Aggies Ainias Smith to be Deebo Samuel-esque In Fifth Season?
A lot is on the line for the Texas A&M Aggies next season.
After having their worst performance under coach Jimbo Fisher, finishing with a 5-7 record and just two SEC wins, a bounce-back season may be in order.
Quarterback Conner Weigman is likely to take the reins to begin the season, looking to improve his performance from last year and help the Aggies back to the level they were at during the peak of Kellen Mond's Texas A&M tenure.
But while Weigman's role will be of utmost importance, another storyline to watch will be the Aggies' retention of one of their top playmakers:
Ainias Smith is returning for his fifth and final season.
Last season, Smith only played four games for the Aggies after a broken ankle sidelined him after Texas A&M's win over Arkansas. His future in Aggieland remained a mystery after the season's conclusion until February, when the receiver announced his intention to come back for one more year.
And his return could be huge or the Aggies' offense, as AggieYell described.
"[Smith will] immediately re-take his spot as one of the SEC's top receivers and will likely get a lot of targets in an offense run by Bobby Petrino," the site wrote of the receiver. "One of Petrino's objectives has to be to get Smith the ball as much as possible in whatever way possible. Coach Jimbo Fisher has indicated Smith will be used in a fashion similar to that of San Fransisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel, who has also gotten work out of the backfield."
For the Aggies, if Ainias Smith is Deebo Samuel, then he could be shaping up for another solid season.
In the three years before his ankle injury, Smith averaged 440 receiving yards and 124 rushing yards to go along with his 175 returning yards – where Smith has been known to thrive. His dual-threat ability makes him dangerous offensively, leaving room for other receivers and running backs to break out if the defensive chooses to focus on him.
For the San Franciso 49ers, Deebo Samuel has played a similar role. The receiver has quickly become one of San Francisco's top playmakers, scoring both as a receiver and running back.
As a rookie, he played a big role in San Francisco’s Super Bowl run, and since then, he’s earned both a Pro Bowl invite and an NFL All-Pro nod.
While both Smith and Samuel have similar skill sets, the difference in size does set them apart. Samuel is slightly taller and has more weight on him, making Smith a small wideout by NFL standards, but that isn’t at the top of his priority list.
Helping the Aggies win is, and the veteran Aggie playmaker is already hopeful for next season.
"Most of the time, [players] don't want to wake up and go out there and practice in the heat," Smith said. "Even when people didn't want to be out there, we were getting in great quality work on offense and defense. ... This year has definitely been very hopeful."
Ainias Smith and the Texas A&M Aggies will begin their 2023 campaign at home on Sept. 2 against the New Mexico Lobos.
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