Fear not, Aggie fans, meaningful college football is just around the corner, with the start of the 2023 season officially one week 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 seven days until kickoff, we’re looking at No. 7 for the Maroon and White: junior wide receiver Moose Muhammad III.
Muhammad is back in Aggieland as the likely starting Z receiver, having finished with 38 receptions for 610 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games during the 2022 campaign. After redshirting his first season, Muhammad has totaled 48 receptions for 763 receiving yards and eight touchdowns across the last two seasons. He’s averaged 15.3 yards per reception during his time with the Maroon and White.
Like so many other players in last year’s “baptism by fire” campaign, Muhammad was forced into an elevated role following a season-ending injury to all-purpose wide receiver Ainias Smith. Once Muhammad was inserted into the starting lineup, the wide receiver group began to make strides to close out the season.
Texas A&M’s passing game truly benefitted from Muhammad’s ability to find open spots in coverage, make plays after the catch, and battle and beat opposing defenders for contested catches. When looking at his stats per-game, he finished top 15 in the SEC in both receptions and yards per game. One could only imagine his final stats had he started from the beginning of the season.
The Aggies have no shortage of talent at receiver heading into the fall, as Evan Stewart is primed to ascend to star status, while sophomore Noah Thomas could very well be on the doorstep of a breakout season. Smith’s return gives the unit a bolt of experience, which means Texas A&M could have a “pick your poison” receiving room that will keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night.
Thankfully, at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Muhammad has the size and frame to line up anywhere in various personnel sets despite projecting as a slot receiver coming out of high school. If we take Bobby Petrino’s new motto of “feed the studs” to heart, then there should be no concerns about whether Muhammad will be effectively used in the passing game.
After flexing his big play potential in a 2022 campaign with no shortage of speedbumps, his efficiency in the slot should pair nicely with Stewart’s star potential to form one of the most talented wide receiver duos in the SEC this season.
Moose Muhammad III’s Photo Gallery;
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