Why continued development, growth of Texas A&M's receiver corps will determine 2024 success

There’s always at least one position group that gets highlighted before the season as one that could make all the difference for a team by the time kickoff comes. For Texas A&M, that honor belongs to the Aggies’ receiving corps according to TexAgs’ Billy Liucci.

Liucci spoke about A&M’s wideouts during an appearance on ‘Andy Staples On3’ on Friday morning. He noted how receiver was obviously a point of emphasis for them this offseason considering who they’d been recruiting after losing two of their best from last year.

“The position where I think you saw them go hard after. (KeAndre) Lambert-Smith, who went to Auburn? There was where it looked like he was heading to A&M. Sam Brown from U of H? Ended up at Miami, looked like he might be heading to A&M,” recalled Liucci. “Those were tough losses and it tells you that they thought they need to continue to push the envelope at receiver and get better.”

“They lost Ainias Smith, who was a really good SEC player for a long time, and they lost Evan Stewart, who was a very high-potential guy. I will not be surprised if he went and did some great things at Oregon,” Liucci said. “The Evan that Oregon is getting and Ainias Smith? That’s a lot to lose in a receiving corps.”

Smith, who played his fifth and final season last fall, totaled 53 catches for 795 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s leading receiver. He also returned 30 balls on special teams, 22 punts and 8 kickoffs, for 388 yards and one punt-return score. As for Stewart, he was in his second season with the program when he caught 38 passes for 514 yards and four touchdowns.

Both are now gone after Smith was a fifth-round pick at No. 152 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles last week while Stewart, the No. 4 transfer overall and No. 1 WR in the portal this offseason, is now with the Ducks in Eugene.

That still leaves three of the Aggies’ top-five receivers from last season on the roster. Of 26 transfers, they also brought in a trio from the portal. That’s not to mention three more from their recruiting class, including one four-star one in the Top-250.

The question now for Liucci is which among them will make the necessary impact on offense for Texas A&M.

“They got guys right now? Moose (Muhammad III) needs to be more consistent. We know he can play at an elite level. Noah Thomas will make some of the best catches you’ve seen. He made an incredible one in the spring game, had two short touchdowns. He has got to avoid the injury bug that has kind of hit him, has got to stay on the field,” Liucci said. “Then Jahdae Walker had a nice first year, especially a nice finish. Practices hard, is great in that room and stuff.”

“I know they were pretty bummed when Jabre Barber from Troy hurt his foot. He was doing some really nice things in the slot. He’ll be out for a while,” noted Liucci. “I think that’s a longer-term thing. Cyrus Allen will be a big deal. Izaiah Williams, who they look late from the Gators down there in Florida.”

Pass-catching is a key to win at a notable level in Liucci’s mind. That’s why he’ll have his eyes on that collection of receivers to see how many of them play well enough to potentially take their team to the next tier up.

“You look at the teams that have won in this league at the highest of levels and most of them have multiple, high-round NFL receivers,” Liucci explained. “You’re not winning at that highest level without that. That’s a position where I’m going to have to see those guys really rise up and be players.”

“Those guys are going to have to be contributors,” stated Liucci.