Why Texas A&M Aggies Have Run Out of College Football Grace

The Texas A&M Aggies' almost annual loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide was telling. But it was also program defining, and now, Fisher's squad is up against the wall.

Author:
Matt Guzman
Publish date:
Oct 8, 2023 4:40 PM EDT

Same story, different verse for the Texas A&M Aggies.

When Texas A&M packed its things and hit the road to the esteemed Southeastern Conference, it went looking for better competition.

Better opportunity. Better football.

Under Kevin Sumlin, it found that. The Aggies had themselves a premiere quarterback playing against some of the nation's top football squads. They were respected, and rightfully so. Beating Alabama behind Johnny Manziel was supposed to be just the beginning of a long-standing rivalry because obviously, Texas A&M was the real deal.

It was the real deal, right?

The 2012-13 football season would tell you the answer to that question was an astounding yes. Now, 11 seasons later, that can't be answered with assurance.

But it's been that way for years. And that's the Aggies' entire problem.

During their first season in the SEC, the Aggies finished with an 11-2 record, complete with a Heisman winner, a Cotton Bowl victory and a bright future. Manziel might have been the last Aggies player to truly be "him" — as the saying goes.

But having an All-Star quarterback was just the start. Texas A&M was lauded for its talent across the board. Manziel. Ryan Swope. Mike Evans. Malcome Kennedy. Together, that team set the bar extremely high for the new-look Aggies.

Coach Sumlin was the face of that Aggies team and didn't take that lightly. His recruitment track record proved that the Aggies were entering a new era of top talent, but recruitment never was the issue.

Sumlin brought in talented players, but he didn't bring the competitive fire.

His success at Houston was one thing. But in College Station, things were much more difficult.

Sumlin would be seen out of Aggieland after six seasons, losing no less than four games in each year that followed Texas A&M's 2012 run.

And if it weren't for money, Jimbo Fisher might have seen the same amount of time in Aggieland, if not less.

Fisher is being paid as a top-10 coach in the country. His recruiting backs his salary up, as he's one of college football’s best recruiters. Fisher has coached winning football. He's coached tougher competition.

Fisher has won a national title.

To put it in other words, Jimbo Fisher has coached the exact football that the Aggies hoped to play in the SEC. But Texas A&M is still missing something. It has a winning coach, winning players, and a winning recruiting class ... again and again and again.

Unfortunately for them, that hasn't exactly translated into winning football.

Following the Aggies' 26-20 heartbreak against Alabama, the truth regarding the Aggies' locker room was boiled down to a single word: "hurt."

It makes sense. Losing to Alabama is a feeling that Texas A&M fans know all too well, and you can only imagine that's magnified for the players themselves. But that hurt feeling isn't just isolated to Saturday's loss. Nor Alabama.

When the Aggies don't lose to Alabama — which it should be mentioned has only happened three times in history — they lose to Auburn. Or LSU. Or the Mississippi schools. Even Arkansas.

Only Alabama and LSU in 2019 have managed to make it out of the Southeastern gauntlet that makes up the Aggies' half of the bracket unscathed. But for a Texas A&M squad with playoff aspirations, it's high time for it to follow suit. Then again, it's been high time for numerous seasons.

The Aggies have run out of excuses, and with it, college football grace.

They have the talent, and they've had it every season since Johnny Manziel's freshman year. When it wasn't Malcome Kennedy, it was Josh Reynolds. Or Speedy Noil. Christian Kirk.

When it wasn't Trayveon Williams, it was Isaiah Spiller. De'Von Achane. When it wasn't Manziel, it was Kellen Mond — one of the Aggies' finest system quarterbacks in years - or Kenny Hill even, for a short stint.

Texas A&M has never been in a shortage of talent, though on the harsher side of its SEC struggles, it's also never been in a shortage of excuses.

Losing Conner Weigman for the season is unfortunate, as is the fact that an injury of that caliber isn't a first for the Aggies over the last few seasons. But Max Johnson came in and proved that he was the quarterback the Aggies needed with their starter out.

During the Aggies' 34-22 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Johnson threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 17-28 passing. It wasn't a perfect outing, as the senior lost a fumble and threw a pick-six in the process, but Johnson got the job done in his first start of the season.

And on top of that, he also held himself accountable for the in-game mistakes.

"I should have held the ball in my left hand honestly," Johnson said postgame. "So, no excuse for that. I think just a helmet hit it. It's all good."

So, Johnson has a leadership mentality, but he also has the talent.

He proved that the Aggies wouldn’t lose a step with him in the pocket — but they still lost to Alabama in meltdown fashion after taking a lead to halftime. And they likely would have with Weigman behind center, too.

It's been the same story for these Aggies in the SEC West. It doesn't matter who's coaching, how much they're making or who's in at quarterback. The result seems to be the same.

Saturday's loss to the Crimson Tide was telling. The Fightin' Texas A&M Aggies simply aren't on the same level as Alabama, or Georgia for that matter. They can't be included among the SEC's top programs because they haven't proven themselves to be.

That's not to say they can't, however. The Aggies have all the talent they need to be among the SEC's top programs. They have the coaching. They have it all.

But if Jimbo Fisher truly wants to bounce back and compete in the SEC West before his contract expires, something will need to change. And he knows that.

"There is still a really good football team in there," Fisher said following his team's almost annual loss to Alabama. "We have to regroup."

Check and check. The Aggies have goals. The players have chips on their shoulders. The fans have expectations. So ... what's next?

Well, the ball is in Texas A&M's court. It's up to them to prove themselves. And doing that is simple.

No more grace. Just "Good Bull" Aggie football.