Texas A&M Football: The 5 Weakest Positions to Worry About

As Texas A&M enters the SEC next season, there are many positional worries that need to be fixed. With new head coach Kevin Sumlin making his way into College Station, these weaknesses on the field have to be top priority.

With new Defensive Coordinator Mark Snyder's schemes just starting to take effect, most Aggies are hoping for some problem solving on both sides of the ball. While worrying about it does fans no good, there certainly are some units that need some extra attention as many of you lie awake at night.

On that note, we take a look at the top five weakest positions that A&M needs to worry about. 

Kicker

Losing Lou Groza Award winning kicker Randy Bullock to graduation will be a tough hit to this A&M squad. The young man was easily one of the best to ever come through the program on the special teams side of the ball. 

Taking up his helm as legman is Taylor Bertolet. The overall best kicker in his recruiting class, the young man from Reading, PA gives this position a giant boost right off the bat. However, when it comes to kicker, almost any coach should give some thought to the most important spot on the special teams.

Known as dangerous head cases, kickers can turn out to be huge liabilities if they collapse in on their duties. Fortunately, Bertolet has looked solid at each of A&M's open spring practices. As long as he remains just as consistent once the SEC schedule rolls around, Sumlin's attention on the position should be able to relax.  

Tight End

Last season, all three of A&M's tight ends were extremely unimpressive. Hutson Prioleau, Nehemiah Hicks and Michael Lamothe combined for just 40 receptions for 350 yards and four touchdowns. Those kind of stats are out shadowed by the Aggies' third best wideout Uzoma Nwachukwu, who ended the season with 50 receptions for just under 640 yards.

With the same three coming back for the first SEC season, this position is easily one of the weakest on the team. Fortunately, big-time five-star recruit Derrick Griffin will be coming into College Station to take over tight end for the Aggies.

Until then, don't count on A&M to have any kind of instant impact tight end play.  

Interior Defensive Line

As the Aggies enter the SEC, the interior defensive line just became one of the most important positions on the field by far. With run defense a major priority now, holding the ground right in the middle of the defense is epically significant. 

With Jonathan Mathis coming back after his injury last season, his ability to impact at this position will be immeasurable. His only downfall is the fact that he is injury-prone, making any Aggie worry about Mathis staying on the field down the stretch. 

Holding the line along-side Mathis should be big DT Kirby Ennis. While young and, again, injury-prone, Ennis should be able to stay on the field after a long recovery all of 2010. His 2011 was a bit lackluster, coming out with only 11 total tackles and giving many fans reason to worry.  

Quarterback

Every year any new QB takes over a big program, every fan immediately prepares for the possibility of failure. With the position the key to success on the offensive side of the ball, everyone can recognize how desperately important it truly is.

Texas A&M is bringing in an all-new starter for next season. As of right now, the only two real competitors are Jameill Showers and Johnny Manziel as each match up under center. In each of the two open spring practices, Showers has looked fantastic next to the mediocre Manziel, but with so much riding on the position and new head coach Kevin Sumlin owning the final say, many Aggies are certainly worried.

The depth of SEC defenses, particularly in the secondary, forces these young quarterbacks to evolve quickly. The initial shock of the conference's power on that side of the ball and how the Aggies' new QB reacts might be the deciding factor in whether A&M ends up in the postseason or not.  

Secondary

As most every Aggie knows, the secondary last year was easily the weakest part of their game. In a Big 12 atmosphere where pass heavy is an understatement, this piece of the puzzle seemed to be missing most of the time.

With CB Dustin Harris coming back along with Safety Steven Campbell, A&M has some returners who will need to solidify their positions on the defense. New DC Mark Snyder will hopefully bring some big changes to this unit, morphing it into a dangerous threat to SEC offenses.

Be on the lookout for players such as Floyd Raven, Howard Matthews and Deshazor Everett to all make an impact for this A&M secondary. Hopefully, this side of the Aggies' game won't end up as much as a liability as it was last season, but no fan can ever be too sure.