Texas A&M’s defense is drawing a mixed verdict at the halfway mark: no outright disasters, but plenty of places where the production still hasn’t matched the preseason buzz.
The strongest showing has come in the middle of the defense, where the linebackers have clearly taken a step. Noah Mikhail has been the engine of that improvement and has been an absolute monster out there.
Ray Coney entered the year with plenty of offseason hype and has been solid, even if he hasn’t fully delivered on all of those expectations. Daymion Sanford’s return has also helped, though he’s still getting back up to speed.
There are still some mental mix-ups that lead to opponents popping big run plays, but not nearly as often as last season. That group gets the Aggies’ best mark so far: Grade: A-.
Up front, the interior defensive line has been better than bad, but not nearly dominant enough for what many expected. CJ Mims has been quieter than anticipated, although he has put together a solid stretch over the last couple of games.
Brandon Davis-Swain made a big impression last week against Missouri as he works back from injury, and he looks like a hit. DJ Hicks has been one of the more disappointing names on the roster, not because defensive tackles always pile up headlines, but because he simply has not been as much of a factor as hoped.
Landon Rink has been good, and DJ Sanders has started to grow into a role with limited snaps. Still, the group has not lived up to the standard that was hoped for.
Grade: B-.
The pass rush, though, is where the numbers and the eye test both say Texas A&M has a problem. The Aggies are dead last in the conference in sack rate, behind even Arkansas, and 120th in the nation.
They’ve been a bit better in tackles for loss, sitting 66th nationally, and they rank 65th in the country in QB hurries per game, but that still hasn’t been enough to change the overall story. Anto Saka, Marco Jones, TJ Searcy, and company have just not gotten home often enough, and that absence has cost this defense.
Grade: C-.
Cornerback is a trickier evaluation because not every explosive pass play can be pinned on that position group. Texas A&M has leaned heavily on zone coverage, and the lack of pressure up front has given opponents time to work slow-developing routes against it.
When Dezz Ricks and Julio Humphrey have been matched up one-on-one, the coverage has generally held up well. Teams have landed some wins, but the Aggies have usually made those 50/50 balls feel more like 75/25 plays in their favor.
The main issue has been Rickey Gibson, who has not come close to meeting expectations and has seen his snaps drop over the last few weeks after being repeatedly targeted in coverage. Grade: B.
Safety has been the roughest-looking spot of all, even with captains all over the room. Dalton Brooks and Marcus Ratcliffe have both struggled this season, and Ratcliffe’s biggest preseason strength was supposed to be his reliability in staying with the play - something that has not carried over this year.
Brooks brings plenty of physical talent, but his issues with coverage assignments and run fits have shown up too often throughout his career, and that hasn’t changed. The one encouraging development is Tawfiq Byard, who is now healthy and should be taking most of the snaps on the back end.
Chance Collins offers some hope as he develops and should keep earning more time.
All told, the Aggies’ defense has improved in a few key areas, but the overall report card still reflects a unit that hasn’t fully reached the level many expected.
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