Multiple Aggies Among ESPN's Most Important Players in College Football Playoff Race
The Texas A&M Aggies enter 2022 with arguably their most talented roster in the Jimbo Fisher era.
The Aggies are coming off a season where their backup quarterback led them to an 8-4 finish and a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. They capped off the season by signing the highest-rated recruiting class in modern history.
There are playoff expectations in Year 5 under Fisher. The Aggies debuted as the number 6 team in the preseason AP Top 25.
ESPN released their list of the 25 most important players in 2022’s College Football Playoff race, and the Aggies were featured in two areas.
Running back Devon Achane ranked number 18 on the list.
ESPN had this to say on Achane’s importance:
"If you cheated and scrolled down to the end, you already know that the A&M quarterback position is of vital importance this season. But Achane has a chance to make said QB's job awfully easy. With starting running back Isaiah Spiller gone to the pros, Achane, a track-and-field standout and one of the fastest players in the sport, has a chance at a star turn. He averaged 7 yards per carry and 11 yards per reception last season, and despite his diminutive size (5-foot-9, 185 pounds) he averaged more yards per carry after contact (3.7) than Spiller did last season (3.0). His potential is endless."
The Aggies received subpar quarterback play in 2021. An increase in production at football’s most important position could be the difference between an 8-4 season and a College Football Playoff berth.
With the return of a healthy Haynes King and the addition of Max Johnson, the Aggies are expected to improve at the quarterback position in 2022.
The combination of Haynes King and Max Johnson ranked number one on ESPN’s list.
Here is what they had to say about the quarterback duo:
"It appears to be a prototypical ceiling-versus-floor QB battle in College Station. King has plenty of the former, but Johnson might have the advantage in the latter. Regardless, the stakes for A&M couldn't be clearer in 2022. While some new stars need to emerge on the defensive line, the Aggies are loaded in the defensive back seven and on the offensive line. Achane and slot receiver Ainias Smith will give the QB of choice some nice safety valves, and the Aggies don't have to leave their home state until October (when they do it three games in a row)."
"Jimbo Fisher is recruiting like a title contender, but he hasn't figured out how to craft strong quarterback play since Jameis Winston left Florida State in 2014. If he gets it this year, A&M is a top-five team and playoff contender. If not, the Aggies might have to settle for four more losses and potential spoiler status. At some point, that might start to get old."
If the Aggies reach the playoff in 2022, it will go down as one of the most successful seasons in Texas A&M history. The Aggies have a playoff-caliber roster. They now need to prove it on the gridiron beginning Sept. 3rd.
You can follow Michael Gresser on Twitter @gresser_michael
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