Texas A&M Football 2012: 7 Things That Will Be Different from Last Year

At this time last year, Texas A&M was a team that was being hailed by the media as a top 10-ranked national title contender. 

The Aggies failed to come close to delivering on their preseason promise, however, as the team finished with just a 7-6 record. That performance turned out to be one of the most disappointing campaigns of the 2011 college football season. 

The team's lackluster effort ended up costing coach Mike Sherman his job, but it didn't stop the sport's most powerful conference from letting the Aggies into their prestigious club. 

Yes, A&M will officially join the SEC ranks this season, which means that there are a lot of changes and differences in store for the 2012 season. 

Here's a look at some of the major differences between Texas A&M's 2011 season and its upcoming 2012 campaign. 

1. Kevin Sumlin Will Be Running the Show

The Mike Sherman era at Texas A&M didn't exactly provide a ton of thrills for Aggies fans, as Sherman went just 25-25 in his four years in College Station. 

Now, there's a beginning of a new era at the school in a few different senses, as former Houston coach Kevin Sumlin has taken over and is now preparing the team for its impending arrival in the treacherous waters of the SEC.

Last year, Sumlin oversaw a Houston team that won 12 games under his watch and finished first in the nation in scoring offense, total offense and passing offense.

With a schedule that includes matchups with Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Alabama and Missouri, obviously Sumlin's goal won't be to pile up double-digit victories in his first season. 

This year is about laying the foundation for the future and showing that the Aggies can at least compete with their new SEC foes. 

Sumlin's got some intriguing talent and plenty of speed and athleticism on both sides of the ball to work with, and it should be interesting to see what type of team he's capable of putting together in 2012. 

2. Christine Michael Will Be the Team’s Featured Back

Last season, Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael split carries in the backfield, and they made up a pretty productive rushing attack, as the two combined to rush for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. 

Now that Gray, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, is gone, Michael is set to be the featured back of the Texas A&M offense this season. 

Although his season was cut short by a knee injury last year, the 5'11'', 213-pound senior should be ready to tote the rock at full force by the time the fall arrives.

The former highly touted 5-star recruit is one of the most physically gifted running backs in the country, and if his knee holds up, Michael could be ready to explode onto the SEC scene in 2012. 

3. Ryan Tannehill Won’t Be Under Center

After switching over from wide receiver to quarterback midway through the 2010 season and proceeding to lead Texas A&M to six straight victories to close out the regular season, a lot was expected of QB Ryan Tannehill in 2011. Although Tannehill put up impressive numbers—61 percent completion percentage, 3,744 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes—he failed to deliver the wins that fans were hoping for. 

Tannehill did succeed in impressing the NFL scouts, though, as he was the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. 

Now that he's gone, Kevin Sumlin and his staff will have to find a new starting signal-caller for 2012. 

Jameill Showers will be the favorite to win the job heading into fall camp, but Showers is far from a proven commodity, given the fact that the 6'1'', 219-pound sophomore threw just five passes last season. 

With two solid receivers in Ryan Swope and Uzoma Nwachukwu, a potential star running back in Christine Michael and one of the strongest offensive lines in the country led by Luke Joeckel, Jake Matthews and Patrick Lewis, Showers has the supporting cast he needs to succeed. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen just how he'll fare against the supremely tough SEC competition he'll have to face in 2012. 

4. The Secondary Will Be Full of Inexperience

If you want to watch a highlight-reel of how to perfectly shut down an opposition's passing attack, then you would be really wasting your time if you put on the game film of Texas A&M's 2011 secondary, as the Aggies were an absolute sieve in the defensive backfield last season. 

A&M finished 109th in the country in pass defense last year, allowing 276 yards through the air per game. 

The fact that three starters are gone from last year's underwhelming unit isn't exactly great news, as there will be a bunch of new faces that will be forced to pick things up in 2012.

Cornerbacks Dustin Harris and Deshazor Everett and safeties Steven Campbell and Howard Matthews better step their game up this season, or else quarterbacks like Connor Shaw, Tyler Wilson, Zach Mettenberger, A.J. McCarron and James Franklin will do plenty of damage to the Aggies defense in 2012. 

5. The Aggies Will Be Playing in College Football’s Toughest Division

This year, the SEC West will feature two teams—LSU and Alabama—that will be ranked in the top five in the preseason polls going into the season. Plus, three other squads—Arkansas, Auburn and Mississippi State—will all be very dangerous as well. 

Hopefully, no Aggies fans are expecting a warm welcome from their new SEC brethren, because they aren't about to get one. The SEC West division is clearly the toughest division in college football, and it remains to be seen whether Texas A&M is ready for the challenge that it's about to face in 2012. 

6. The Defense Will Shift to a 4-3 Alignment

Texas A&M lined up in a 3-4 alignment during former coach Mike Sherman's tenure, but now that new defensive coordinator Mark Snyder has taken over, the Aggies will be shifting to a 4-3 scheme this year.

That means that former Joker linebacker Damontre Moore will now be sticking his hand in the dirt as a defensive end in 2012.

Moore led the team with nine tackles for loss and also had 8.5 sacks last year, and he'll once again be one of the key defensive cogs for the Aggies this season. 

It should be interesting to see how the change in systems affects the defense this year, but Moore and fellow end Spencer Nealy should both be able to flourish as 4-3 defensive ends this season, and former rush linebacker Sean Porter should be able to adapt to his new role just fine.

7. Eddie Brown and Tony Jerod-Eddie Won’t Be Clogging Up the Middle

Here's a fact I bet you didn't know: Last year, Texas A&M gave up just 2.6 yards per carry, which ranked third in the country. The Aggies actually had one of the best rushing defenses in college football in 2011, but now, with the loss of linemen such as Eddie Brown and Tony Jerod-Eddie, it's highly doubtful that the team will be able to contain opposing running games the way it did last year. 

Taking over in the interior of the new 4-3 look will be senior Jonathan Mathis and junior Kirby Ennis. 

Mathis would have been a big defensive factor if he wasn't hurt last season, but Ennis is still largely unproven at this point. 

With teams like Arkansas, LSU and Alabama on the schedule, A&M better be ready to face some of the most ferocious rushing attacks that college football has to offer in 2012.