I know you guys love to downplay A&M as much as you can but our OL is likely going to be better this year than last and last year it was probably the best in the country.

The foundation of a great OL is the LT spot because that guy has to protect the blind side and typically takes on the best pass rusher. Jake Matthews is as good as there is in CFB. Jake would have started at LT for any team in the country last year except A&M and honestly had Joekel not been an early enrollee and gotten a jump on Jake when they were Freshman that may have been different. Jake is just everything you want in a Tackle. He has all the physical tools and is incredibly polished for a college player, though it does help when Dad is a 13 Time Pro Bowler that helped to coach you. He just flat abuses people and on the rare occasion someone gets a step he recovers as well as anyone you will ever see.

At RT you have Obuehi that also would have started at Tackle anywhere but A&M but instead was an absolute stud Guard last year. He is a RS Junior that is likely going to be a 1st Rounder. Dude is just mean, big, and brings it every play.

At one Guard slot you have 2 year starter RS Jr Jarvis Harrison. Jarvis is a monster 6'4 320 guy that can move. He didn't play football until his Sr year in HS and was a 2 Star project that Mike Sherman saw and immediately offered saying he would be a 1st Round Draft Pick some day. He's well on his way to being a 4 year starter as it is.

There are 2 open slots with at least 6 guys competing for them. At Center you have Mike Matthews who is Jake's brother and was the #1 Center in the country out of HS and won the backup job as a True Fish in 2 days of practice. He came to A&M as a 260 lber and just weighed in at Spring Practice at 285. He doesn't have Lewis' experience but he has far more talent. Ben Compton who has been a spot starter and backup at C and G is also pushing him. At the other Guard spot my money is on RS Freshman German Ifedi who is a 6'5 338 lber but he has to beat out at least 3 other guys.

It's also noteworthy that it took the A&M OL about 3 or 4 games to adjust to the change in blocking scheme under Sumlin. Instead of drive blocking the Air Raid/Spread focuses on turning blockers to create holes or to push pass rushers out of their lanes. By the end of the year it was working beautifully. A 2nd year in that system is likely to have even better results.