Texas A&M football: 10 burning questions as the Aggies head into the offseason

Credit Jimbo Fisher for making a move he didn’t want to make, but had to. With an ego as big as the Bush Library. it couldn’t have been an easy decision to step aside and bring in an ego at least as big as his to take over the play-calling duties.

Bobby Petrino will give the Aggies’ offense a new look and a pair of fresh eyes with which to evaluate the current situation. Texas A&M finished 11th and 12th, respectively, in the SEC over the past 2 seasons in total offense.

A change was necessary. How it all plays out is among the many burning questions for Texas A&M heading into the offseason. Where to begin? Here are 10.

1. Can Fisher and Petrino coexist?

Not many are giving this duo a chance to make it through 1 season. The strong personalities make it a viable question as to whether Fisher can actually give up the duties he has been tasked with nearly his entire career.

This will be quite interesting to track over the course of spring ball all the way up and through the 2023 season. Hopefully, the move will be a positive one, rather than a distraction.

2. How will this raise Conner Weigman’s game?

If left alone to do his work, Petrino could bring out Weigman’s strengths. He did it at Louisville with Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. Weigman, a 5-star talent from Cypress, has the tools to be among the best in the conference for years to come.

The freshman threw for 338 yards and 4 TDs against Ole Miss in his unveiling last October. He completed 28 of 44 passes. But he steadily made fewer and fewer throws over the final 3 games of the season.

Look for Petrino to ramp him back up and utilize Weigman’s arm strength and decision-making to move the ball down the field. Weigman did not throw a pick in 132 attempts as a freshman.

3. What will the Aggies’ offense look like under Petrino?

While Fisher game planned for a more balanced, ball-control attack, fitting his players into the system, Petrino has been more flexible in utilizing his personnel. Expect a more modernized offense with the football flying around the field, rather than the ball-controlled, more physical approach that Fisher maintained.

That’s not to say that under Petrino, the Aggies will abandon the run game. It just means that under Petrino, the Aggies will attack where their strengths are.

4. Who fills the shoes of Devon Achane?

They’re big shoes to fill, but the Aggies have potential at the position. Achane’s 1,102 rushing yards last season were the most at Texas A&M since Trayveon Williams churned out 1,760 in 2018.

Is Amari Daniels the answer? Or perhaps, a running back by committee with 5-star Le’Veon Moss is better suited for the position. Daniels averaged 5.56 yards per carry on 36 totes last season. Moss carried 27 times for a 4.22 yards-per-carry average.

5. How will the offensive line rate in 2023?

Injuries and youth were main causes of a subpar performance from the offensive line in 2022. But if healthy, this could be a much better and more experienced group in the upcoming season.

Trey Zuhn III, Aki Ogunbiyi, Bryce Foster and Reuben Fatheree II have experience, and together they can form a strong unit, if healthy. That’s the big question. If they can remain on the playing field, the Aggies will be OK on the offensive line.

6. Will the transfer portal destroy the program?

It isn’t helping. The Aggies have seen 13 4-star athletes hit the portal. That’s an incredible amount of talent. And that doesn’t even count the additional 9 3-stars in the portal with them.

Fisher has brought in a lot of talent, especially with the class of 2022. Now, keeping it has become the issue. With NIL coinciding with the transfer portal, holding a team together has become equivalent to herding cats.

7. What will the cornerback position look like?

The transfer portal giveth, and the transfer portal taketh away. Mostly, it has taken away at the corner spot, with 4-stars Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Louisville), Smoke Bouie (Georgia), Denver Harris (LSU) and Josh Moten heading for greener pastures. In addition, 3-star Myles Jones is in the transfer portal. And that’s not counting Jaylon Jones, who declared for the NFL Draft.

That left Tyreek Chappell to lead the position. That is, until Fisher grabbed 4-star CBs Sam McCall, from FSU, and Tony Grimes, from North Carolina.

As the old saying goes, “You can’t tell the players without a program.”

8. Is this the year the class of 2022 takes over?

It’s either this year or next. Weigman, WR Evan Stewart and TE Donovan Green on offense and linemen Walter Nolen, Shemar Stewart and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy on defense are 5-stars who lead the way. Add in DB Bryce Anderson along with WR Noah Thomas and Moss on offense and you have a nucleus from which to build.

9. Will depth be an issue?

With the mass exodus in the transfer portal, depth becomes an issue. Although Fisher has begun to replenish with a couple of portal signings, the scales are still tipped against the Aggies in that regard.

This cycle, the Aggies ranked No. 12 by 247Sports.com in recruiting and No. 38 in the transfer portal. The youth card just might rear its ugly head again in 2023 if things don’t improve in Aggieland.

10. Have off-field distractions been addressed?

The Aggies suffered from a disjointed locker room last season. Off-field suspensions were plentiful. It could be a reason why so many hit the transfer portal. If that’s the case, then addition by subtraction favored the Aggies. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on for the 2023 season.