Texas A&M is poised for a big comeback in 2023. They were easily the biggest disappointment in all of college football a season ago. It was the worst season Jimbo Fisher has had as a head coach. Fisher retooled the coaching staff and brought in veteran play caller Bobby Petrino. Last year, they lost five games by six points or fewer. It was their first losing season since 2009. Here is the preview for the 2023 Texas A&M Aggies.
Offense
This offense can only go up from here after last year’s horrible run due to injuries and bad quarterback play. Now in comes Bobby Petrino, who we know as a guy that had high scoring offenses during his time at Arkansas and Louisville. Sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman showed some potential last year in his five starts and Petrino has confidence in him. Weigman is surrounded by a talented receiver group consisting of Ainias Smith, who missed much of 2022 with a right leg injury. A&M also has last year’s freshman All-American wideout Evan Stewart back for his sophomore campaign. The passing game should be fun to watch, but that’s not the issue with Texas A&M’s offense.
They need to find a replacement for All-SEC running back Devon Achane. In comes five star freshman running back Reuben Owens (4th ranked running back in 2023 class). Owens will get the keys, but they also have two running backs that have come back from last year as well. They only combined for 314 rushing yards last year, but Amari Daniels and Le’Veon Moss are back for the Aggies. As for the offensive line, they need better play in 2023. Bryce Foster missed most of last season with an injury so him being back should help. However, they need both of their tackles Trey Zuhn III and Reuben Fatheree II to play better, as well as right guard Layden Robinson. If they can solve their offensive line issues, the Aggies offense could be scary.
Defense
DJ Durkin, who is the defensive coordinator for the Aggies, needs to bolster a run defense that was soft at times last season and add some fire on the pass rush. They did have some injuries last season with defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson and defensive end Fadil Diggs both missing time. With both of those guys on the field for a full season, it will make a big difference up front. At the linebacker position they are going to need more consistency from Chris Russell Jr and Edgerrin Cooper, who were super inconsistent at times for this Texas A&M defense.
In the secondary, the Aggies led the nation in pass defense a season ago and have some key pieces returning. Senior safety Demani Richardson is the leader of this Aggies secondary. Texas A&M also has two solid corners in Tyreek Chappell and Tony Grimes who transferred in from North Carolina. Bryce Anderson is replacing Antonio Johnson at nickel and should be a suitable replacement for him. This unit will grow and show why last year they were the best pass defense in the nation.
Win Total Bet
The win total is set at 7.5 on the FanDuel Sportsbook. The over is set at -176 odds and the under is at +142 odds. Listen, last year won’t happen this year. The Aggies are due for a healthy year and will make a run at the SEC title. I think they easily win over 7 games, but the odds are not good enough to bet for me. Keep an eye out for this Texas A&M Aggies team in 2023.
Schedule Predictions
Blowout Win vs New Mexico (1-0)
Close Win at Miami (2-0)
Win vs Louisiana Monroe (3-0)
Win vs Auburn (4-0)
Shootout Win at Arkansas (5-0)
Win vs Alabama (6-0)
Win at Tennessee (7-0)
Loss vs South Carolina (7-1)
Loss at Ole Miss (7-2)
Win vs Mississippi State (8-2)
Win vs Abilene Christian (9-2)
Loss at LSU (9-3)
