Texas A&M defense not banking on last year's success

The Texas A&M defense is returning nine starters for a unit that finished No. 9 in the country last year, but the Aggies refuse to bank on last year’s success in 2021.

“We’re guaranteed nothing by experience,” Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko said, via the Houston Chronicle. “We’ve got to work to get everything we want in the game of football. Everything that we did last year is just that — what we did last year.”

Five seniors from last year’s crippling defensive unit are permitted to return this year because the NCAA did not count a year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Aggies closed out the 2020 campaign with the highest national ranking (ninth) in defense since 1993, when Texas A&M boasted the third-best defense in the country.

“We have the capability and potential to be really good,” Elko said. “But we’ve got to put in the work to make sure that shows up on Saturdays in the fall.”

Texas A&M loaded with defensive talent

Texas A&M finished 2020 ranked No. 1 in the SEC in total defense, allowing just 317 yards and 22 points per game.

It all starts with the Aggies’ front seven. Texas A&M lost defensive tackle Bobby Brown, who led the way in sacks last season, but there is a slew of big, athletic talent to fill the void. McKinley Jackson and Jaden Peevy should anchor the interior, while Tyree Johnson, DeMarvin Leal, and Micheal Clemons are all defensive ends who can wreak havoc in the opposing backfield.

“We have a culture and a mindset that we continue to implement each and every day,” Clemons, who played under previous A&M coach Kevin Sumlin in 2017, told the Houston Chronicle. “We don’t try to look too far ahead — it’s a day-by-day thing. We’re further along than we’ve ever been. “This is the best defense we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

Texas A&M will lean on Aaron Hansford to anchor the corps of linebackers. Hansford closed out last season with 49 tackles and three sacks.

The secondary is filled with large, physical playmakers. Jaylon Jones is a 6-2, 205-pounder who made 30 stops, and Myles Jones is a rangy 6-4 veteran who was fourth on the team with 39 stops in just eight games.

Leon O’Neal is a playmaker, leading the Aggies’ secondary with two interceptions and 48 tackles a season ago. Demani Richardson is another hard-hitting veteran that will anchor the back-end for Texas A&M.