Texas A&M Suspends CFB Activities After Multiple COVID-19 Positive Tests
Nov 9, 2020
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher leads the Aggies onto the field before the start of an NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher announced Monday the football team will suspend activities as a result of multiple positive COVID-19 tests, via Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports.
One player and one student worker have tested positive, both of whom traveled with the team to South Carolina this past weekend.
Despite the latest decision, the Aggies still plan to play next Saturday at Tennessee.
The latest news is a continuation of coronavirus-related issues in the SEC Monday.
The SEC announced the game between Mississippi State and Auburn will be postponed after an outbreak for Mississippi State.
LSU could be forced to postpone its game against Alabama as well with multiple players currently quarantining, according toAlex Scarboroughof ESPN. Multiple players, including some starters, will be unavailable for Saturday's game.
Arkansas alsoannouncedhead coach Sam Pittman tested positive for COVID-19.
Texas A&M has been one of the hottest teams in college football, improving to 5-1 after Saturday's 48-3 win over South Carolina. The squad also has a win over Florida, with only a Week 2 loss to Alabama ruining a perfect season.
Kellen Mond, No. 7 Texas A&M Dominate South Carolina 48-3 in SEC Action
Nov 7, 2020
Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond (11) looks to pass against Arkansas during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
No. 7 Texas A&M rolled to a 48-3 victory at South Carolina on Saturday and announced its candidacy for the College Football Playoff in the process.
Now 5-1 on the year, with a Week 2 loss to No. 2 Alabama the only blemish on their record, the Aggies have put themselves in a position to challenge the Crimson Tide for the SEC West title. It certainly won't be easy. Texas A&M will finish the season on the road at Tennessee and No. 24 Auburn while hosting Ole Miss and LSU.
Should the Aggies go undefeated the rest of the way—and Alabama stumble at any point—they can establish themselves as the best team in their division and setup a potential berth in the SEC title game.
On Saturday, quarterback Kellen Mond established himself as one of the best to ever suit up for Texas A&M as he completed 68th career touchdown pass, a school record.
Texas A&M's defense handled the rest as they allowed just 150 yards without allowing a point until there were less than six minutes remaining fourth quarter.
Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M Aggies: three catches, 35 yards, two touchdowns
Collin Hill, QB, South Carolina Gamecocks: 8-21, 66 yards, two interceptions
Kevin Harris, RB, South Carolina Gamecocks: 13 carries, 39 yards
Jimbo Fisher Finds His Footing
Jimbo Fisher's first two years at Texas A&M didn't provide the immediate satisfaction that led the school to lure him away from Florida State. In Year 3, the head coach seems to finally have the program ready to compete for conference titles—if not far more elusive trophies—once again.
Consider how Fisher has kept his team together since a 52-24 loss at Alabama in Week 2. The Aggies responded with a victory over No. 4 Florida, 41-38, and have now won their fourth consecutive contest. That's not the way things have typically gone for A&M under Fisher.
After the Aggies were handed their first loss of 2019 by Clemson in Week 2, they went on to lose two of their first three SEC games. It was a similar story as in 2018. The Aggies lost to then-No. 2 Clemson 28-26 at home in the second week of the season only to suffer another loss two weeks later in their ensuing conference game against No. 1 Alabama.
Whatever contributed to those slides has been eliminated this time around. There's been hardly any panic from the Aggies. That continued on Saturday. After TAMU went three-and-out on its first drive, the Aggies came back with a touchdown on their following possession. The 12-play, 52-yard march downfield ate up nearly six minutes of the first quarter and helped settle down a limited-capacity Williams-Brice Stadium.
Fisher aided the cause with some nifty play-calling including a run on fourth-and-one inside the red zone that set-up a three-yard touchdown pass from Mond to Ainias Smith to grab an early lead.
The Aggies controlled the game from start to finish with Fisher leading the way. He's finally got his program running the way he wants. Higher expectations are sure to follow.
Aggies Defense Dominates Again
Perhaps Texas A&M's defense isn't as porous as Alabama made it look.
Since giving up 52 points to the Crimson Tide, the Aggies have allowed just 21.5 points per game with their most dominant performance of the season coming Saturday on the road.
TAMU allowed just 68 yards in the first half against the Gamecocks (2-4) and didn't give up a single red zone opportunity. That's despite South Carolina holding the ball for at least 21 minutes. Up until Saturday, the Gamecocks had averaged 29.2 points per game. The Aggies did what no other team in their conference has done by holding their opponent to three points in the victory.
Instead, an SC team that averages 163.4 rushing yards per game could only muster 50.
The Aggies can, in part, thank cornerback Myles Jones, who led the team with four solo tackles while safety Kledrick Carper picked up an interception early in the second quarter—safety Leon O'Neal Jr. would pick off a pass later in the game, as well.
All of it combined for one of the best performances the Aggies' defense has displayed this season. They'll need more of that to continue their hunt for an SEC title, if not more.
What's Next
The Aggies will remain on the road for a second consecutive week as they travel to unranked Tennessee with kickoff slated for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. South Carolina will look to avoid a three-game losing streak with a trip to Ole Miss on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Texas A&M TE Blake Smith Tells Prospects to Go to Texas to Play with Quinn Ewers
Aug 15, 2020
As if things weren't bad enough for Texas A&M's football program, one of its own players used social media to tell recruits they should go to the University of Texas.
Per 247Sports' Jaylon Thompson, Aggies tight end Blake Smith wrote the following in a since-deleted tweet after Texas landed top 2022 quarterback recruit Quinn Ewers: "Congrats bro, business decision and if I was a WR/TE…I’d commit there with him. Just saying."
Ewers announced Friday he was going to play college football for the Longhorns starting in 2022. The move is a huge victory for the program as 247Sports has him rated as a 5-star prospect and the best player in his class.
The most logical explanation for Smith's tweet is that he has a relationship with Ewers and was happy for his friend. Smith is an incoming freshman for Texas A&M. He played with Ewers at Southlake Carroll High School for the previous two years.
But this is more salt in the wound for Aggies fans who, just last month, saw their football team receive one year of probation and head coach Jimbo Fisher got a six-month show-cause order due to NCAA recruiting violations.
Jimbo Fisher Gets 6-Month Show-Cause Order for Texas A&M Recruiting Violations
Jul 2, 2020
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Texas A&M Aggies reacts during a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisherreceived a six-month show-cause order from the NCAA after he and former Aggies assistant coach Jay Graham had impermissible contact with a high school recruit.
"According to the agreement, the head coach failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance because of his personal involvement in the recruiting violation," the NCAA said on Thursday. "The agreement also said the head coach failed to monitor his staff when he did not ensure the program was staying within the allowable number of countable athletically related activity hours."
The infractions started in January 2018—shortly after hetook the jobin December 2017—and ran through February 2019.
As part of his show-cause order, Fisher is banned from all off-campus recruiting in the upcoming fall period. He fulfilled part of his requirements already when he refrained from contacting any recruits for nine days this past January.
"As Texas A&M's Head Football Coach, I am responsible for promoting and monitoring for NCAA compliance in our program. While I am disappointed in the violations, including an unintended one that resulted from a conversation with a high school athlete, it is still my responsibility to ensure we are adhering to each and every rule. I am pleased to have this matter completely behind our program and look forward to continuing our efforts to make every aspect of our program one all Aggies can continue to be proud of."
The NCAA also levied program-wide punishments. The Aggies will have 17 fewer days for official visits over the 2019-20 academic year and one fewer paid official visit. The A&M staff was also banned from off-campus recruiting for seven days during the spring period and will be banned for a 10-day stretch in the fall.
The staff is also not allowed to recruit at the high school of the student-athlete involved in the violation through spring of 2021, will be required to complete further recruiting training and the program will be on probation through July 2021 and pay a $5,000 fine.
The recruiting restrictions are clearly a setback for Fisher as he approaches his third season in charge. Texas A&M sits 27th in 247Sports'composite team rankingsfor 2021. That's only good enough foreighthin the SEC.
The Aggies have time to add to their 2021 class, but they'll be at a disadvantage as they look to climb up into the top 10.
Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond Calls for Removal of 'Sully' Statue from Campus
Jun 17, 2020
Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond (11) looks to pass down field against UTSA during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond called for the removal of the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue from the school's campus in a tweet posted Tuesday:
According to ESPN's Dave Wilson, the "Sully" statue is situated in the center of campus in College Station, Texas. The statue was erected in 1919 to honor Ross, who served as the school's president from 1891 to 1898.
Ross was also the 19th governor of Texas and served as a general for the confederacy during the Civil War.
As part of his tweet, Mond wrote about Ross' enslaving and killing Indians, wounding and killing black people and saying, "I would not recognize negroes as soldiers."
Mond closed his tweet by writing:
"The values of Texas A&M University do not align with RACISM, VIOLENCE, SLAVERY & SEGREGATION, but [Texas A&M head coach] Jimbo Fisher's most prominent saying will always stick with me: "Your ACTIONS speak so loud I can't hear what you're saying. The Lawrence Sullivan Ross Statue NEEDS to be removed. Texas A&M University, I NEED to see ACTION."
Per Wilson, 24,000 people have signed a petition supporting the removal of the statue and 25,000 people have signed a petition in favor of keeping it. Both sides of the issue held protests last weekend as well.
Since the May 25 killing of 46-year-old black man George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, there has been a renewed push across the United States to remove statues of figures who fought in favor of slavery.
Last week, a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was removed from Kentucky's Capitol building after it stood for 84 years.
Ja Morant, who stars for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and attended Murray State, wrote a letter to a judge in Murray, Kentucky, asking for the removal of a statue depicting Confederate general Robert E. Lee from the city's downtown, as well.
Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is among those who have supported Mond's push to get the "Sully" statue removed:
Wilson noted that Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp and president Michael K. Young have been defenders of the statue and have cited contributions Ross made to the black community, but Young said he would "invite discussion" on the matter in a statement released Monday.
Mond is a San Antonio native who is about to enter his senior season at Texas A&M after racking up 2,897 passing yards and 28 total touchdowns last season.
Texas A&M Chancellor Says CFB Could Still Play Full Season with October Start
Apr 8, 2020
Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp gives a Gig'Em before to the crowd at Kyle Field, before the start of an NCAA college football game between South Carolina and Texas A&M Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
The 2020 college football season is slated to begin on Saturday, Aug. 29, but that appears to be in jeopardy in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp is optimistic a full slate of games could be played even if the season begins as late as October.
"In some conversations with SEC officials and NCAA, I think they've come to the conclusion that you can probably start football as late as October and still have a 13-game schedule," Sharp said during a live video discussion with the Texas Tribune (h/t Associated Press).
Per the World Health Organization's figures from the evening of April 8, at least 1.3 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 worldwide, and at least 79,380 people have died.
The United States has more confirmed cases (at least 363,320) than any other country.
COVID-19'srise in daily new casesand continued spread have made predicting the future difficult, with the return of sports one such example.
Sharp recognized the fact that so much is still unknown at this time.
"We don't know when this thing is going to end," he said. "We don't know when this is going to happen. For all we know, we may have football where we have coaches and players and referees on a field with a TV camera and nobody in the stadium. We don't know."
The AP reached out to SEC spokesman Herb Vincent for comments on Sharp's remarks.
"Our focus is on preparing to play the season as scheduled," Vincent wrote in an email. "As we have done in recent weeks, using the best available information from public health officials, at an appropriate time we will make decisions about the future."
Vincent also noted that he was unfamiliar with the conversations Sharp referenced.
If the season does start on time, Texas A&M will host Abilene Christian to begin its 12-game regular season on Sept. 5.
4-Star DT Prospect McKinnley Jackson Commits to Texas A&M over Alabama, LSU
Feb 5, 2020
Texas A&M bolstered their future defensive front Wednesday when defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson joined their 2020 recruiting class.
Jackson announced the decision at a press conference, choosing the Aggies over Alabama, LSU and Auburn.
Jackson checks in at 6'2" and 327 pounds and is a 4-star prospect and the No. 61 overall player, No. 9 defensive tackle and No. 1 player from the state of Mississippi in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
He initially committed to LSU but reopened his recruitment in February 2018, clearing the way for Texas A&M to secure the win on the trail.
Jackson has served as a dominant force along the defensive line during his high school career and possesses the strength to overpower offensive linemen in one-on-one situations and tackle the running back in the backfield. He also has the burst to put pressure on the quarterback up the middle and tally impressive sack totals even as a defensive tackle.
According to MaxPreps, Jackson posted 10 sacks as a sophomore in 2017, 11.5 as a junior in 2018 and 10 as a senior this past season. He also finished with 76 total tackles in his senior year, 37 of which went for loss, and his production was all the more impressive considering he was often double-teamed and opened up lanes for his teammates.
Those defensive numbers attracted the attention of some of the best programs in the country, and Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss were all included on 247Sports' school list. The likes of LSU, Clemson, Florida, Florida State and USC, among others, were also on the list at one point.
Texas A&M won the recruiting battle and now has someone who can anchor the defensive front for years and help it challenge for conference titles and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Muhsin Muhammad III, Son of Former Star NFL WR, Signs with Texas A&M
Dec 18, 2019
Wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad III officially committed to play football for Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M on Wednesday.
The son of two-time NFL Pro Bowler Mushin Muhammad II signed with the Aggies on the first day of the early signing period:
Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Muhammad is a 4-star prospect, the No. 28 wide receiver and No. 152 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class.
Muhammad previously announced in June that he was going to attend college at Texas A&M. The Charlotte native told Damon Sayles of 247Sports he "caught the vibe" during his first official visit to the school in April.
"It wasn't like anything to where I wanted to pull the trigger right away, but I texted my dad and said, 'Man, we've got to get back soon.' This was definitely a place I was for sure considering," Muhammad said.
Michael Clark of 247Sports praised Muhammad's ability to get "in and out of his routes smoothly and does a nice job creating separation" and has strong hands to attack the ball in the air.
Texas A&M is building an excellent stable of young wide receivers for next season. The team also landed 5-star recruit Desmond Demas to play alongside Muhammad in 2020.
The Aggies haven't had a 1,000-yard receiver since Josh Reynolds in 2016. Their offense finished a disappointing 61st in points per game (30.0) this season.
Getting a dynamic playmaker like Muhammad should help boost Texas A&M's offensive production starting in 2020.
Texas A&M Received $1.3M in 1st Year Allowing Alcohol Sales at Kyle Field
Nov 28, 2019
COLLEGE STATION, TX - SEPTEMBER 12: A general view of the exterior of Kyle Field before the start of the Texas A&M Aggies and the Ball State Cardinals game at Kyle Field on September 12, 2015 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Money wasn't an issue for Texas A&M athletics before, and permitting the sale of alcohol at football games has helped the Aggies further pad their already sizable bank account.
The SEC lifted the ban on alcohol sales in May, with Texas A&M working quickly to prepare Kyle Field for the change. According to KBTX's Hope Barnett, the move helped the school earn around $1.3 million in total revenue, which is split with its concessions partner.
To put that in perspective, it's enough to cover a little over 17 percent of Jimbo Fisher's $7.5 million salary.
Per Barnett, athletic director Ross Bjork said selling alcohol helped improve the fan experience and didn't lead to a rise in crowd problems.
"I think Aggies always want to do things the right way," he said. "We did not see an incremental increase; in fact, at some games, there were actually less compared to some games in the past with a similar crowd."
Barnett reported A&M is planning to have alcohol available for purchase at basketball, baseball and softball games.
The Aggies had their final home football game Nov. 16, beating South Carolina 30-6.
Texas A&M's Jared Hocker on Showdown vs. No. 1 Clemson: 'There Will Be an Upset'
Sep 2, 2019
Texas A&M reflective helmets sit on the field before the start of a NCAA college football against Mississippi State on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M offensive lineman Jared Hocker made a bold proclamation Monday as the Aggies prepare for their game against top-ranked Clemson.
Hocker told reporters, "There will be an upset," on Saturday when A&M hits the road to take on the Tigers:
Jared Hocker is confident that the Aggies will defeat Clemson on Saturday. “There will be an upset.” pic.twitter.com/tqbVqYlAe6
Texas A&M pushed Clemson to the brink last season Kellen Mond threw a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to bring the Aggies to within two points with 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Mond threw an interception on the two-point conversion attempt to end any hope of forcing overtime.
One could argue A&M is an improved squad this time around,climbingto 12th in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 and 11th in the Coaches Poll.
Clemson's 52-14 win over Georgia Tech last Thursday, meanwhile, didn't necessarily answer how much the defensive line misses Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and Austin Bryant. The Tigers held the Yellow Jackets to 3.5 yards per carry, but Tech is facing a difficult transition away from the triple-option offense under first-year head coach Geoff Collins.
The Tigers effectively bottled up the Aggies last September, holding Trayveon Williams to 31 yards on 17 carries. With Williams now in the NFL, Isaiah Spiller and Jashaun Corbin combined to run for 209 yards on 29 carries in Texas A&M's season-opening win over Texas State.
Although an upset is entirely possible, Clemson is an 18.5-point favorite at theCaesars Palace sportsbook.
Considering the Aggies are one of only two ranked teams on the Tigers' schedule, the reigning national champions aren't going to look past A&M after last year's scare. Hocker's comment will give Clemson even more motivation to deliver a more emphatic result this time around.
