Aggies look to move on from Johnny Manziel
1. Do you think head coach Kevin Sumlin made the right choice when he named sophomore Kenny Hill the starter for the season opener over freshman Kyle Allen?
Kenny Hill has a year of experience sitting under Johnny Manziel and the A&M offense. I don’t know if he is the better quarterback in the long run — because Kyle Allen is really good — but he gives A&M the best chance to win against USC. Sumlin made the right choice for Thursday.
2. How much of a blow to the Aggie defense is the loss of linebacker Darian Claiborne after he was dismissed from the team in June?
The loss of Claiborne is big because he was the team lead in tackles, but I think the team will be alright. It was certainly the right decision to dismiss him from the team.
3. Do you see anyone on the team having a breakout season in 2014 like Johnny Manziel did two years ago?
Speedy Noil is the guy to keep your eye on. He’s a five-star recruit with crazy athleticism. He will be playing slot receiver and returning kicks and punts and has a chance to be really special here at A&M.
4. How excited are Texas A&M fans about the recruiting job Sumlin has done?
I think the fan base here is overwhelmingly excited about the recruits. A&M was also No. 2 to Texas, but they have jumped the Longhorns in recruiting in the past few years, all thanks to Sumlin. There is going to be a lot of great talent here for a long time.
5. The Aggie defense was historically bad last year, do you see the unit improving this season?
The team will improve, because it would be unthinkable for them to be that bad again, right? Please say I’m right. The Aggies did add a guy in, Myles Garrett, who could be an all-time great defensive end, but we’ll just have to see.
Prediction:
I think A&M can score on anybody, but I don’t know if they can stop the other team enough to win. I have USC winning 34-28.