Texas A&M Football: Position-by-Position Midseason Grades for the Aggies

The Texas A&M football team is 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC as it enters its bye week. The Aggies have some major deficiencies at certain positions, which has inhibited them from playing at an elite level. 

With three conference losses, the Aggies are out of the running for the SEC title. They need to try to get better in every phase of the game in order to finish the season off right and create momentum for 2015. 

In order to win at a high level in the SEC, you need to have an elite defense. The Aggies do not have an elite defense because of their poor play at the linebacker position.

This is a look at how all the individual positions have performed during the first half of the season.  

Quarterback

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Grade: C

Sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill has performed well statistically but has not been the leader the Aggies offense needs under center. Hill has regressed during the Aggies' three-game losing streak and has appeared tentative on the field. 

He has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 2,649 yards and 23 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Hill is not the kind of fiery leader that Johnny Manziel was. His demeanor is more laid back, and there does not appear to be anyone else who will take charge of the offense in Manziel's absence. 

Hill needs to become more of a vocal leader on and off the field, and he needs to take ownership of this team. If he continues to play scared like he did against Alabama, then he needs to be benched in favor of freshman Kyle Allen. 

Running Back

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Grade: B

The running backs have been underutilized in 2014 just as they were in 2013. Tra Carson, Trey Williams and Brandon Williams have combined to average 19 carries per game. The trio has caught 18 passes. 

That means the three backs have 170 total touches in eight games. That is completely unacceptable for a group of backs this talented. There is no reason for them to not get at least 30 touches per game. 

The group is averaging 5.3 yards per carry for the season. There is no point in recruiting talented running backs into the program if the offensive coordinator is not going to use them. This is a play-calling issue that needs to be rectified. 

Tight End

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Grade: B

The only position more underutilized for the Aggies than running back is tight end. Senior tight end Cameron Clear is being used as a blocker almost entirely. 

The 6'6", 270-pound athlete has caught four passes for 35 yards on the season. Clear will be catching passes on Sundays in 2015. He will likely catch more passes in the NFL in 2015 than he did in his two-year career in Aggieland. 

You do not find athletes with Clear's size and speed very often. The Aggies coaches need to take advantage of it during his last five or six games on campus. 

Wide Receiver

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Grade: C+

The Aggies wide receivers have performed well. Six wide receivers have 20-plus catches, and they have made some fantastic plays as a group. 

They have also struggled to catch the ball at times, and in a spread offense like the Aggies have, that spells doom for the team. It is a young group with only one returning starter from 2013, so some inconsistencies should be expected. 

However, there is no excuse for having 15 drops in a game like the Aggies did against Mississippi State. Junior wide receiver Sabian Holmes continues to see the field for reasons that defy logic and continues to drop passes on a consistent basis. 

Senior slot receiver Malcome Kennedy has been the Aggies' most consistent player with 37 catches for 382 yards and two touchdowns. He missed two games with a shoulder injury. 

Sophomore Josh Reynolds is probably the Aggies' most complete receiver with size (6'4", 190 lbs), speed and route-running ability. He has struggled with his hands for the last four games but has caught 32 passes for 518 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Ricky Seals-Jones is tied with Kennedy for the team lead with 37 receptions. He has 377 yards receiving and three touchdowns. The offensive coaches need to take advantage of Seals-Jones' size and speed and use him down the field instead of near the line of scrimmage like they have in the past three ballgames.  

Offensive Line

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Grade: B

The Texas A&M offensive line has been solid in pass protection but has struggled to block in the running game during the Aggies' three-game losing streak. 

It has allowed 16 sacks on the season, but most of that has to do with Kenny Hill's unwillingness to get rid of the ball. The Aggies are averaging 4.9 yards per carry when they run the ball, despite some questionable play-calling. 

The offensive line has played well enough to win games in the SEC. The performance of the skill position players and the coaches has hampered the overall performance of the offense. 

Jarvis Harrison has started the last two games at left guard. He has yet to perform at the level that he did in 2013 when he looked like a future NFL draft pick. 

Mike Matthews and Cedric Ogbuehi have played at All-SEC levels. Germain Ifedi has had some struggles at right tackle but has been coming along nicely. Garrett Gramling has been solid at left guard and right guard. 

Defensive Line

Bob Levey/Associated Press

Grade: C+

The Aggies defensive line has made a quantum leap in play over the 2013 season. It still leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to SEC defensive lines, though. 

The Aggies have been able to generate pressure from their defensive line. Freshman defensive end Myles Garrett is one of the national leaders in sacks with 7.5 in eight games. 

The Aggies have an improved defensive tackle rotation with Ivan Robinson, Alonzo Williams, Zaycoven Henderson, Hardreck Walker and Jay Arnold. 

The defensive line has a nice nucleus of talent going forward. It just needs to continue to get bigger and stronger and develop as a unit. Overall, this is the best unit on the defense. 

Linebackers

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Grade: F

The linebacker corps on the 2014 Texas A&M football team is one of the worst in the country—and among the worst in the history of the program. It misses tackles, is out of position and struggles to get off blocks. Starting linebackers Jordan Mastrogiovanni and Justin Bass do not belong on an SEC field.

They are simply not good enough to be starters in the SEC. Neither one of them has the size or speed to be an effective player in this league. Alabama ran the ball 45 times against Texas A&M, and Mastrogiovanni, who is the starting middle linebacker, registered two tackles for the game. 

He has started every game for the Aggies, yet he ranks No. 10 on the team in total tackles. Mastrogiovanni does not have the instincts to be a middle linebacker in the SEC. 

Sophomore linebacker Shaan Washington is the only legitimate linebacker currently on the Aggies roster. The team will need to find two more like him in 2015 if it wants to have a decent defense. 

Defensive Backs

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Grade: C-

The Aggies defensive backs have been better as a unit in 2014 than they were in 2013. Senior safety Howard Matthews has turned in a solid first half of the season after often appearing lost last year.

Matthews is second on the Aggies defense with 48 tackles and has registered 2.5 tackles for loss. The coaches have asked him to play in the box more to help defend the run, and Matthews has excelled in that role. 

Senior cornerback Deshazor Everett leads the team with 53 tackles. He has been inconsistent against the pass and has been beaten on multiple occasions in 2014. 

True freshman Armani Watts has had some great moments and some poor ones at free safety. He is about what you would expect from a freshman. Watts should be a future star for the Aggies. 

The unit as a whole has been decent in 2014, but much like the defensive line, it needs to continue improving in order to get to an acceptable level for an SEC defense.