Fear not, ladies and gentlemen, meaningful college football is just around the corner, with the start of the 2023 season under two months 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 33 days until the start of the season, we’re looking at No. 33 for the Maroon and White: sophomore safety Jarred Kerr.
The former three-star recruit in the 2022 class returns after logging 198 defensive snaps last season, primarily against the run. He recorded 108 snaps as a run defender, 88 in pass coverage, and just two as a pass rusher. He graded well as a tackler with a 71.7 grade according to Pro Football Focus. For his entire rookie campaign, he recorded 13 tackles (8 assisted), with one sack and just two missed tackles.
While bringing down opposing defenders was a strength, he’ll look to improve his pass coverage for his sophomore season. Through those 88 snaps in coverage, he gave up seven receptions on 10 targets for an average of 14.1 yards per reception, which equated to a 58.8 coverage grade per PFF.
Kerr will join another fellow 2022 four-star prospect, Jacoby Matthews, to provide depth behind a tandem of established starters in safeties Demani Richardson and Jardin Gilbert. He’ll have an excellent opportunity ahead of him to be mentored by both for an expanded role further down the line. In the short-term, the Aggies will surely leverage his speed Kerr as a third-down blitzing option to pressure the opposing quarterback.
While he may not get as much run as the established starters, he’ll be relied upon nonetheless to help reinforce a secondary that allowed just 156.2 yards per game through the air, which was the fewest in the SEC last season. Having ample depth will be critical for the Aggies to execute on their bounce-back season, and that means Kerr will be among those to play a pivotal role.
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