Texas A&M 2021 Football Preview

2020 Recap

Texas A&M began the 2020 season on the wrong foot. The Aggies struggled offensively in their season opener against Vanderbilt, but managed a 17 – 12 win. The next week the team traveled to Tuscaloosa and suffered a difficult 52 – 24 loss. While the standing had the Aggies at 1 – 1, it felt closer to 0 – 2 but the momentum of the season changed in week 3.

The Aggies returned home to face Florida in a game most expected them to lose. Instead Texas A&M found their offense and matched Florida’s high powered offense en route to a 41 – 38 victory. The win paved the way for a strong stretch that saw A&M win the rest of their regular season games by double digits.

Unfortunately, Alabama finished the regular season undefeated and kept the Aggies out of the SEC championship game. The Aggies did not get picked for the College Football Playoff, but dominated North Carolina in the Orange Bowl. Texas A&M finished the season 9 – 1 and will look to continue that success in 2021.

2020 Leaders

Projected Starters

Reasons For Optimism

A Strong Defensive Line

The Aggies lost Bobby Brown to the NFL Draft, but the defensive line returns several key contributors from 2020. DeMarvin Leal is an end that can move inside in pass rush situations and will wreak havoc in 2021. He is joined at defensive end by Michael Clemons and Tyree Johnson who combined for 10.5 tackles for loss in 2020. At defensive tackle Jaden Peavy will lead the way. He accounted for five tackles for loss while starting at tackle last year. He will be joined on the interior by McKinnley Jackson who played well in his limited opportunities in 2020. Texas A&M has recruited well on the defensive line, including one of the best defensive line classes this past cycle. There is young depth ready to spell the quality group of starters the Aggies have for 2021.

The Running Backs

Texas A&M had a strong stable of running backs in 2020 and returns almost all of the production that group provided. Isaiah Spiller is the leader of the group and carried the bulk of the load with over 1,000 yards rushing in 2020. True freshman Devon Achane had limited opportunities but made the most of them, averaging 8.47 yards per carry on 43 carries. Ainias Smith plays in the slot quite a bit, but can also play running back and ran for 293 yards on 49 carries last year. He also added 43 catches for 564 yards as a receiver. The Aggies also added one of the best running backs in the 2021 class to the room when they signed LJ Johnson. Texas A&M’s running back room will have as much talent as any in the country in 2021

Experience and Talent at Safety

Leon O’Neal Jr and Demani Richardson combine to form one of the most talented safety tandems in college football. Richardson has been one of the top players at the position since his freshman season and will likely keep getting better. O’Neal has always had the talent to be a star, but struggled with his consistency early in his career. In 2020 he played the best football of his career, showing more consistency and limiting the mistakes of aggression that haunted him earlier in his career. If that trend continues into 2021, the Aggies will have a formidable pair of safeties as the last line of their defense. With a talented defensive line, and the aggression good safety play allows a defensive coordinator to have, Texas A&M will be able to put a lot of pressure on opposing offenses this season.

Causes For Concern

Unproven Quarterback

One of the biggest differences between the 2020 team and the 2021 edition will be at the quarterback position. The Aggies entered 2020 with an established starter in Kellen Mond, who had two years of experience under his belt. Entering the fall of 2021 there is still a quarterback battle in College Station between Haynes King, a four star recruit in the 2020 class, and Zach Calzada, a three star recruit in the 2019 class. King played sparingly last year, but it was hardly enough to establish himself as next in line. Texas A&M hasn’t picked a starting quarterback and uncertainty at the position will remain until one of the two takes the job and performs well enough to be the unquestioned starter. The sooner that happens, the better for the Aggies 2021 season.

New Starters on the Offensive Line

Texas A&M’s offensive line played very well in 2020, but the unit lost four starters and technically will have five new starters as Kenyon Green kicks out from guard to tackle. Green of course is not the main issue here, he is a proven player who was dominant as a run blocker and solid in pass protection in 2020. The other four spots are going to be the ones that keep Texas A&M fans from sleeping easy. The offensive line is not an easy place for first time starters. It usually takes a few weeks for a unit to form chemistry and for players to get comfortable with what they are seeing across from them. Add in the inexperience at quarterback and the need for the offensive line to be ready becomes more important than ever. The ability of the offensive line to come together will be a key factor in 2021.

2021 Schedule

Top 25 Players

2021 Projection

Texas A&M has a favorable schedule that will allow the team to find it’s rhythm early in the season. There are no big out of conference opponents and the toughest game the first five weeks is a home match-up with Arkansas. The Aggies play Alabama week 6 but get the Crimson Tide and Auburn at home this year. They will travel to Mississippi and LSU this year for what could be tough games but both teams have work to do before they can be considered contenders in the SEC West. Texas A&M has some questions to answer early in the season, but will have some leeway when answering them because of the way the schedule sets up. The defense will help carry the team early and even with some struggles on offense the Aggies should win ten games in 2021. If they can get past Alabama a trip to the SEC Championship Game could be in the cards, but that’s a pretty big if.