It’s never too early to look ahead at the coming 2023 college football season for Texas A&M, which has its ample share of cynics left and right. But as the saying goes, “The comeback is always stronger than the setback.”
Why focus on the past when the future appears so much brighter?
In the eyes of Athlon Sports, there is hope in College Station, as they argue why the Aggies can make headlines this year but for all the right reasons.
The first reason to believe: there is too much talent at A&M to amount to another underachieving record.
Stocked recruiting classes have flooded the locker room with plenty of talent across the board, and the Aggies could have a more talented roster than the majority of teams appearing on its schedule that are not Alabama or LSU.
A&M has the No. 6 ranked SEC recruiting class in 2023 according to 247Sports. While no one is jumping the shark to predict an undefeated conference record, the Aggies should have the talent to weather the tougher opponents on their schedule, including the likes of Miami and Tennessee on the road.
Secondly, the addition of Bobby Petrino should give this offense, and quarterback room, a much-needed spark:
Petrino has a long, successful history as an offensive coach, and that should inject some new life into the Texas A&M offense, which was anything but threatening last season after ranking 93rd in the nation in total offense.
While it’s not a certainty that Conner Weigman will be the starter in the Fall, he played well as the last man standing in the Aggies’ quarterback room, throwing for 896 yards and eight touchdowns with a 132.2 passer rating in five appearances.
Now imagine his upside with Petrino at the helm, who has sent at least one quarterback to the NFL in every head coaching stop of his career. No one is jumping the gun by saying there’s an NFL-ready signal-caller in the Aggies’ quarterback room, but this position will surely take a leap in 2023.
Finally, the Maroon and White rarely, if ever, put up back-to-back losing seasons throughout history:
You have to go all the way back to the early 1970s to find the last time the Aggies had consecutive losing seasons. Texas A&M had a string of losing seasons from 1968 through 1973, but the Aggies have not had back-to-back years playing below .500 since then.
The 2022-23 season may have been an eyesore for Aggies fans, but history shows that last year could be a blessing in disguise. With the growing pains out of the way and an innovative mind helming the offense, this could be the year where the Maroon and White take a leap.
The chatter won’t stop anytime soon, but the reality is that there’s nowhere to go but up. Here’s to hoping that faith isn’t misplaced in the coming 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 Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee
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