Texas A&M Football: How Does the Aggies' DL Look for 2012?

The Texas A&M Football team heads into spring practice with only six scholarship defensive linemen on the roster. The Southeastern Conference is the best football conference in America and is defined by its dominant defensive lines. How the Aggies are able to match up in the trenches, on the defensive line, will determine how much success they have in their inaugural season in the SEC.

The move to the 4-3 "under" defense from the 3-4 scheme that the Aggies ran in 2011 will necessitate more defensive linemen on the roster. Kevin Sumlin and the staff began to address this need with six defensive linemen signed in the 2012 recruiting class. 

With the move to Mark Snyder's 4-3 defense you can expect Damontre Moore and Brandon Alexander to transition from their former outside linebacker spots to a rush defensive end position. If you consider those two in the defensive line equation it means that the Aggies will enter spring practice with eight defensive linemen on the roster.

The SEC is such a physical league that a team needs to be three-deep at every position in order to have a championship season. The Aggies will need to get meaningful minutes from their incoming freshmen  to survive their inaugural season in the conference.

It looks like Jonathan Mathis will definitely be a starter on the interior in 2012. The question is whether the 6'2", 293-lb senior will play nose tackle or weak side defensive tackle. Mathis played NG for the Aggies in 2010 and started the year at DE in 2011 before he had his season cut short by injury.

Mathis should benefit from the move to an even front defense. Right now, you should expect him to start at nose tackle. Mathis is a future NFL defensive linemen. If the Aggies had three other DL as good as Mathis they would be set for 2012.

Kirby Ennis could challenge Mathis for the starting NT spot. He has seen extensive playing time at nose guard during his three years on campus. The redshirt junior will likely be the backup nose tackle in 2012. Right now, he is simply not strong enough to hold up against the every down pounding in the SEC. It will be interesting to see how he responds to Larry Jackson's strength and conditioning program.

Gavin Stansbury saw a lot of playing time at NG and DE in 2011. He needs to add some good weight to his 6'4", 265-lb frame, but the redshirt sophomore has a bright future in the program. Expect Stansbury to start at the defensive tackle position next to Mathis. Ennis could also be a factor at the DT position.

Ivan Robinson struggled with injuries in 2011. If he can stay healthy in 2012 the 6'3", 270-lb junior should be the second string defensive tackle. Robinson is a great athlete but has yet to make an impact on the field. He needs to step up and impress the coaches this spring or he will risk being passed by the incoming freshmen in the fall.

Spencer Nealy will start at the strong side defensive end. The 6'5", 277-lb senior is the emotional leader of the defense. The former walk-on plays with great intensity and can be counted on to make one or two big plays per game. Nealy had eight tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2011. He should be a solid starter at DE for the Aggies.

The other DE spot will be manned by Moore. Do not be surprised to see the 6'4", 245-lb junior add five to 10 pounds as he transitions for the weak side defensive end spot. He led the Aggies in tackles for loss in 2011 with 17.5.

Alexander will back up Moore and has ideal size for a weak side DE at 6'6" and 240-lb. Expect him to add some weight under Jackson's weight program. Alexander missed much of the 2011 season with a dislocated elbow but did manage 1.5 tackles for loss.

Expect Edmund Ray to compete for immediate playing time on the interior. The 6'5", 290-lb incoming freshman has the size to play in the SEC immediately.

Polo Manukainiu, Julien Obioha and Alonzo Williams will all compete for playing time in the spring. Do not be surprised to see Manukainiu or Williams backing up Nealy at defensive end in the fall. Both freshmen have the size and strength to also see time on the interior.

The Aggies are going to need immediate contributions from multiple incoming freshmen on the defensive line. The 'Ags are no where they need to be on the defensive line, right now, in order to complete at an elite level in the SEC. They need to start bringing in four to five defensive linemen every single recruiting class to build up their depth.

The 2012 class was a nice start but the Aggies need to recruit like that every year to compete for SEC championships.