Conner Weigman on Texas A&M players being overlooked: 'I like to be under the radar'

Expectations are neither too high nor too low for Texas A&M entering the 2023 season, and that’s how quarterback Conner Weigman prefers it. Coming off of a 5-7 season, the Aggies were picked to finish third in the SEC West behind Alabama and LSU.

One might argue that’s even a bit generous considering A&M’s last-place finish a year ago. However, the Aggies fared a lot worse in the preseason All-SEC team, with Ainias Smith being the only player named to the first team as an all-purpose player.

Asked specifically about the omission of receiver Evan Stewart from any of the preseason All-SEC teams, Weigman said A&M is motivated by the chance to be the underdog.

“It’s cool. I like to be under the radar,” the QB said. “Don’t have too many expectations and go out and shock the world. I feel like that’s what were gonna do.”

The Aggies found themselves in a much different position to start last season. After signing the top-ranked recruiting class according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking, they entered 2022 at No. 6 in the AP poll. That didn’t last long, however, as A&M never rose above that ranking.

By the second week, the Aggies suffered an upset loss to Appalachian State. That would be only the beginning of their struggles as they later lost six straight games to put them out of contention to make a bowl.

As a result of the disappointing 2022 season, A&M saw 31 players enter the transfer portal, including seven from its highly touted recruiting class. That gives the Aggies an opportunity to start fresh this season, but has also resulted in lowered expectations to begin 2023.

However, several key contributors including Weigman and Stewart return hoping to bounce back. The reality is that A&M was an extremely young team this past season and should improve given a year of experience.

Weigman started the final four games of the season and will battle Max Johnson for the starting job this season. He flashed his potential last season with a program freshman record 338 yards passing against Ole Miss. Stewart, one of nine five-stars from last year’s class, led the Aggies with 53 catches for 649 yards and two touchdowns.

Former five-stars Shemar Stewart, Walter Nolen and LT Overton return on the defensive line. The Aggies also added another highly touted freshman in this year’s class in Reuben Owens, the No. 3 running back according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

All that is to say that this A&M team still has plenty of talent in spite of the narrative surrounding it based off of last season’s results. Weigman and company will hope to prove their doubters wrong, beginning with the season opener on Sept. 2 against New Mexico.