Texas A&M: What to Expect on Defense and Players to Know

Texas A&M has plenty of talent on their defense, but a variety of reasons have kept them from being a top tier defense in the SEC. Carolina fans will see TAMU roll out multiple freshmen Saturday night. Those freshmen have the potential to be great players, however they are still young and prone to mistakes.

Sophomore Fadil Diggs and 5 star freshman Shemar Stewart have been the starting defensive ends in TAMU’s scheme. While they have not been bad, they also have not been overly productive. Between the two of them, they have collected a total of 3.5 sacks. TAMU has been willing to play other freshmen in an attempt to achieve better results.

Defensive tackle Walter Nolen makes the list after receiving the start against Alabama. Nolen is another impressive freshman making an early impact in TAMU’s highly ranked 2022 recruiting class.

(Above) Fadil Diggs collected the coverage sack. Alabama’s QB had no where to go with the ball and was going to be brought down by one of TAMU’s defensive linemen.

Senior Chris Russell is second in tackles with 41 total and also leads the defense in sacks with 2.5. Russell is an athletic linebacker that provides the Aggie defense with a steady influence when needed.

When TAMU played Alabama they went to a 4-2-5 look and had Edgerrin Cooper as the flanking linebacker. Cooper certainly has plenty of athletic talent but still looks a little green at times.

Junior safety Antonio Johnson leads the team in tackles with 48 total after finishing second in tackles last year. He is also solid in pass defense despite not having many opportunities to break up passes this season.

Sophmore Jardin Gilbert mans the opposite safety position and is third on the team in total tackles. Gilbert has been even better in pass coverage than Antonio Johnson.

Junior Jaylon Jones is a former 5 star prospect and is finally playing like it. He started the past few games at cornerback and will likely be there for the foreseeable future. South Carolina’s receivers will have their hands full when matched up against Jones on Saturday.

(Above) Alabama’s QB had all day to throw the ball, but it did not matter as he threw into double coverage. Jardin Gilbert rotated over to make the acrobatic interception.

Texas A&M’s strength is it’s secondary. For Carolina to have success, running the ball must be the top priority and stopping the run at the line of scrimmage is not a strong suit for the Aggie defense. Carolina is set up to win this game, at least on paper, but some explosive down field passes will need to accompany the run game. If Carolina falls behind, the advantage will swing to TAMU.