Texas A&M Football: Biggest Storylines Heading into Fall Camp
Kevin Sumlin and the Texas A&M Aggies burst onto the SEC scene in 2012, with an electric young playmaker named Johnny Manziel taking the snaps and an offense that gave traditional SEC defenses fits. The Aggies won 11 games, topped Alabama on the road and became the darling of college football.
Since then, though, things have regressed.
From 11 wins to nine and then to eight, the Aggies have become more of an SEC afterthought than a potential power.
Will that change in 2015?
Sumlin lured defensive coordinator John Chavis to College Station after a successful stint at LSU, dedicated himself to the running game with the hire of offensive line coach and running game coordinator Dave Christensen and has a schedule that—at least by SEC West standards—is forgiving.
What will be the biggest storylines in College Station during fall camp?
Quarterback Battle?
Kyle Allen took over for Kenny Hill midway through the 2014 season and established himself as a potential superstar with a big road win over Auburn and followed it up with a five-touchdown performance (four passing, one rushing) in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl win over West Virginia.
"When I told him two weeks before the first game, he basically went around the corner and cried," Sumlin said at SEC media days. "To where he came to become MVP of the bowl game when six games ago he wasn't even playing, that says a lot. To go on the road to Auburn and then be the MVP, he's got a lot of confidence right now."
The new kid, though, could present some problems in Allen's quest to retain the job.
Kyler Murray won three straight Texas state titles at Allen High School without dropping a single game along the way. He passed up Major League Baseball to play quarterback at Texas A&M, and he's not there to be a backup.
"Both of them are extremely confident in their own abilities," Sumlin said. "Both are great competitors, and for us it's a good situation."
It's Allen's job to lose, and considering he was essentially the only quarterback with a chance to play this spring, it's unlikely he'll lose it.
How will Sumlin keep Murray happy? Which packages will be included specifically for him? Will there be specific drives that are designated for him, similar to what Georgia did with D.J. Shockley while David Greene was in Athens in the early 2000s?
It will be fascinating to watch Sumlin juggle these two talented quarterbacks this summer.
Defensive Star Watch
Everybody knows just how good Myles Garrett is, after the defensive end broke Jadeveon Clowney's SEC freshman sack record by notching 11.5 and establishing himself as more than just a pass-rushing specialist as the year went on.
There are other talented pieces for Chavis to work with, and those players need to step up and become leaders in August.
Julien Obioha will slide down and play inside on the defensive line, with Daeshon Hall sliding in to play defensive end opposite Garrett. Those two monster bookends should thrive with Chavis calling the shots.
"Those two guys probably have gotten the biggest impact of John being here," head coach Sumlin said. "Without a doubt, Daeshon and Myles have big smiles on their faces because they like to rush the passer."
Otaro Alaka missed spring practice, but the linebacker was the defensive MVP of the bowl game when he notched seven tackles. Armani Watts was solid during his freshman season in 2014 when he tallied 59 tackles and picked off three passes and there's plenty of talent for Chavis to work with.
How will it come together? Will better preparation and a better scheme help the Aggies become more consistent?
These are questions that need to be answered this summer, because Arizona State is looming in Houston and the Sun Devils can dial up video game numbers on the scoreboard.
Running Game Progression
We've already discussed how important Christensen's arrival is to the program, and how dangerous the Aggies can be with an increased focus on the power rushing attack. The offensive line is solid, senior Tra Carson is a monster and sophomore James White has enough power to be a bruiser and speed to be a home run hitter.
"[Christensen] has added some gap scheme runs and some different types of power runs that we need not only for us offensively to be better and be able to run when we want to and need to, but also help our defense in the manner in which we practice and have a physical aspect of our football team that I think we were lacking last year," Sumlin said.
How will this shift to a focus on getting north and south evolve this summer? Will Texas A&M use either Carson or White as a primary back, or will the duo split time in order to keep each other fresh?
An offense that can run when it needs to, not just when it wants to, will take a tremendous amount of pressure off of Allen, the wide receivers and the defense.
It's the most important piece of the puzzle for the Aggies this year, defense included. With guys like Mike Matthews and Germain Ifedi up front and White and Carson in the backfield, the Aggies have the personnel to be a power rushing team out of the spread similar to Auburn's offense in each of the past two seasons.
That transition, or at least the pieces of that element of the offense, have to come together in August.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=600 "NFL star fakes injury at Savannah Bananas game")
.png?w=600 "Landing Spots For NBA Free Agents ✈️")
