A pleasant Thursday evening to you all — it’s mail Call! (hey, that rhymes!)

Q: What unit is most likely unit to underperform not named the OL or TE group? (Ricky)

A: I don’t know how you can say that right now. Last year, I was worried about the defenisve line and it turned out pretty well. But I think we’ll know pretty quickly.

Q: What’s happening on the injury front? I haven’t been paying close attention but it seems like there hasn’t been a lot to report. (pcree)

A: There hasn’t been until today. Now we know Chace Sims and Tiger Riden are out for the year. But if they’ve gotten to this point with only two serious injuries (both to reserves), they’re doing pretty well.

Q: I know we talked a little about this in the spring but can you revisit what the new QB coach has done for Marcel – mechanics specifically, why Marcel will be different this year and why previous coaches were unable to “fix” his inconsistencies? (gilleycat)

A: Well, it’s not just new QB coach Joey Lynch, it’s also private coach Jeff Christensen up in Nashville, who also works with NFL quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes. And the changes are reasonable: consistent footwork, higher arm slot, consistent repetition of the proper motion. And there are probably several reasons that this didn’t happen before, including the reality that it’s not easy to do. If you have something ingrained in muscle memory, it’s hard to break (trust me, I know). It takes a ton of reps to do it. I remember when Jimbo messed with Kellen Mond’s motion in 2019 and he regressed year over year, only to bounce back in 2020. Sometimes coaches and players are willing to settle with what they’ve got and don’t try to make changes to go from good to great because they don’t want to take any risks. Also, when you’ve got an OC and quarterbacks coach in the same person, that cuts into the time that can be spent on adjusting throwing motions. It’s just the reality of it.

Q: 1. Are some new ’28 committments about to happen?

A: We’re getting pretty close to the start of high school ball (in some places, it’s already started), so if guys want to commit before their seasons, now’s the time. But I haven’t heard of anyone particular yet.

2. Any idea what Bucky is gonna do with his one opening?

No idea, but it sure as hell ain’t gonna be a G-Leaguer. Actually, I DO know: bring back Rylan Griffen.

3. I’ve read a couple of things about tu having some issues inside the football program of players not happy. Any insight?

Well, the Ty’Anthony Smith deal was apparently pretty ugly and got personal. A lot of parents of younger players are upset because they think their kids got lied to as the coaching staff hasn’t kept promises they made in order to keep older players happy.

4. Thank God that football is starting, huh?

Yup.

5. Has Arie done any cartwheels yet? (Tsip despiser)

Not yet. She’s still in a lot of pain, but I can already see some pretty notable improvements for the better.

Q: Are our position players in baseball just that much better than say 15 years ago? Seems like a bunch of these guys are moving through the minors pretty easy. One example: Ali Camarillo

A: They seem to be, but there’s also more of them now (I think). Camarillo has done well, Jace LaViolette has picked up since being promoted to AA and Gavin Grahovac is absolutely demolishing A ball. I think they’re better-scouted and probably better coached.

Can a judge rule leagues can’t penalize teams that bring in former pro players? (QuickDrawMcGraw77)

There seems to be a judge in Baton Rouge who wants to do just that, but I think the legal footing for that is very weak. These suits are being filed on behalf of individuals, not universities, and they’re trying to stop multi-state entities from policing themselves. That seems a lot like my folks calling my cousins in Virginia and telling them to go to bed.

Q: Do you think we’ll have enough depth, especially on defense, to substitute more freely? With the new 9 game SEC schedule, and Elko’s comments (if I remember correctly) about wearing down in previous seasons, that could really pay off this season. We may also have a few games early on where it might be possible to let some of the backups get more playing time. (Froppe)

A: I do. I was concerned about defensive end, but DC Lyle Hemphill’s comments from the other day have largely disabused me of that notion. He thinks he’s got the dudes, so I’ll take his word for it.

Q: Do smaller numbers make WR’s faster?

A: Of course. It streamlines them. But only in college.

And do numbers in the 90’s make DT and NT harder to move.

I also like defensive tackles who wear numbers in the 60s. 

Do you agree that we finally have our OL right with OT’s in the 70’s and Center in the 50’s.

Yes.

Where do you see number incompatibility on the 2 deep? (R23)

I don’t like defensive linemen or linebackers wearing single digits. That’s my hill to die on.

Q: High schools seem to police transfers and eligibility better than colleges, is that perhaps up for a change? I just read where the #15 baseball player in the country transferred to Southlake. (H273)

A: They’re definitely more stringent, and nobody’s suing them.

Q: I keep reading about Chance Collins. What does he bring to the table, where do you see him in the next 2 years and who does he remind you of? (NemoJones)

A: He’s a downhill hitter. Kind of like Tawfiq Byard, but with his build, he reminds me of Demani Richardson. 

Q: Nelson McGuire and Jerome Myles are no longer with the program due to “personal reasons.”

Are these guys leaving for playing time or searching to get paid more?

A: There were a couple of similar questions to this one, so here’s the gist of it: both were down the depth chart. I don’t think Myles is fully healthy or maybe the successive knee injuries were just too much. McGuire was well down the depth chart. Both may just need a change of scenery. 

Isn’t it nice that when we hear we are losing a 5 star wr, we can just shrug our shoulders and go whatever? (LufkinAg)

I didn’t go “whatever”, but they certainly have options at wideout that can play.

Q: Are these attorneys representing l$u and the former pros they’re trying to play delusional, retarded, or just unethical sleazebags throwing sh*t against the wall? (AggieinDC)

A: Yes. They are definitely chasing any available microphone or social media feed. If the SEC takes the gloves off, this is going to turn incredibly nasty.

Q: Did we lose Sims for the season? 

A: Yes.

If so, how much of an impact will this have ? (TAMU_Fan)

Probably not much. They’ve got plenty of defensive tackles (DJ Hicks, CJ Mims, Landon Rink, Brandon Davis-Swain, Angelo McCullom and DJ Sanders) who can play at a high level and were ahead of him on the depth chart (in least in part because Sims has been banged up so frequently).

Q: The team’s biggest question marks are both lines of scrimmage and the roster turnover we have across them. Do you think we will be a better run blocking or pass blocking team? 

I think they’ll be a good pass blocking team (knock on wood), but they need to be able to lean on teams with the run. We’ll see if they can do that.

I am not too worried about our line getting after the passer but are you concerned with our ability to hold up against the run? (cgarrett5)

I’m always worried about that, but I think they’ll be tough to run on up the middle with Hicks and Mims (and others) and Ray Coney there. I’m more concerned about the outside running game, again.

Q: With Tiger out for the season the performance of the online has become more important in short yardage situations. How did the online trend towards the end of camp? Were they playing with confidence and working well as a unit or are there some things to figure out? (GasAg90)

A: They were starting to play better. People who know things think they can be a solid group.

Q: How do you see the SEC vs lsu playing out? (OGHogtide78)

A: I see this getting all kinds of ugly, especially if it comes out that LSU has been orchestrating and possibly paying for the lawsuits. But if the SEC gets these cases move to federal court, LSU is toast.