Terry Bussey 2025 outlook

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I think that the expectations among Texas A&M fans for wideout and former five star Terry Bussey continue to diverge from the reality of his situation coming out of high school. The Aggies tried to find ways to get him on the field as a true freshman and while that created excitement around what he could do for the program, he remains more of a work in progress right now than the game breaking threat he was projected to be coming out of high school.

I know that Bussey was rated as a five star prospect and the top athlete in the 2024 recruiting class in the 247 Sports Composite. He generated over 10,000 yards of total offense and nearly 200 scores during his high school career, leading Timpson (TX) High School to a Class 2A D-1 state title. In the process, he won numerous awards including the District 11-2A MVP as a junior as well being named Mr. Texas Football by Dave Campbell's Texas Football and as the Texas Sportswriters Association (TSWA) Class 2A Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.

I know that Bussey measured out at 5 foot 10.5 inches as a high schooler but is now listed at 6 feet even at Aggieland. He has the build and sleeve length of someone taller. His sub 11.0 time in the 100 meters attests to his long speed while his triple jump in excess of 45 feet and long jump of over 23 feet show you what kind of explosion he has.

I know that Bussey played both offense and defense in high school. He has been a defender in fall camp last season and then a wideout and running back during the season. All of that adds up to him being a jack of all trades guy.

I think that the preceding has also had an impact on his development relative to his peers. He got to Aggieland having played multiple positions at a small school but not the positions that he was projected to play in college. In addition, while he dominated the competition, he rarely faced anyone who was on his level from an athletic standpoint. Once he got to College Station, he got moved around as much because of need as due to his own skill set. He played running back due to attrition there and wideout due to a perceived lack of big play ability among the Aggies' wideouts on the 2024 roster. Not only that, he was also having to learn a West Coast passing game and how to run. His peers had been wideouts their entire lives and so were much more advanced in those aspects of the game even if they didn't see the field. The Aggies tried to work him in the slot, and he had some nice plays but ultimately he was a spot player and far from a down to down one.

Finally, I think that while people continue to have expectations for Bussey, he has experienced guys like KC Concepcion and Mario Craver in front of him (and Craver is a really good athlete in his own right). It should be noted that other 2024 classmates like Ashton Bethel-Roman and Izaiah Williams are fluid athletes who put up big numbers as receivers in high school while Bussey was playing quarterback. As a result, all of those things need to be kept in mind while Bussey continues to make the transition from a spot player in the slot (running jet sweeps and screens to get him the ball) to a higher value target who can get separation on a consistent basis and generate big plays on longer throws.

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