Texas A&M Football: The Biggest Offseason Storylines for the Aggies

The Texas A&M football team will enter an offseason of change after the 2014 season. There will be multiple storylines which should keep Aggie fans enthralled with the team between now and the opening game in Houston against Arizona State. 

The Aggies had a very young team in 2014 and finished the season with a 8-5 record and a Liberty Bowl win over West Virginia. The 2015 offseason should be a time for the team to mature and get ready to take that next step to compete for the SEC title.

There have been multiple coaching changes since the end of the 2014 regular season as head coach Kevin Sumlin has looked for the right mixture on his staff. Sumlin has shown in the past that he will not hesitate to make changes in order to improve the performance of the team.  

This is a look at the biggest storylines facing the Aggies as they enter the offseason. 

Hail to the Chief

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The biggest storyline in the offseason and one of the biggest in years involving the Texas A&M program will be the addition of defensive coordinator John Chavis to the staff. 

It could be argued that the addition of Chavis to the staff was the biggest hire for the Texas A&M football program in the last decade other than when it hired Kevin Sumlin. In Chavis the Aggies have one of the top five defensive coordinators in the country. 

Chavis will turn around a defense that has ranked among the worst in the country during the past two seasons. His defense in addition to Sumlin's explosive spread offense should result in championship-level football in Aggieland for years to come. 

The addition of Chavis not only makes the Aggies better; it dealt a blow to SEC West rival LSU. The Tigers' foundation of success under Les Miles has been Chavis' stellar defenses. The Aggies made themselves stronger and one of their main competitors weaker by hiring Chavis away from LSU. 

The Quarterback Position

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Rising sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen will be the Aggies' starter in 2015. After that there is somewhat of a question mark at the position. Junior Kenny Hill is expected to be the backup, but uber-recruit Kyler Murray will compete for that second-string spot if he decides to play college football. 

Murray is considered a top baseball prospect and may decide to pursue a career in Major League Baseball instead of playing college football. He may sign to play baseball and play college football also. 

If Murray arrives on campus and beats out Hill for the second-team spot, then there is a chance that Hill will decide to transfer to another school in a search for playing time. 

All of the unknowns involved will keep the Texas A&M quarterback position at the forefront of the minds of media and fans during the offseason. 

New Coaches

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Defensive coordinator John Chavis will not be the only new addition to the coaching staff during the offseason. Aggie wide receiver coach David Beaty was hired by Kansas as its new head football coach.

Offensive line coach B. J. Anderson was fired and replaced by Dan Christensen. The Utah offensive coordinator has also spent time at Wyoming and Missouri.

The Aggies have not found a replacement for Beaty yet. Who the Aggies hire to replace Beaty and how the team responds to the new coaches will be one of the biggest stories of the offseason.

Head coach Kevin Sumlin has been slowly building the roster with SEC-level talent. With the right coaches in place, the 2015 season could be a great one for Aggie fans.   

Rebuilt Offensive Line

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Texas A&M is going to have to replace the left side of its offensive line in 2015. Senior left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi and senior left guard Jarvis Harris are going to move on to the NFL. 

Ogbuehi was a three-year starter for the Aggies, while Harris started at guard for four years. Harris also started multiple games at left tackle when injuries at right tackle forced the offensive line to shuffle starters. 

Mike Matthews will return at center, Joseph Cheek will return at right guard and Germain Ifedi will return at right tackle. Ifedi may get a look at left tackle in 2015. 

Do not be surprised to see the Aggies plug in junior college transfers on the left side. The A&M coaching staff redshirted junior college transfers Avery Gennesy and Jermaine Eluemunor in 2014.

Aggie fans should expect Gennesy to start at left tackle and Eluemunor at left guard in 2015. If Ifedi takes over at left tackle, then Gennesy may move to right tackle.

Do not be surprised to see redshirt freshman Koda Martin work his way into the tackle rotation. Matthews will be one of the top centers in the country in 2015, and Ifedi looks like a Sunday player at right tackle. If the Aggies can shore up the left side of the offensive line, then they should have an excellent offense in 2015.