Texas A&M Aggies 2024 Season Preview: New Era After Jimbo Fisher

the irrational confidence podcast the top 25 24th rank team in the country this is the Texas A&M agies was seven and six last year and I'm glad Texas A&M has made that decision to get rid of Jimbo Fisher I think N9 and three is a ceiling I got them 10 and two best [Music] case all right fresh let's go to our 24th ranked team in the country this is the Texas A&M Aggies and I bet you a lot of people are going to kind of get in the comments and and say like we have Texas A&M pretty low here I do we I don't think we do actually I think Mike Elco Mike Elco is a good coach don't get me wrong I like Mike Elco I like him actually much better than Jimbo Fischer and I'm glad Texas A&M has made that decision to get rid Jimbo Fisher Mike oo coming in over from duke Texas A&M though was seven and six last year I mean and they had some serious Talent over there Conor Wegman is back leaning the charge over there we've seen what Elco did with Riley Leonard saw what he did with d he's a good coach what you got for A&M here fresh I think it's the exact same scenario we've talked about USC where they they individuals under under Jimbo a lot of Highly you know obviously highly Ted recruits there's you know it started out the whole thing between Jimbo and and Nick sa it about the money and buying players and that sort of thing a lot of Highly praised guys com in but playing as individuals Elco is going to come in and change his culture where the players are no longer I'm going to say in control I think they knew they were in control of Jimbo and the players now are going to have the respective ELO he's going to push them to be better and that voice in the locker room that coaching philosophy that being a man is going to change the overall philosophy of that team and that production on the field the fans there at Texas amm they're tough if you ever you know the junction The Junction boys Bear Bryant started A&M after actually A&M after Kentucky but he was tough he challenged him that's kind of what the embodiment they've always built off of of being tough physical hardworking the 12th man the walk-on program all that stuff that kind of drive and mentality I think is back to Elco and that will change take talented players and make them into football players talented athletes into a team and you're going to see that starting out this season I don't think it's going to you might get a push week one when they play another Dame but as the year goes on you're GNA see a much more consistent play from this football team Shar Stewart he could have left he could have gone the portal he stayed Ruben Owens a very talented running back I think he's Rob but he showed some flashes last year he's gon to be an interesting bcow in that game because the running game is going to be much more of a focus continue to focus as a football team forward Wegman last year injured in the fourth game still threw for 979 eight touchdowns two picks and ran for two touchdowns completed 68.9% of his passes he has a severe amount of talent letting him develop and get comfortable as a quarterback keeping him healthy I think you'll see success as the year moves on the reason both the Ruben Owens and Wegman are being successful is also offensive system is now being run by Colin Klein for anyone who knows football Kansas State quarterback Colin line he was the OC at KC the past few years he is now the OC there in A&M he's going to bring that mobile quarterback that running game that intermediate passing game and develop this offense a little bit and make them think outside the box Jimbo's offense very pryle very predictable very boring this is going to be a big change that's going to help them Revitalize that team and use the T the best way it possibly can and a running game and a solid quarterback will help keep this team in line let the defense play shorten the game and get out there in ugly wins with going to win football games as they go on um I they aren't going to be an 11- one or 10- two football team folks let's just have to bre there but the talent they still have will find ways to be proven and put in position to succeed I think the hype and the overshadowing of the recruiting class two years ago that shine being taken off now not being gone is going to allow the players to play a little more Freer because there was a lot of pressure after that class came in um and the players had to perform being in the SEC West having to play Alabama LSU and go through that there was a lot there I think the guys collapsed and then having Jimbo had the pressure on him he didn't allow them to play in their abilities to try to H them too tight they all lost I think elco's G give a breath of fresh air you're see Wegman succeed and this team as the year goes on will get better and better and better as they move toward November I'm don't really what to make of A&M I mean I like Wegman and they return you know you talk a lot about ow but they also return Moss they also returned you know Daniels they they return a I think four guys who ran the ball over 90 times if I remember right no I'm sorry three guys who ran the ball over 90 times and another guy who had another like 40 carriers there it it needs to be a ground and pound attack for A&M and I know that that's not going to go over well with fans I know in this day of college football where you throw the ball all over the field as well but I think that you can look at programs like and again the comparison is is there for the taking but a program that is very similar to like West Virginia if they can lead that with a very Dynamic Russian attack with what they have and then use the Russian attack to open up the passing game and and to hit some of these big play guys that they have on the outside there between Thomas you know you take a look at a guy like Noah Thomas and walk both of them coming back for them as they're starting wide receivers both of them 6'4 66 they're they're two huge targets should give something Wegman to work in the in the Red Zone there but you got to show that you can run the football especially at A&M there as well elco's going to do more is probably going to do way more on the defensive side of the football because his background is as a defensive coordinator D back to his days all the way back at Notre Dame I'll be intrigued to see what he does in that regard you know you talk about the talent that A&M have brought into college football and into the college station is why I want to stay right there but you see all that talent and then you were looking at going well you had a got one guy eight sacks four sacks and you look at all of those guys that they're I don't know I really expect A&M to just have this dominant pass Rush that I saw flashes at times but some of those guys are gone now and are they going to be able to pressure the the quarterback on the on the other side here I don't know I I think that's a lot of things every time you would ask me something about A&M I'd be like I I don't know I I legitimately don't know on this team right now because yeah we can read a bunch of stuff on the paper call we could call them paper Champions there's on the paper but again to go through what they've gone through there's a lot of again there's all those stories that were out there about the lack of accountability under Jimbo Elco doesn't seem like that type of guy but again it's easy to do those things when you're head coach at Duke much more difficult when there's expectations over there at Texas A&M I'll be intrigued it's definitely one of the programs I'm intrigued to watch with here but you know go ahead fres you know you you mentioned that ability 19 players have transferred out as of end of April including Walter Nolan Evan Stewart LT over LT Overton Jobe Matthews and verdale Diggs I mean talk about the pass rush that's a heck of a bunch of players on defense and a playmaker receiver all those are gone were all those the headaches or those just named players you trying to get an A and try to win and get to the league who knows there might have been some you know some no-name player on that team who was making a headache usually those guys are the one who kicked up the football team quicker because you have more tolerance for more Talent um but that will be a shakeup maybe other guys one of those guys gone that they can actually play and they're like they're being held back where's that Tero who connects with Elco and that offense and the defensive system they're going to be put in play it's going to be a major psychology um course and study in the A&M locker room um and the& football program in general yeah the schedule's manageable for them I got their toughest stretch is that stretch with October 5th with Missouri then they're they're off a week luckily coming off that but then they got to go Mississippi State they get LSU at Kyle Field and then you got to go over to South Carolina I think that that four game stretch two on the road two at home that's going to make a break this season that's going to be a difference again I'm going to say their best case scenario with Elco is 10- two on this one I there's a couple of these team seems that you know you got to go into swamp in nove in uh September there you got to go to Auburn we'll see what Auburn is this year that's not easy to go into the planes and win that game especially late in the year and then the big rivalry that's back and people don't understand how big this rivalry is is Texas versus Texas A&M to end the season I got them best case scenario 10- two worst case scenario it's the same as last year I'll give him an extra one I'll go eight and four for them worst case scenario but 10 and two is their their ceiling for me that that trip is mine is starting with that the South Carolina trip the Williams play could be an intimidating place to play if you're a highly ranked team and they have nothing to play for because as Tennessee they beat you they take him out all right I'm gonna you know the New Mexico State game whatever but then travel to Jordan hair playing alurn and then Texas are they looking ahead to Texas and not think about alurn at down the end are they in a position they would play for elite bowl game are they on the the edge of a playoff spot with these games down the stretch where's their mind at how do they get how they going to get there so I kind of look at the last four of the season because this team is going to have to get better as the year goes on and where are they at and can they mature enough to live in the moment and play smart football when it matters most the end um I think nine and three is the ceiling the one positive thing is that all their big games are at home right Notre Dame LSU Missouri Texas they have them all if they can get three four or even split two and two they're in a great spot you don't have to worry about the hostile environment on the road against an elite team as it stands right now um the floor is six and six I mean they did lose a lot of talent maybe they just don't have enough guys in the roster right yet to play who knows but six and six is the worst nine and three would be the best situation for them yeah interesting they're one I don't know man I'm intrigued I'm intrigued bym but I gota see I gota see it the field first for me to really like jump on that bandwagon there