With a blasphemous 5-8 record in his time at Texas A&M, head coach Mike Sherman hasn't exactly lit Aggieland on fire. A year after finishing in the cellar of the Big 12 South, Aggie football is essentially a forgotten entity in the ever-changing landscape of college football. Nonetheless, with an exciting youth movement in place, Sherman has the tradition that is Aggie football on the road to recovery.
When Sherman arrived in Aggieland following the 2007 season, the talent cupboard was surprisingly bare. Dennis Franchione, who went 32-28 in his five years at the helm, loved to recruit based on the measurables, intangibles be damned. Productivity among high school athletes is largely dependent on football instincts, and these were too often ignored in favor of 40 times and hang clean results. It's this unsound concept that left A&M chasing their counterparts in the Big 12 South.
Fast forward to the present. The Aggies sit at 1-0. Yes, they beat a New Mexico team that is picked to finish last in the Mountain West. But, it's not the result alone that should have the Twelfth Man giddy in anticipation of the next few seasons in the era of Sherm. It's the speedy youth that was unveiled to Kyle Field on Saturday night. It's the explosive, innovative offense that racked up 606 yards with relative ease. And, it's the future troops that Sherman and staff have recruited to wear maroon in 2010.
In the 41-6 blowout at Kyle Field , 13 true freshmen made significant contributions. Everywhere you looked, you could see an underclassman making a play. Nowhere was it more evident than at the wide receiver position and on the defensive side of the ball.
The wide receiving corps looks like the most talented group that the Aggies have run onto the field in a long time, maybe ever. Sophomore Jeff Fuller, at 6 feet 4 inches, has become almost unstoppable one-on-one because of his route running prowess and sheer size. "The Wizard of Uz," freshman Uzoma Nwachukwu, has already established himself as the No. 2 option for Jerrod Johnson. And, freshmen Kenric McNeal and Brandal Jackson each add a downfield element to the passing game.
What's the common similarity between the four besides their big play ability? Sherman recruited them all. Heck, Fuller changed his commitment from Oklahoma when Sherman signed on. The reasoning: Mike Sherman's west coast offense that gets the ball to his playmakers in space.
For a defense that gave up nearly 40 points a game last season, holding a team, even the Lobos, to single digits registered as a shocking development. The fact that eight underclassmen started the game makes it all the more shocking. And, all the more exciting.
Passivism, slow reaction time, and a lack of speed were a common theme for the defense last season. Compared to the attacking "Wrecking Crew" defenses from Aggie lore, it was mind blowing. And, depressing.
However, the defense on display Saturday evening was none of those things. Inexperienced, yes. But, the team speed looked like it had tripled from 2008. They held the Lobos to 21 yards rushing because of an aggressive, gap shooting style. Led by Von Miller, they pressured Lobo quarterback Donovan Porterie all game and sacked him five times. Those five sacks are almost a third of their season total, 16, from last year.
Freshman cornerback Dustin Harris and linebackers Kyle Mangan and Jonathan Stewart all looked the parts of veterans. Sophomore cornerback Terrence Frederick played the best game of his career as he shut down his side of the field while racking up eight tackles. Sophomore safety Trent Hunter was attacking inside the box and led the team with 10 tackles. Again, what's the recurring theme with all of these players? They were recruited by Mike Sherman.
This whole article has gone without mentioning freshman sensation Christine Michael who looks to be the go-to, workhorse back the Aggies have been hoping for since the days of Darren Lewis in the late '80s.
Again, this isn't saying that A&M is on its way to surprising the country and winning a Big 12 Championship. There are still holes. The offensive line looked shaky at best. The team committed 14 penalties, which will get them beat once they start conference play. And, the youth of the team will result in boneheaded mistakes and inconsistent effort.
But, either way, the program is headed in the right direction under Mike Sherman. His prowess of recruiting NFL caliber talent is already showing itself. And, his upcoming 2010 class is getting rave reviews from all around the nation. Don't expect perfection and don't get overly optimistic because again, it was still New Mexico. But do expect to be playing in a bowl game come winter, and take solace in knowing that Texas A&M football is, in fact, on the way up.
David Harris is a junior economics major.
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