re: Are we sleeping on A&M?

quote:

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I think with AD and a few years with Sumlin as the OC we could have gotten things back on track ... of course this is after the fact musing

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We would have gone 4-8 in 2003 regardless of who was the coach.

The telling factor was that, in the 1999 recruiting class (the class immediately following the Big 12 championship season), Slocum was only able to recruit ONE linebacker. ONE.

For a 3/4 defense to only have ONE committed linebacker in any class is a slow and painful death.

Here was the starting defense in the last game of the 2002 season:

DE - Ty Warren (SR - #13 pick in the 2003 draft)
NT - Marcus Jasmin (FR - returned in 2003)
RE - Linnus Smith (FR - returned in 2003)
LB - Jarrod Penright (SR - graduated)
LB - Brian Gamble (SR - graduated)
LB - Randall Webb (SO - failed out)
LB - Jesse Hunnicut (SR - graduated)
DB - Sean Weston (SO)
DB - Sammy Davis (SR - #30 pick in 2003 draft)
DB - Jaxson Appel (FR)
DB - Terrence Kiel (SR - 2nd round pick in 2003 draft - RIP)

Players from the 2-deep that year:

DB-Byron Jones (SO)
DB-Ron Jones (SR - graduated)
DB/LB-Keelan Jackson (SO)
LB-Jared Morris (JR-injured in game 2 of the 2003 season, not given a medical RS)
DE-Brian Patrick (FR)
NT-Johnny Jolly (FR - his history is well known)
DE-David Ross (SO)
LB-Scott Stickane (JR WALKON who started 9 games in 2003)

From the 2003 recruiting class:

DB Japhus Brown (redshirted in 2003)
DL Red Bryant (yes, #79 on Seattle - RS in 2003)
DB Melvin Bullitt (yes, that one - played in 2003)
DE Chris Harringson (RS in 2003)
DE Jason Jack (RS in 2003)
DB Erik Mayes (RS in 2003)
LB Lamar Mitchell (transferred to UH)
DE Mike Montgomery (played in 2003 - JUCO)
DB Brock Newton (RS in 2003)
DL Tate Pittman (indecent exposure)
LB Ta Ta Thompson (played in 2003 - now a poet)
LB Justin Warren (played in 2003)

That's returning FOUR starters including NONE of your starting linebackers in a year in which you travel to Virginia Tech, play Pittsburgh (with Larry Fitzgerald) in non-conference, then have to play at Texas Tech (where A&M didn't win at from 1993-2008), at Nebraska, at Oklahoma, at Missouri (with Brad Smith), Oklahoma State (with Les Miles as coach) at home, and Texas (with Cedric Benson, Vince Young, and several others) at home.