With SEC Media Days beginning on Monday, several head coaches, including LSU’s Brian Kelly, took the stage to preview the upcoming season, providing the usual talking points that may or may not come to fruition once the cleats hit the turf.
Before Mike Elko takes the stage on Thursday afternoon, Texas A&M’s 2024 roster was released to the public, while nearly every player has either gained or lost weight with less than a month before the Aggies kick off the season vs. Notre Dame on August 31.
Under new strength & conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt, freshman offensive tackle Blake Ivy gained the most weight out of anyone, adding 35 pounds to his 6’4″ and now 330-pound frame. Coming in behind Ivy, tight end Donovan Green, who will return after missing the entire 2023 season due to injury, gained 20 pounds, now sporting an impressive 6’4″, 265-pound frame.
Along the offensive line, three reserve O-linemen, Dametrious Crownover, TJ Shanahan, and Aki Ogunbiyi, have added 15 pounds, while the rest of the tight end rotation is beyond massive, all weighing over 260 pounds. This is clearly a sign that the run game is due to improve this season.
On the defensive line, defensive tackles DJ Hicks, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, and defensive end Cashius Howell have added 10 pounds of mass, and interestingly enough, three of the cornerbacks from the transfer portal (Dezz Ricks, BJ Mayes, Donovan Saunders) have also gained 10 pounds in the weight room, all billed at 195 lbs.
After photos surfaced of starting quarterback Conner Weigman during the Manning Passing Academy, the redshirt sophomore has added five pounds and looks bigger and stronger after missing the final eight games of the 2023 season.
Losing weight a player who could rise through the depth chart, defensive tackle Samu Taumanupepe has lost over 30 pounds, now weighing in at 6’3″ and 350 pounds.
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