.

Turner creates separation from blockers in the passing game with the initial pop in his hands and finishes the rep with a rip move. He deploys a similar technique against the run. Turner changes directions well for a player his size and showcases nice burst over short areas to finish plays. His ability to track down ball carriers in space separates him from other interior linemen in this class.

Turner lacks the mass to consistently hold the point of attack and doesn’t possess any counters for double teams. He projects as a mid-Day 3 developmental prospect who could become a nice rotational piece once fully acclimated to life on the interior.

Texas A&M freshman WR shows off his speed on the track during the Corky Classic

Texas A&M wide receiver Ernest Campbell makes his track and field debut at the Corky Classic

When Texas A&M coach Mike Elko arrived, he wanted to make it a point to bring in speed to make his team dynamic, and one player he could hang on to was wide receiver and return specialist Ernest Campbell.

If we are 100% honest, it might be a while before he sees time on the football field, given his size and where he currently sits on the depth chart. Entering Texas A&M, he stood at 5’6″ and maybe 160lbs soaking wet.

However, as a true freshman, he shines the most with his elite speed. The four-star prospect was a 2A champion in the 100m and 200 m meters while attending Refugio High School and signed with A&M to play football and run track.

While he did not log any playing time on the football field, he did see his first action on the track in Lubbock, Texas, at the Corky Classic. Competing in the 60m dash, Campbell came second in heat 2 with a time of 6.74, sending him to the semi-finals. Even with a slight improvement to 6.73, he missed out on the finals, but he had a strong start to his indoor season with minimal practice.

Below, you can watch Campbell in action on the first day of the meet.

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 Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.

Ja’Kobi Lane named to AP All-Bowl Team

Ja’Kobi Lane gets recognized for his dominant Las Vegas Bowl performance.

Ja’Kobi Lane’s Las Vegas Bowl performance did not go unrecognized. This week, Lane was officially named to the AP All-Bowl Team for his performance for USC football against Texas A&M. Lane caught seven passes for 127 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the game. He was named the bowl’s MVP.

As we wrote at the time, Lane’s performance “was the type of performance that the Trojans had been looking for all year. After losing top 2023 wideouts Tahj Washington and and Brenden Rice to the NFL, USC turned its wide receiver room over to a relatively young core. While each of those players showed flashes at moments in 2024, none of them truly took over a game.

“That was, until Friday night.”

Lane finished his 2024 sophomore season with 43 receptions for 525 yards and 12 touchdowns. He enters 2025 with the potential to be one of the top wide receivers in the Big Ten Conference.

Behind Lane’s performance, USC defeated Texas A&M 35-31 in the Las Vegas Bowl to finish the 2024 season at 7-6.

Photo Gallery: Alabama basketball takes down Texas A&M for huge SEC road win

Alabama survived the Aggies for their first win in College Station since 2015. Here are the best photos from the Crimson Tide’s victory Saturday night.

The Alabama Crimson Tide went to College Station and earned an impressive — if not perfect — 94-88 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies in a Top 10 matchup at Reed Arena on Saturday night.

No. 5 Alabama’s first win at A&M since the end of the 2015 regular season was marred by whistle after whistle. Referee Don Daily’s crew called a total of 58 fouls in a game that saw the Crimson Tide take a 15-point lead in the second half and then have to hold on in the final two minutes as No. 9 A&M cut the lead to three with 1:27 to play.

Alabama survived by making six straight free throws in the final 36 seconds to close out their eighth straight victory.

Mark Sears led all scorers with a game-high 27 points, hitting seven of 18 shots from the field and going 4-of-10 from downtown. Sears’ first basket of the night didn’t come until 6:30 to play in the first half, a 3-pointer that gave Alabama its first double-digit lead at 35-25.

The Tide led 52-44 at halftime, making 10 3-pointers in the first half with Sears totaling three and Chris Youngblood and Aden Holloway adding a pair. Holloway finished the night with 15 points, and Youngblood added 14 as Nate Oats’ bench scored 40 points.

Alabama (14-2 overall, 3-0 SEC) remained undefeated in SEC play and will host the Ole Miss Rebels (14-2, 3-0) at Coleman Coliseum Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

Here are some of the best photos from Alabama basketball’s first win in College Station in 10 years.

Instant reactions to Alabama’s Top 10 road win at Texas A&M

The Crimson Tide and Aggies collided Saturday night in a Top 10 showdown.

On Saturday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide traveled for what was one of their toughest tests of the 2024-25 college basketball season so far in a true road game in College Station against the Texas A&M Aggies.

A Top 10 matchup, Saturday night pitted the No. 5 ranked Crimson Tide up against the No. 10 Aggies according to the AP Poll, with Alabama however eventually coming away with a big 94-88 victory.

In what was one of college basketball’s top matchups Saturday, let’s take a look at some instant reactions to Alabama’s win against Texas A&M.

Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi returns to game

After exiting the game with an injury at one point, Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi returned in the second half in what was a good sign for the Crimson Tide. Omoruyi ended the game with a final stat line of seven points and 10 rebounds.

Alabama dominates the glass

Texas A&M came into Saturday night ranking among college basketball’s top rebounding teams, and got completely owned by Alabama on the glass. A key stat in Alabama’s win, the Crimson Tide out-rebounded Texas A&M a combined 55-44, which includes a 24-22 advantage on the offensive end.

Alabama solid from three-point range

Another big reason behind Alabama’s win was their performance from three-point range. In all, the Crimson Tide knocked down 13-of-37 attempts, which translates to 35.1%.

Alabama struggles at times at free throw line

A game where both teams shot a signifiant number of free throws, Alabama however struggled at the line at times during Saturday night’s game. Alabama would finish the game a combined 27-of-40 (67.5%) from the line, while Texas A&M was 28-of-48.

Alabama now 14-2 overall, still unbeaten in SEC

Lastly, with this result Alabama is set to be ranked in the top five nationally once again this week, and improve to 14-2 overall. The Crimson Tide also remain undefeated at 3-0 in SEC play ahead of a home game against Ole Miss on Jan. 14.

Best photos from Alabama vs. Texas A&M over the years

Alabama and Texas A&M will meet once again Saturday night in College Station.

On Saturday night in College Station, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas A&M Aggies are set to meet once again in what is shaping up to be one of the more anticipated matchups in the recent history of the SEC rivalry.

Yes, even with two teams that have met before in the SEC Tournament more than once, Saturday’s meeting between the Crimson Tide and Aggies is set to be one of the most anticipated, as both are ranked within the Top 10 in both major college basketball polls.

In all, Alabama owns a 13-11 all-time advantage over Texas A&M, and have won both of the last two meetings, one of which was in the SEC Tournament championship game.

The lone matchup scheduled between the two this season, Alabama vs. Texas A&M will tipoff this Saturday, Jan. 11, from Reed Arena in College Station, Texas at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Before the Crimson Tide and Aggies meet once again however, let’s pause to take a look at some of the greatest photos from Alabama vs. Texas A&M in the last couple of years.

Instant reaction to Texas A&M basketball’s thrilling 80-78 win over Oklahoma

Texas A&M completes massive comeback win over Oklahoma to extend their win streak to nine

Texas A&M (11-2, 2-0) erases an 18-point deficit to beat No. 17 Oklahoma (13-2, 0-2), stealing a conference road win.

Throughout a significant portion of the first half, the Aggies appeared disjointed, struggling to make baskets, while the Sooners found themselves unable to miss a shot.

A&M’s basic defense allowed the Sooners to create several open three-point opportunities, provided they passed the ball to the right player. Oklahoma carried out this strategy flawlessly, achieving an astounding 56.3% shooting accuracy and sinking nine shots from beyond the arc, led by a career performance from Sooners guard Brycen Goodine, who went 9-11 from beyond the arc for 34 points.

However, despite their struggles, A&M was only down nine with their leading scorer Wade Taylor out of the game. To open the second half, it wasn’t much better, with the Sooners pushing the lead to 14 with 13 minutes left in the game. A turnover by Oklahoma led to a big three-pointer by Zhuric Phelps, who proceeded to take the game over and slowly chip away at the lead.

With about five minutes remaining, another turnover by OU allowed Hayden Hefner to assist Solomon Washington for an impressive dunk, giving them their first lead early in the first half.

The game turned into a seesaw contest, culminating in Phelps having to commit a foul with less than 30 seconds remaining. Oklahoma missed the subsequent free throw, and Washington passed the ball to Phelps, who then made a crucial step back three-pointer to elevate the Aggies ahead two.

In the final possession of the game, Oklahoma committed an offensive foul and lost the game 80-78.

GAME NOTES:

  • Zhuric Phelps 34 points (Career High) / 6 three pointers
  • Texas A&M defense forced 18 turnovers grabbed 17 offensive rebounds
  • 44.3% FG / 39.1% 3PT / 77.3% FT

Texas A&M will host the No. 5 Alabama at Reed Arena on Jan. 11 at 7:00 p.m. CST. The game can be watched 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.

Georgia lands elite Texas A&M transfer WR

The No. 10 ranked wide receiver in the transfer portal has committed to Georgia football

The Georgia Bulldogs have added a commitment from former Texas A&M transfer wide receiver Noah Thomas.

“Despite leading A&M with 574 yards and eight receiving touchdowns, Thomas’ inconsistency was a glaring issue,” said Cameron Ohnysty of Aggies Wire. “At the same time, his height and catch radius weren’t utilized late in the season, especially during the season-finale loss to the Texas Longhorns.”

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound junior receiver adds size and depth to Georgia’s wide receiver room. Thomas recently took a visit to the University of Georgia.

The Texas A&M transfer ranks as the No. 29 player in the transfer portal and the No. 10 receiver, per On3. Thomas is considered a four-star transfer recruit.

The Bulldogs have already lost last season’s top receivers Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett to the 2025 NFL draft. Georgia could return Dillon Bell along with Colbie Young, Nitro Tuggle, Sacovie White, London Humphreys and Cole Speer. Georgia boosted its wide receiver room with the addition of dynamic USC Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch.

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Georgia is coming off an 11-3 season where the Dawgs won the SEC championship, but lost in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff to Notre Dame.

College football commentator roasts Jayden Maiava’s bowl performance

Jayden Maiava’s bowl effort certainly failed to give USC fans confidence that the Trojans have a clear-cut QB1 for 2025. This will remain a talking point.

To say USC quarterback Jayden Maiava had a rocky performance in the Las Vegas Bowl would be a massive understatement.

The Trojans’ signal-caller completed 56.4% of his passes, and he made numerous really bad mistakes, including three costly interceptions. However, he stepped up his game late, leading multiple clutch touchdown drives, including the game-winner in the final minutes.

Despite his late improvements, however, Maiava’s performance drew criticism nationally, raising doubt whether he will be USC’s starting QB in 2025. One commentator offered harsh words about the performance on social media.

“Maiava experiment at USC been a massive failure,” said Liam Blutman of Barstool Sports, who also runs the popular “No Context College Football” Twitter account.

“Wish he stuck at UNLV. Instead he went to the school of Caleb Williams Cosplaying and it’s completely neutered his development. Way to go Lincoln!”

It should be noted that this was tweeted during the game, before Maiava led the fourth-quarter comeback. Even factoring that in, there was enough ugliness from his performance to give USC fans concern.

While it is possible that Lincoln Riley pursues a transfer QB this offseason to compete for the job, the most likely scenario is Maiava is USC’s starting QB heading into 2025. Given how his 2024 season ended, it is understandable how that might cause unease among the USC fan base.

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko could not stand losing to USC

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko completely roasted his team’s defense after USC shredded it in the second half of the Las Vegas Bowl. Ouch!

USC’s 35-31 victory over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl Friday night offered a comforting conclusion to what was otherwise a massively disappointing season for the Trojans. For Texas A&M, on the other hand, it marked a disappointing end to a season that once held a ton of promise. The Aggies entered the month of November at 7-1 and squarely in playoff contention. However, they dropped four of their final five games to finish the year 8-5. Following the game, A&M head coach Mike Elko vented his frustrations.

“The story of the game is the story of our season,” Elko said in his postgame press conference. “We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team.”

Elko also said this when asked about why he is optimistic about the 2025 season: “I won’t have to watch this defense play like this ever again.”

The Aggies certainly struggled to keep the Trojans’ passing game in check. While A&M’s secondary did intercept USC quarterback Jayden Maiava three times, they also allowed him to throw for 295 yards and four touchdowns.

“I have a lot of apprehension when the other team’s gonna drop back and throw the ball,” Elko said.

Like USC, Texas A&M will now enter the offseason with several major questions. Both teams will look to improve on their 2024 campaigns and contend for conference titles in 2025.