ESPN reveals Texas A&M's 3 biggest 'ifs' ahead of the 2025 season

USA Today

3 days ago

Texas A&M's 2025 season will continue to be met with a host of questions, and thanks to ESPN writer Bill Connelly, the three biggest "ifs" regarding the Aggies' potential success this fall have been addressed. Most of the questions are recognizable based on the content we at Aggies Wire have put out during the offseason, especially quarterback Marcel Reed's improvement as a passer, aided by a revamped wide receiver room.
This concern is one of the "ifs", while Texas A&M's new defensive line, following the departures of Shemar Stewart, Shemar Turner, and Nic Scourton, is the second most significant question after head coach Mike Elko added four defensive linemen from the transfer portal, led by former Iowa State DL Tyler Odyedim.
During SEC media days, Elko was seldom asked about the Aggies' secondary, which needs to improve in terms of preventing big plays and perform much better on the road. This was the final question Connelly addressed in the article. Credit to Connelly for focusing on the core issues that will make or break the Aggies in 2025 instead of discussing the Lone Star Rivalry, which is four months away.
Here are Bill Connelly's three "ifs" for Texas A&M during the 2025 season:
Will Texas A&M's passing game find more pop? (Connelly's words)
"There's a lot to like about this A&M team. Quarterback Marcel Reed returns after producing the best QBR of any freshman in the SEC -- that's right, it wasn't LaNorris Sellers or DJ Lagway. Reed was solid in terms of both run and pass, but the Aggies' passing game wasn't very explosive. And now last season's top five pass targets are gone. Can transfers such as KC Concepcion (NC State) and Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and young former blue-chippers including Terry Bussey and Ashton Bethel-Roman provide the pop the Aggies lacked?"
Yes, Marcel Reed's 75.4 QBR was the best for any freshman signal caller in the SEC last season, and while KC Concepcion and Mario Craver may take time to adjust to the scheme, Terry Bussey, Ashton Bethel-Roman, and Izaiah Williams are on the right track to providing more speed to an offense that lacked notable juice throught the air last season.
Will Texas A&M's new pass rush perform better than last season?
"A&M ranked 19th in defensive SP+ last season -- strangely, it was the sixth time in seven years that the Aggies ranked between 16th and 21st. They defended the pass well, but they could have done it even better if they hadn't ranked 85th in sack rate. Pairing transfer pass rushers such as Dayon Hayes(Colorado) and T.J. Searcy (Florida) with returning starter Cashius Howell and, perhaps, youngsters like Rylan Kennedy and Solomon Williams could produce a strong pass rush tandem. The secondary is going to be awesome regardless, but a little more harassment up front could go a long way."
This is an interesting point, noting that statistics speak loudly regarding Texas A&M's defensive lapses during the tail end of the 2024 season, which failed to produce enough pressure up front even with Stewart, Scourton, and Turner in the starting lineup.
Agreeing with Connelly, Texas A&M's cornerback and safety rotation may not be considered the best in the SEC with what Alabama and Texas are returning, but it should be solid. If the new pass rush produces consistently, the Aggie defense will be highly formidable with Elko now calling plays.
Will Texas A&M's secondary allow fewer big plays?
"A&M ranked fourth nationally in completion rate allowed (53.3%) and 19th in interception rate (3.7%). This was an aggressive secondary, and it returns both a dynamite cornerback duo (Dezz Ricks and Will Lee III) and a pair of safeties (Dalton Brooks and Marcus Ratcliffe) who are unafraid of attacking both the ball and the line of scrimmage. The arrival of Washington nickel back Jordan Shaw is exciting, too. But when opponents landed a punch, it was a haymaker.
A better pass rush would tamp down on breakdowns, but if experience means A&M's secondary is even better in the risk-versus-reward department, this could be the best pass defense in the country."
Connelly's praise for Texas A&M's secondary is somewhat surprising, especially for someone like me who covers the program professionally, but I understand it. Cornerbacks Will Lee III and Julian Humphrey, who Connelly confusingly did not mention, are slated to be one of the better boundary duos in the country, while former five-star Dezz Ricks and senior cornerback Tyreek Chappell will likely lead the starting unit.
Former Washington cornerback Jordan Shaw has also received praise this offseason from the coaching staff and Lee, making the starting nickel spot between him and Chappell an interesting storyline this fall. At safety, Dalton Brooks is an elite athlete who needs to refine some technical aspects of his game, while Bryce Anderson and March Ratcliffe are equally athletic but also need to take the next step in their development.
Working under new defensive assistant Lyle Hemphill is an underrated and underreported aspect of the secondary's likely improvement, as the former James Madison defensive coordinator was brought in to clean up the remaining issues that plagued this group last season.
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