Texas A&M had its annual spring exhibition, the Maroon and White game. The result of the spring game was 24-10 in favor of the Maroon team, where we saw Mike Elko’s debut at Kyle Field as head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies. The spring game can be tough to judge with players still in the midst of rehab for injuries, for example, 10-plus players were unavailable for the game. The Aggies walk away from spring practices with quite a lot to look forward to in their first season under head coach Mike Elko. The roster has changed a lot, but new additions are looking promising, and returning players are stepping up their game heading into the fall.
Texas A&M Quarterback Situation Going Into 2024 With New Head Coach And New Offensive Coordinator
The curiosity at the quarterback position comes not from a change of scenery or a battle for playing time but rather from the Aggies showing the essential need for a healthy Conner Weigman to come back better than ever. Through last year’s first three games, Weigman completed over 70 percent of his passes for 909 yards and eight touchdowns. However, he suffered a season-ending leg injury in the fourth contest, and the A&M season spiraled from there. Mike Elko takes over as the new head coach, but Weigman should still be considered the heavy favorite to begin the season under center.
The Aggies also return running backs Amari Daniels and Le’Veon Moss, as well as wideout Moose Muhammad III, Noah Thomas, and Jahdae Walker. In other words, Weigman should have plenty of weapons. The bottom may have fallen out for the Aggies in 2023, but the 2024 campaign certainly looks a lot brighter with a healthy Conner Weigman tossing the pigskin. Going into the spring game everyone was excited to see him get a nice chunk of the snaps and look more like his old self before the foot injury back in September.
While his numbers from the game aren’t popping, he is certainly looking like a starting-caliber SEC quarterback again. Weigman moved around fairly well and took some deep shots during the game. He didn’t have much help as his top three receivers were on the opposite team, as were most of his starting offensive line. The progress for the rising star remains steady, and the Aggies aren’t going to push him too hard too fast. Getting on the field and delivering some strong throws means things are moving along just as they should.
The Defensive Backs Are Looking Like They Are Finally Coming Together For The Aggies
The weakest area for Texas A&M was their defense before Elko’s arrival came in mostly the secondary. That’s most likely why it’s one of the rooms at College Station that looks the most different from just a few months ago. There are a few returning names such as Dalton Brooks, Bryce Anderson, and Jared Kerr, who put in solid work for the Aggies just a season ago. There are also a plethora of new faces such as BJ Mayes, Jaydon Hill, Will Lee III, Donovan Saunders, Marcus Ratcliffe, Dezz Ricks, and Trey Jones III.
All of these players besides the last two had their first opportunity to play a Kyle Field, as they showed growth for the room under Elko, who was a former defensive back in his own right, and Defensive backs coach Jordan Peterson. Saunders made a big play early, deflecting a dart from Weigman aimed at receiver Wesley Watson. Mayes got his own major pass breakup later on in the game, marking Allen. Hill also stood out on the field with his willingness to move toward the line of scrimmage and force some pressure on the quarterback.
Elko says that he’s seen the safety group progress as much as anyone this spring, a group including newcomer Ratcliffe as well as those three returning stars from last season. In his eyes, the Aggies have four legitimate SEC-caliber safeties on the team, a must for how Coach Elko sees this team progressing. The next four months or so as the Aggies prep for the 2024 season in the fall are just as important if not more than the 15 practices they held in the spring.