Texas A&M Football: Aggies' 2015 Offseason Checklist

The Texas A&M Aggies have another season of intrigue ahead of them as they enter their fourth year of competition in the SEC West.

There's a new "Chief" in charge of a struggling defense, and fans could see another quarterback battle between two members of head coach Kevin Sumlin's elite recruiting classes.

Sumlin seemed pleased with some of the progress his team made in spring practice, and he knows that doesn't have to stop just because the players are done with live practices for a while. New players are set to arrive in College Station, and real improvements can be made during the wait for fall football.

"I thought we had a very productive spring," Sumlin said during a recent SEC coaches teleconference, per 247Sports. "A lot of our guys got out of school yesterday and we gave them a little break before summer school. We had a change in defensive schemes and philosophy ... We developed players that haven’t seen a lot of action. As we move into the fall with guys who missed the spring due to injuries and surgery, we like where we are now."

With the offseason now rolling into the long summer months, here are five important goals for Sumlin and the Aggies.

Keep the QB Race Going

In the span of a few days this spring, Texas A&M went from having one scholarship quarterback on the roster to boasting three.

Sophomore Kyle Allen will be joined on the depth chart by incoming freshman Kyler Murray, who recently announced he was not going to enter the MLB draft out of high school, and new JUCO pickup Jake Hubenak.

Murray has the talent to win the starting job at Texas A&M, and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said on an A&M athletics radio show the 5-star signal-caller "will have his opportunities to see if he can beat Kyle out" when he arrives in College Station on June 1.

Beating Allen, who threw at least three touchdowns in three of the Aggies' final four games of the 2014 season, will be a big-time challenge for Murray. But even if Murray can't overtake the top spot on the depth chart from another former 5-star, he and Hubenak will push Allen to improve just with their presence.

That's a win-win for Aggie fans.

Continue to Improve Running Game

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

QB Kyle Allen and RB Tra Carson

Texas A&M's hire of former Utah offensive coordinator Dave Christensen this offseason might be more important than former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis' high-profile move to College Station.

Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee writes that what comes from Christensen's hire will make the Aggies contenders in what looks like a wide-open SEC West.

Christensen will be in charge of the running game and the offensive line for the Aggies. The latter is significant, but the focus here is on the former—the high-powered Texas A&M offense was too one-dimensional last season.

One of Sumlin's biggest goals in the spring was developing a stronger running game. That work must continue through the summer and into fall camp, especially considering No. 1 back Tra Carson missed the spring with a foot injury.

Those improvements could make A&M's rocket-powered attack fly past everyone in the conference this fall.

Grow in the Defensive System

247Sports

DC John Chavis

Of course, not all eyes are on the offense in College Station this offseason.

Chavis brings a reputation of dominant defense from his time at LSU, which is something Texas A&M hasn't seen in a long time.

"The Chief" has to rebuild a bad secondary that lost three starters from last season and a thin linebacking corps that had a tendency to disappear in big games. He inherits the league's best pass-rusher from last season, sophomore Myles Garrett, and the rest of the defensive line looks like a foundation for future success.

The Aggies need to continue adapting to Chavis' system in the offseason and simply getting better all over the defensive depth chart.

One of the biggest ways to do just that will be plugging in the talented freshmen from this year's recruiting haul into this season's plans. The nation's No. 11 class had one 5-star (powerful defensive tackle Daylon Mack) and five 4-stars on the defensive side of the ball.

Climb the Recruiting Rankings

On the subject of recruiting classes, Texas A&M's current 2016 class includes only one 5-star (offensive tackle Gregory Little) and one 4-star (cornerback Travon Fuller).

The Aggies still have plenty of time to catch up to the rest of the recruiting powers, and the summer months can be some of the best opportunities to do so.

Texas A&M is in the hunt for a handful of 5-stars and a lot more 4-stars—including 5-star safety Brandon Jones, who is expected to visit College Station on Memorial Day weekend.

One commitment can often spark a streak for a team, and Sumlin's staff would love nothing more than to get some pledges before the busyness of the fall begins.

If the Aggies can make a jump into the top 20 of the overall team rankings, it would be a huge boost heading into the season.

Stay Happy and Healthy

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

HC Kevin Sumlin

This is good advice for everyone, but it's even better for this Texas A&M team.

The Aggies have made some offseason headlines over the past couple of seasons—and not the good kind. Staying out of trouble and keeping Coach Sumlin happy should be of utmost importance to Texas A&M this offseason.

Depth is a concern, too, especially on defense. The long summer months are notorious for surprise injuries, and those, like off-the-field incidents, need to be kept at an absolute minimum.

This Texas A&M team has plenty of exciting young talent and now two systems that are known to work in the SEC.

If the Aggies can check off all of the boxes on this list and have a strong fall camp, they could be the ones to emerge out of the wild West and book their first ticket to Atlanta for the conference title game.

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.