It’s THursday Night, which means it’s time for Mail Call!

Q: Do you think Arrington makes it into the starting lineup this year? (H273)

A: I would be shocked. He would have to be extremely good to beat out the guys who are in front of him (Rickey Gibson and Dezz Ricks).

Q: From some of our recent info, it looked like we needed to pick up some more transfers to play outfield positions. I have only seen pitchers (maybe one non-pitcher) signed during the portal period, as far as I can remember. Do we still have that need, or is it being addressed?

edit: I saw we got the big kid from OU so that’s definitely a plus. Any other noise on that situation. (Rick77)

A: Not yet, but they definitely need more than one outfielder. Right now, they only have three, so there should be more shopping there. 

Q: Is there any reality where A&M doesn’t finish with the number one class excluding any flips or is it basically locked down? (B1ack0ut)

A: I read something yesterday that said 95% of the blue chips for 2027 have committed. So I went to the two big recruiting sites and checked their top 50. One has five players uncommitted, the other has four. So yeah, barring a lot of decommits or someone gobbling up all the remaining big names, A&M’s probably having the top class.

Q: Early prediction on first Aggie drafted in MLB this year and NFL next year. (Ricky)

A: First Aggie drafted: Chris Hacopian. First in the NFL Draft next year — I really don’t know. But I’m going to follow my gut on this one and go with Wilkin Formby.

Q: What is the status of Daymion Sanford? I know he was hurt in the spring game but haven’t seen or heard details.

A: From what I’ve heard, there’s a chance he could be back for the season opener. I’m a little skeptical on that, but I do think we will see him this season and probably for the start of conference play.

Also, how is the membership looking? Good seeing how many made the crossover. (Dustytx)

Membership is still going up, but it’s slowed and that’s on me. Getting the word out is key and I’ve been so buried in other stuff that I have done a horrible job of it. But I am developing a business plan that I hope will bring some investors in and we’ll be able to really advertise. But y’all mentioning us will also help, for sure.

Q: Do you believe they are going to let the contract run out WB and then make a move.

A: It sure seems like it. It’s too late to make a move now and there have been no reports of extension talks.

Any real reports from Manning camp?

I’m guessing you mean about Marcel Reed, and the reports are mostly good. He showed off a quick release and was outstanding throwing the deep ball, which would be huge for this season. But there were still issues with his mechanics. 

How are the money ags liking Alberts? (LufkinAg)

I have heard no complaints. I’m sure there’s grumbling about how he’s not doing it the way it used to be done, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s just noise.

Q: Just curious how much you think Reed can improve this year? In your opinion, how close was he to his ceiling last year? (Naytch)

A: I think we saw what he’s capable of against Notre Dame and the second half against South Carolina. Those were elite performances. I still think he’s got a lot of room to grow, because there were still times when he was overthinking things. If he can relax, trust his eyes and know when (or if) to take off and run, he has as much natural talent as anyone.

Q: Which position group will improve the most from Week 1 to the end of the season, and which specific player will be the biggest reason why? (ChampKindWFAA8)

A: I’m going with the defensive line and Marco Jones, though you could probably also say DJ Hicks.

Q: Do you think our NIL piggy bank is running low?

A: That depends on how you look at it. Could they spend more? Probably. But they’ve got a budget and don’t want to blow it. If they weren’t hindered by a budget, then they’ve have nine 5-stars instead of six (or seven).

How many pitchers do the Ags enter fall camp with (and how many will we enter the season with)?

Hard to answer right now because they’re not done adding players from the portal. We should have a better idea by mid-month.

Are there more games in MLB this year that are blowouts? (QuickDrawMcGraw77)

Sure seems like it.

Q: We are 65 days away. How are you feeling? (Spar2cus)

A: My back’s hurting and I’m having trouble sleeping…OH, you mean about the season. I’m cautiously optimistic again. They should be really good in most areas, I just want to see them get out there on the field and see how practices go.

Q: Give us an idea of how much more Beamer/USCe dolled out for Dobson over us.

A: I don’t know exactly how much more, but it’s a pretty safe bet South Carolina went seven digits before the period for him.

Anyone else that Elko & Co. are targeting?

One guy to watch is 4-star linebacker Mikhai Allen, who will announce his decision on July 11.

How badly needed was the new Player Development Center at Olsen/Blue Bell needed? (Tsip despiser)

Pretty badly. As much as Aggies love baseball, the facilities need upgrading to keep pace with other programs.

Q: Not sure you can answer these questions, but I’ll ask anyways.

Comparisons to the 2022 class and this one are pretty natural. So many 5 star for those classes will draw that comparison. Of course, that 2022 class was full of head cases and you’ve alluded to being worried about that even before those kids arrived at campus. I’m trying to ask this question in the most general way possible:

What percentage of kids that sign with any SEC team would you guess are going to be “trouble”? Arrest, suspension, flunk out, etc during their college career. Does every team have 5% of the signees that you’d be a little worried about? More? Less? Is it just the nature of the business when dealing with 17 year old boys/men?

A: Sure, it’s the nature of the beast, but you can control how many beasts roam in the dungeon. Like I said the other day, A&M has kept 81% of the players from Elko’s first two full classes. That means there’s a good buy-in. No team is perfect and, personally, I’d be scared about every player on my team because of the unpredictability of young men. I’d say Jimbo had probably a third, if not more, of the locker room causing problems. With Elko, there are very few reports of guys causing issues.

Excluding A&M, which team in the SEC is taking more risk in the 2027 class with regards to character issues than the rest of the conference? Is there a program that is like that more years than not?

Not surprisingly, Auburn and Florida, teams with new coaches, seem to be placing a higher importance on character and team-building. And then there’s LSU and their coach, who does not care.

I think I know the answer to this question, but is there an equivalent to the “Hot/Crazy” for football? That kid is “loose in the head” but can run like a gazelle, so you roll the dice. That other kid was arrested twice in high school and is a good, not great, football player, so it’s just not worth the potential headache. (Boone8466)

Some kids who are “loose in the head” are followers and will take the lead of stronger individuals in the locker room. And I don’t care how good a guy is, if he’s already been arrested twice in high school, past performance is indicative of future results. A&M should know that by now.

Q: Mark, I’m feeling good about the Aggie football defense this year. I would like to hear your thoughts on who you believe will be the most dominant players from the line, the linebackers and secondary will be. For me, I believe that Marco Jones, Noah Mikhail and Marcus Ratcliffe will be the most dominant. Your thoughts please? (Nemojones)

A: I think you have reason to be excited about the defense. They filled the holes that were left after last season and have more speed and athleticism on the edges. If Sanford comes back and Ray Coney is what we think he’ll be, then the linebackers will be stout. But Mikhail could scare the crap out of opponents this year. He can ball. I like the safety and corners, too, and I think Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks could be problems for opponents this year.

Q: 1. Which of these topics will get the most press and discussion?

a. Texas A&M started strong but fizzled down the stretch.

b. Texas A&M has arguably the best class in the nation, and the most balanced across all needs and positions.

A: I hope B. But if we have a repeat of last year, God help us.

2. What’s on the grill for Independence Day?

Probably nothing. We’re leaving in the morning to go to Mississippi to see Arie’s dad, who isn’t doing real well. 

3. Is KJ Edwards the best back on campus, and just needs some playing time to adjust to the speed of the SEC and learn how to do the non-running assignments like pass blocking? (R23)

Not yet. He has a really high upside, but Rueben Owens is the best back on campus right now. I know there are cynics galore — but just wait. (Of course, now I’ve probably completely jinxed the poor kid.)

Q: As I recall, last season we had some problems scoring when we were at or near the goal line, and problems in getting 1 or 2 yards when we absolutely had to have them to keep a drive alive.

Am I making that problem up, or is that really how it was?

If it’s a real thing, how do you see the team overcoming that particular issue? (Rick77)

A: It was a real thing, but not as bad as 2024. That was a horror story. I still held my breath in short yardage situations, but they did a better job converting last year — though there’s still ample room to improve. In short yardage, we’re talking basic football in most instances: man-to-man, to see who’s stronger and has better technique. It’s a contained brawl.