Texas A&M Football: 5 Freshmen Who Could Start in 2012

With Texas A&M entering the powerful SEC next season, many Aggies are extremely excited about the strong competition their team will be taking on every single Saturday.

Under new head coach Kevin Sumlin, the Kyle Field faithful will be expecting some thrilling matchups against the conference's best.

While the SEC is the best league in the country hands-down, it does bring some unfortunate flaws to the table. One of the biggest, and most worrisome for Aggies, will be the hard-hitting conference defenses and the injuries that come with them.

As of right now, A&M has no freshman expected to start on opening day, but don't be surprised if that changes in rapid fashion as Sumlin and company head deeper down their SEC schedule.

With the summer taking over and the regular season approaching fast, we take a look at five freshman who may end up starting this year for Texas A&M.  

Mike Matthews

Pictured right, the four-star recruit out of Missouri City, Texas, anchors the center of the offensive line.

Ranked by Rivals as the best at his position and the No. 132 overall prospect last season, Matthews is easily one of A&M's top incoming freshman.

Fortunately for the Aggies, their current O-Line is loaded up with talent, size and experience as each buffet buster there is a returning starter. Incoming-senior center Patrick Lewis is one of the best in the country as he is certainly going to end up a big-time NFL draft pick after the year is through.

However, if Lewis were to go down, Matthews could most certainly be the young player that Kevin Sumlin and this offense turns to.

Competing with incoming-sophomore Ben Compton for the No. 2 spot at the position, expect the young freshman to be ready for his debut for the Aggies following Lewis taking his leave.  

Jordan Richmond

An extremely underrated recruit, this four-star linebacker out of Denton, Texas, will easily become one of the best at his position the minute he steps foot in College Station.

While linebacker is, yet again, another unit that many Aggies know is locked down by experienced talent, any kind of injury to either Sean Porter, Jonathan Stewart or Steven Jenkins could immediately have Richmond on the field.

Ranked by Rivals as the No. 26 outside linebacker in the country, he's received a dwindling amount of attention due to his long-time commitment to A&M. Whether he makes it into the starting line-up this year is unknown, but expect new DC Mark Snyder to have him on stand-by if one of the starters takes a fall.  

Thomas Johnson

Making his way out of Dallas, Texas, the state's top wide receiver recruit is heavily touted as he enters College Station next season.

A Longhorn decommit, head coach Kevin Sumlin was able to snare his commitment following the betrayal of four-star wideout Braylon Addison to Oregon on National Signing Day.

Ranked by Rivals as the fourth best WR in the nation and the No. 34 overall prospect, the talent Johnson brings to the table dramatically improves this A&M receiver corp.

While many see this unit as one of the Aggies' most secure positions, there are many deep-set problems that Johnson may be able to take advantage of come the regular season.

The slot position is all tied up with top-notch senior Ryan Swope, but the inconsistency of Uzoma Nwachukwu will be a big question mark all year long.

Furthermore, Malcome Kennedy, Nate Askew and Derel Walker are all unproven on the gridiron, leaving it wide open for Johnson if Sumlin sees fit to slide him into the starting job mid-season.  

DeVante Harris

An Oklahoma decommit, the top-notch four-star cornerback out of Mesquite, Texas, is easily one of the best coverage players in the country.

Ranked by Rivals the No. 3 CB nationwide as well as the No. 69 prospect overall, DeVante Harris is a speedy big-shot ready to take on the conference's best wideouts.

Predicted to be one of the back-ups at the position already, A&M should certainly have the expectation that Harris will get on the field multiple times over the course of the season.

Following an abysmal year for the secondary in 2011, there isn't much confidence in this unit around Aggie living rooms.

New Defensive Coordinator Mark Snyder's 4-3 system shouldn't change much for the secondary, but expect Harris to receive substantial playing time, injuries or not.   

Trey Williams

As the Aggies' only five-star commit last season, the big-time running back of state champion Dekaney High School is easily the most talented incoming freshman on the roster. If the Aggies do see Williams on the field as a starter, however, there is definitely something wrong with A&M's backfield.

Ranked by Rivals as the third best RB in the country and the No. 15 overall prospect, Trey Williams is fast, agile and powerful. During spring practice, though, A&M fans were reassured by the play of back-up halfback Ben Malena while senior starter Christine Michael continues to rehabilitate his injury from last season.

Following last year as an example, however, many Aggies know that seeing Williams as the starter wouldn't be much of a stretch. Third-string RB Ben Malena started the regular season finale against Texas as well as versus Northwestern later on in the Texas Bowl due to Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray's injuries. 

No offense to Michael or Gray, but the SEC hits a lot harder than the Big 12.

With starter Michael injury prone and Malena just as vulnerable as any back, Williams could certainly get onto the field as a starter any time during the year.

Fortunately for the Aggies, he has more than enough talent and ability to compete within the SEC.