TexAgs Live - Billy Liucci + Luke Evangelist : 08.03.26

Summary

TexAgs Live – August 4, 2026

Host: David Nuño
Guests: Billy Liucci, Luke Evangelist, and TexAgs Crew
Theme: In-depth preview of Texas A&M football heading into camp, with a preview of Aggie basketball in the Bahamas

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into key storylines as Texas A&M football heads into fall camp, with extensive analysis of the offensive line’s evolution, running back depth, linebacker competition, and tight end outlook. Special attention is given to individual players, portal additions, and position battles critical to the Aggies’ 2026 season. The show also features a live check-in from Luke Evangelist, reporting on Texas A&M basketball’s August Bahamas trip, with observations from the first scrimmage and previews of upcoming games.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Offensive Line Developments and Position Battles

Trayvon Ball & Portal Impact

• Trayvon Ball (South Carolina transfer, #19 in “25 in 25”):

  • Strong candidate for starting left guard.
  • “He’s a man mountain at that spot… a veteran of the SEC trenches, of an SEC weight room.” – Billy (03:21)
  • Noted for massive physical improvement under strength coach Tommy Moffitt.

• Competition & Retention:

  • A&M prioritized keeping key young linemen (Lamont, Blake Ivy, Robbie Bourdon) despite SEC schools trying to poach.
  • “These are SEC schools… Texas and LSU tried to get them… ended up settling for another way down the depth chart O-lineman.” – Billy (01:05)
  • Ball seen as a physically dominant, if less nimble, replacement for Chase Besantis.

• Team Building Philosophy:

  • The coaching staff’s decisions on transfer portal targets (e.g., not heavily pursuing Melvin Siani at Texas, focusing on specific fits) highlighted the calculated approach to O-line construction.

Importance of Center Chemistry: Mark Nabou

• Mark Nabou (#18 in “25 in 25”): Anchors a newly-constructed line, entering his fourth year at A&M.
  • Praised for leadership, mutual respect, and setting the offensive line’s tone.
  • “He’s gotten rave reviews… really the centerpiece and heartbeat of that group.” – Billy (08:10)
  • Needs to continue improving: “If you’re Mark Nabou and you don’t get better, you don’t go to the NFL. You don’t become an All-SEC player. That’s his goal.” (09:54)
  • Nabou’s staying power, work ethic, and off-season growth set the foundation for the new unit’s chemistry.

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Running Backs: Depth, Breakout Candidates, and Expectations

• Top Names to Watch:

  • Rueben Owens: Expected to look more “dynamic,” carrying more weight and showing improved physicality.
  • Jamari Amaro: “A home run hitter for the offense… I want to see him do that consistently in camp.” – Billy (12:42)
  • Tiger Riding: Returning from injury, viewed as the ‘tough yards’ back with breakout potential.

• Freshmen with Wild Card Upside:

  • K.J. Edwards: “The top running back in the country last year… he’s here and people are going to start seeing him for the first time. If there’s a position where a true freshman can have an impact, it’s running back.” – Billy (15:03)
  • Carson Baker: Also in the mix for a rotation role.

• Depth Note: Compared to last year, fewer upperclassmen ahead of freshmen; prospects for immediate impact are higher.

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Defensive Outlook: Linebackers & Secondary

• Damian Sanford: Progress in injury recovery; critical to the linebacking unit’s ceiling.

  • “I’ve stated from day one that I think he would be back a lot sooner… practiced in pads enough and taking enough hits… back to being the guy we saw make a lot of plays last year.” – Billy (18:40)

• Other Key LBs:

  • Noah McHale: Needs significant Year 2 jump; praised for size, speed, and football instincts.
  • Ray Koney (Tulsa transfer): Potential surprise starter.
  • Jordan Lockhart: Physicality and leadership recognized.

• Linebacker Challenges:

  • Emphasis on defeating O-line blocks, shedding efficiently, and avoiding “disappearing” in the run game.
  • Improvement here seen as pivotal for stopping strong running teams after struggles vs. Miami, Notre Dame, Texas, and others in 2025.

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Tight Ends: Raw Talent and Experienced Additions

• Richie Anderson (Fresno State transfer):
  • “Really stands out… known as a physical point of attack guy but has leaned up a lot. He’s going to look a lot more athletic.” – Billy (23:42)
• K.K. Johnson & Kyoti Armstrong:
  • Young, physically impressive, but raw; Armstrong described as almost “throwback.”
• Houston Thomas: “Super athletic… feel for the passing game, basketball background pays off. Asset for A&M.”
• Mike O’Riley (Auburn transfer):
  • Elected team captain; “He’ll kick your ass… not just for leadership, I think he’s preparing to make an impact on the field.” (25:56)
• Tight End Usage Prediction: Expect creative roles, lining up as inside receivers or blockers depending on game plan. “Has the widest range—could be a strength or rotate with the deep receiver corps.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Portal Strategy:
  “It’s always interesting to follow which direction your school went versus didn’t go in recruiting… Going to be really interesting to see. And A&M, you know, they have to have gotten it right because there’s no option of an offensive line that struggles this year.” – Billy (05:45)

• On Offensive Line Chemistry & Nabou:
  “If you’re going to have one returning starter, that’s the guy—you want it to be your center.” – Billy (08:24)

• On Running Back Potential:
  “If you want to talk about like a true wild card for this team… there are few [positions] where you see a true freshman have an impact as often as running back.” – Billy (15:04)

• On Linebacker Role:
  “Who is going to be the player that you don’t have to worry about that as much with, [misfits and misalignments], and the guy that you have full confidence is going to be where he needs to be on any given snap?” – Billy (21:29)

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Basketball Segment Live from the Bahamas

Reporting: Luke Evangelist
Key Subjects:

• Aggies’ First Scrimmage Takeaways (31:24–34:32)

  • Looked similar to “Quad 4 home games” in early November.
  • Offense ahead of defense: Gave up 88 points, with perimeter defense and focus as concerns.
  • “Not too much to complain about because you’d rather have these lapses in August than November.” —Luke (34:18)
  • Free throw shooting (58%) noted as a concern.

• Arkansas Game Observations (34:32–36:22)

  • Arkansas “really sloppy,” looked unfocused, but physically imposing; both teams missing key players due to eligibility.
  • The Colombian pro team (A&M’s next opponent) described as physical and cohesive—expected to challenge the Aggies.

• Player Spotlights

  • P.J. Haggerty:
    • Displayed patience, active defense, not just a scorer.
    • “He had five rebounds and four steals… a really active defender and really pushing for rebounds and hustling out there.” – Luke (37:00)
  • Mackenzie Mbako:
    • Scored 17 in 17 minutes, struggled from three (1–5), but effectively attacked the rim.
    • “His foot looks fine, athleticism looks fine… but I don’t think we’re there yet for that second round pick potential.” – Luke (38:25)

• What To Watch This Afternoon (39:56)

  • Wants “40 minutes of Buckyball”—full-game focus and intensity, especially if A&M gets a big lead.
  • Defensive focus and containing the ball movement of the Colombian pro team is the key priority.

• Coach Bucky’s Reaction:

  • Not concerned about three-point shooting; adjustments will come predominantly on defense.
  • “He understands it’s a work in progress and I think he’s happy that they’re getting to work it out now as opposed to the first week of the season.” – Luke (41:24)

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National College Football Notes & Segment Highlights

• ESPN’s Bill Conley “Top 40 Most Important Players” (43:17–46:23)
  • Marcel Reed (#8), John Matier (#7) both featured.
  • Discussion of why QBs like Keelan Russell (Alabama) and Josh Hoover (Indiana) top the list.
  • Hosts breakdown what makes these QBs pivotal to their teams’ prospects.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Offensive Line/Trayvon Ball Breakdown – 00:00–07:46
• Mark Nabou & Line Chemistry – 07:46–11:55
• Running Back Depth & Breakouts – 12:00–16:39
• Linebacker/Secondary Analysis – 18:10–23:16
• Tight End Outlook – 23:16–30:03
• Basketball (Live from Bahamas – Luke Evangelist) – 31:24–42:43
• National CFB Player Discussion – 43:17–46:23

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Notable Quotes & Speaker Attribution

• “He’s a man mountain at that spot… a veteran of the SEC trenches.” – Billy Liucci on Trayvon Ball (03:21)
• “He’s gotten rave reviews… centerpiece and heartbeat of that group.” – Billy on Mark Nabou (08:10)
• “I want to see Ruben [Owens] in week one and go, damn, he looks different… there’s a different feel.” – Billy (13:33)
• “When you think of P.J. Haggerty… not just interested in scoring… a really active defender and pushing for rebounds.” – Luke (37:30)
• “This is probably a good baseline for what a healthy Mackenzie [Mbako] can be…” – Luke (39:08)

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Episode Summary

This episode offers a comprehensive look at Texas A&M’s football roster evolution, with particular focus on the trenches, backfield, and positions crucial for a successful 2026 campaign. Detailed breakdowns on offensive and defensive unit chemistry, competition, and individual growth provide insights into what Aggie fans should monitor as camp opens. The basketball segment delivers on-the-ground insights from the Bahamas, documenting early season tendencies, player development, and challenges against international competition.

Perfect for Aggie fans or CFB followers eager for a pulse check on A&M’s football and basketball trajectories as the 2026–27 seasons approach.

Transcript

[A]

And we're back. It's Tech SAGS live. We're presented by David Gardner. Jules, we're in the Rollo Insurance studio. And Billy, we were talking about the offensive line. I wanted to look ahead at some other things you're watching. But since we were talking offensive line, let's do 25 and 25. Presented by Paragon Financial Advisors and Aghion Independent fee only fiduciary serving families and business owners nationwide. Visit paragon-adv.com and number 19 on the list, Trayvon Ball. We were talking a little bit about him during the break. I think that's why you brought him up. Chat about the South Carolina transfer who has kind of worked his way into being a real mainstay on that line.

[B]

Well, tbd, right? Like a primary. A primary contender.

[C]

There we go.

[B]

To start, I think also another one. We were talking about that. I didn't mention that I've been super high on from the jump. And a lot of teams tried to. A lot of teams tried to poach Lamont because of his, you know, everybody knew his high school rating and they knew he wasn't. He didn't play as a true freshman much at all. So then they think he's, hey, A and M's paying for all these portal old linemen. We're gonna go get him. They went after Lamont, they went after Blake Ivy. And these are SEC schools and multiple ones we're gonna play. We're talking about the Texas is the LSU's of the world. Yes, you and Texas ended up settling for another way down the depth chart. O lineman here. And then Robbie Borden. Robbie Bourdon is another guy that was being courted. Now he's like Ivy. He's going into year three. And you saw him a little bit last year, most notably in the Utah State game because Zun went out with. I think he played a significant amount of time in that one. But he's ready to be like Cole Kubelik had a phrase for it that I like. And he's talking about how many above the line guys do you have? And those guys are all above the line guys. Now it can be difficult to beat out Ball at left guard because he's experienced, he's big. When I say big, I mean he's one of the biggest linemen I think A and M has in terms of just if they all walked into this room, he'd be one of the standouts. And you go, damn, who's that? And it makes sense because he's been. He's a veteran of the SEC trenches. He's a veteran of sec of an SEC weight room. But you look at him now versus what he looked like when he got here and it's, it's pretty eye opening. The progress he's made in one off season under Tommy Moffitt, that's like, to me, it's like a, it's a testament to what A and M does in the off season in the weight room. You look at certain guys, you hear Ricky Gibson come in here and he was talking to me about it, you know, a few weeks ago, like comparing this offseason under Moffitt to like say a Tennessee one. So that's where those portal additions really, you know, you can glean a lot. And Ball comes in and he just looks so much different than he did when he got here. But he's a man mountain at that spot. I don't think he's going to be your quickest, most nimble guy, you know, in there, but he'll remind you of, he'll remind you of Chase Besantis in terms of the strength and physicality, like the, the ability to kind of move guys and that sheer size. Now Besantis had very unusual athleticism to go with that size and that freakish strength, which is why he was just outside the first round of the NFL draft after three years in college. So we're talking about different thing here, but I think Ball can replace some of that, you know, replicate some of that physicality. And I think, I think he will move guys off the line of scrimmage. And I, I think that's something, that's a point of emphasis this year for the Aggies up front is displacing defenders and getting them out of the way. And again, you go back and you look what held A and M back in the last few games of the season. So much is made about, you know, everyone wants to point to Marcel, oh, the quarterback. I've said it a million times. Go look at the rushing game numbers from game one to game, and there was an exception or two, but not many. Go look at the run game numbers from game one to game nine. And obviously it was game 10, game 12 and game 13. You know, Sanford was in there, but their last three real games it was, they weren't running the ball at all. And part of that comes when you're not getting guys and rooting them out and off the line of scrimmage. And that's what trouble on ball can do. And he can do it really well. And I think that's what makes him a real asset to this group people. You know, I felt like because he was from South Carolina and because he didn't have as much starting experience as some of these other guys. You know, look, when you're taking guys from LSU and Adams and Echols and you're taking a guy from Bama informing they went out and took Tron Ball. There were other linemen in the portal. There are other linemen that went to some good SEC schools. You know, I'm hearing a lot about. One thing to pay attention to is I saw a thing the other day and they've got Texas Melvin Ciani as like the number four draft prospect at tackle, and the Aggies needed tackles. They didn't really go after him at all. And you know, Elko's got strong connections to Wake Forest. Yeah, but he didn't allow a sack last year, which jumps out at you. But it's also why you see him all the way up on all these draft boards. And I'm not saying he. He very well could. Not everybody is. But they picked Ball and they didn't really make a hard. They. They. Well, in this. He's a tackle. They picked Formby and they picked Tyree. You didn't see them push and go hard after Ciani. You did see them bring in Peak, who they had connections to from NC State and Casey Concepcion. They brought him in on a visit and they chose Tyre Adams. Peak would have come. He ended up at South Carolina, where Boz coming from, got injured. I don't know his status as they start camping, but these are like difficult choices. And Peak would have moved the needle off the charts for the fans. Trayvon Ball didn't. He may be a guy that starts for you and goes on to the NFL like he's got that type of potential. So you always. It's always interesting to follow and monitor, like which direction your school went versus didn't go in recruiting. And then so like watching Siani and Austin and Peak at, you know, Peak at South Carolina and then guys like Ball and Tyre Adams and form be here. Going to be really interesting to see. And A and M, you know, they have to have gotten it right because they. There's. There's no option of a offensive line that struggles this year because there's too much at stake. You got too much skill, position, talent. You got a quarterback that I do think is prepared to take that next step. If. If they have a running game, if they have block, well, I want to

[A]

follow that up with yesterday's 25, 25 was marking Naboo and the importance. With so much made about offensive line chemistry and yada, yada, yada, Naboo being the center who touches the ball in every single play, who is the captain of that offensive line, I wonder how much of a difference that makes when it comes to the transition of a brand new offensive line.

[B]

I mean, he's gotten rave reviews from teammates this summer in terms of kind of being the centerpiece and the heartbeat of that group. I think Formby is going to provide a lot too, in the way of personality and just togetherness. But they seem like a fun group that really likes each other, which is hard to do. And Nabu is that guy. Then he's also going to have to be on the field here in camp, you know, particularly with his right guard, with his right tackle, I mean, right guard, left guard, and also helping out Marcel. So, yeah, I mean, if you're going to have a guy come back and you're going to have one returning starter, that's the guy. I think you want it to be your center. And I know Zun played center some last year, too, but this is Mark Naboo's going into year four. I remember him as a camper here, much like Zun. They were both guys that you hadn't heard of before they came to camp here. Now, look, one of them's from Seattle area, one of them's from Colorado. Zun had A M ties, but maybe a day before we heard there's a guy from Colorado coming and he walks in into the indoor. Like, who's this guy coming back from the NFL? And it's Trey Zun, a high school prospect. Colorado, he commits right on the spot. Mark Naboo comes to camp and just stood out. He came with a contingent of linemen from that area in the Pacific Northwest. Comes down, gets an offer, commits pretty quickly. And, you know, he. He's a guy that could have left in today's college world because he had to buy his time. He's from another. All the way across the country. And he stayed. And it's paid off because he. He is like, I think he's the anchor of this line now. Does he have to get better, too?

[A]

Of course.

[B]

I mean, I don't know why some people around this conference almost like, well, fans. But even some media get like, it's. It's a. It's offensive to say this guy's got to get better. It's not offensive. Like, if you're Mark Nabu and you don't get better. You don't go to the NFL. You don't become an all SEC player. Like, that's his goal. His goal is to get better. Same with Marcel Reed. It's not an insult to say Marcel has to get better than last year. You can also say, Marcel was really good last year. He's got to get better. You can say the same thing about John Matiere, about Arch Manning, about Lenora Sellers. It's not insulting to say that, you know, like. And so Nabu is a guy that can make this jump now, because as long as he's been here, he's finally, after year three, what I would call an experienced SEC player. So now, to me, it should all just be honing your craft. He should feel comfortable. He should feel confident. I think he's gotten a lot stronger in the weight room, which early in his career, I think held him back some. Now he's going into year four. Like, this is a grown man out there. And I can tell he's really got the respect of the locker room and his teammates, which matters to me a ton. When I'm talking about. Of all the positions not named quarterback, I want my, like, standout linebacker and my center to be that guy because they have the potential. And I know this because I've lived with a couple of dudes that played center for a long time. One in Seth McKinney at A&M, and Steve McKinney played a lot of center in the NFL. You've got to have that personality. You've got to have that draw. You've got to have the team, you know, respect you, but also really like you and believe in you. And that's what I'm feeling with Mark Nabu right now.

[A]

So before we went down the offensive line path, I did ask you, what are you paying special attention to?

[B]

Running back Ruben Owens and Jamari Amaro in particular. I just really want to see these guys hit the ground running. No pun intended. Like, just start strong. I need to see Ruben. I know Ruben's a solid back, but I need to see Ruben in camp, especially early where I'm going. Okay. He's. He's looking different.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

He's looking like. He looks like a different guy. He's carrying a little more weight. He looks good physically. I want to see him run in there. You see Morrow, I just. I remember when Morrow got here last spring, you would see these runs where he was just ripping into the secondary, ripping through the line of scrimmage. You look up and he's 15 yards into the defense. You know, I think he can do that consistently and I want to see him do that consistently in camp because to me, Jamari Amaro is going to be a home run hitter for the, for the offense this season and he has to be like, they didn't go this a position they didn't go to the port on. Now I wrote about Tiger riding the other day as someone like no one's talking about. He had an, like he's had a really good off season. The guy got hurt last year. He turned heads in the spring. Then he got hurt right at the start of fall camp in an off field thing and was lost for most of the season. He might be the guy to get you those three to five that you need throughout the course of a game to wear people down. But Jamari Amaro to me is the, he's the home run hitter. And I'm not overlooking obviously five star and K.J. edwards and Carson Baker. But Morrow was there last year, that talented true freshman. I think he's a guy that could break out this season. So I want to see like Ruben Owens. I want to watch him in week one and go, damn, he looks different. He looks different running the ball. There's a different feel, you know, Trooper Taylor's gotten to him where there's a different feel for the, you know, the blocking and hitting the hole and exploding through it. And then in the case of Morrow, I just, I want to feel like very quickly in camp, okay, I was right about him. What everyone was telling me about him was also right, which is he has a chance to be really special.

[A]

So who could be the Moro this year? As I like, if you go back to last year, Lev, obviously starting the season, Reuben, you had EJ and then you had kind of Jamarion who would get these moments where you're like, okay,

[B]

no, I think that's.

[A]

Is it Tiger? Maybe because we didn't see him last year.

[B]

It might be Tiger because I think K.J. edwards to me is going to be. He's going to once he. And that'll be one to watch too because you just want to see. He missed a lot of spring. Spring training, not off season. He missed a lot of spring and it's like he was turning a lot of heads just with the way he moved and the quickness and the suddenness during the pre spring off season. So I want to see him like keep in mind this one, the top running back in the country, right? Everybody's talking about Landon Williams, callous from last week because he, he chose Texas. So that's been the running back we're all talking about. Don't forget they have a five star signee that was ranked as, as high as just about anyone last year that put up ridiculous numbers during his career at Carthage, including state championships. And he's on campus. He's here now. This is not a recruit that we're talking about for next season. He's here and people are going to start seeing him for the first time. So if you want to talk about like a true wild card for this team, as we all know, if there's a position where a true freshman can come in and have an impact, there are a few where you see it happen as often as running back, but he'll just have to. I think that'll be as the season progresses. So I think it'll be a Morrow type of thing. But there's less depth at the top. Yeah, so Morrow was competing. You mentioned, you know, there was Moss early, there was Owens, there was Amari Daniels, there were E.J. smith. There were four veteran backs ahead of Jamari Amara when he got here. Four. Okay. Right now in terms of K.J. edwards, there's two. I don't count Tiger riding because he hadn't played yet. So it's riding, it's riding. It's Edwards and it's Baker, the other really talented true freshmen. But they're only behind two, whereas last year was behind four. So it's a big difference. And riding too, but riding again, like I said, got, you know, got injured before camp.

[A]

We'll hit a break. We'll come back with one final segment with Billy before we joined by Luke from the Bahamas. Right now, the association of Former Students is here for the Aggie Network from the first howdy to the final here. Whether you graduated from A and M or enjoying retirement, the association wants to make sure you're staying plugged in with the Aggie Network. So what you should do is follow the association on social media. Look for Aggie Network on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and X. Join your local A and M club and find Aggies near you at TX Ag clubs and go on a traveling Aggies trip. Join fellow Aggies for a trip of a lifetime. So whether you're looking for a European destination, winter excursion or hot tropical destination, there's a trip for everyone. So visit TX AG travelingaggies to learn more and to stay up to date with what's going on around the Aggie Network. By scrolling the aggiespirit.com. that is the aggiespirit.com a website that is all things across Aggie. Social news, video and much, much more. Remember, the association is here. Whether you need help finding Aggies near you or you want to travel or attend an away game and hang out with fellow Aggies, don't hesitate to check it out. It is the association of Former Students.

[B]

The Money Machine. The Money Machine is open now. Let's [e-mail] or you can enter through the Zone newsletter to win $5,000.

[A]

Come on. And we're back. Texacts Live presented by David Garner Jewelers Rallo Insurance Studio. Billy, is there a position group that we on this show have maybe not talked about enough? Is there like, hey, you know what?

[B]

Yeah, I know we, I feel like we've talked a lot about the secondary

[A]

y

[B]

One of the things, one of the story lines I'm writing about today is linebacker. Like, you know, you got the Sanford going to be monitoring like his progress back from the injury to kind of, kind of gauge when you'll see him back. I've stated from day one that I think he would be back a lot sooner. People were like, he's done. And they were like it's might, might be able to play this season. And they were like mid season where those are some national reports. And I kept saying it's everybody's wrong there, but we don't know when exactly. I think Damian's made great progress during the off season. I think that's a simple way to state it. And I think starting tomorrow you'll have all eyes on him. You know, whenever they're out of practice, whether we're out there for the first 20 minutes or the whole practice, people are going to be watching. Damien. You know, the tough part I wonder about the injury is it's one thing to be out there and getting back and moving around and running. It's another when you got people, you know, when you're tackling and there are people coming, falling around you and things like that. So that'll be the, the litmus test when you start to get a feel for like when can we free him up to do all of that? And it might be tomorrow. I don't know the answer to that. But when can he be freed up to do all of that? And then there's a certain amount of time where things like the timing and the pro, the, you know, the old school Sanford physicality and flying around when that kind of clicks because he's practiced in pads enough and he's taking enough hits and giving enough hits, you know, and where he's comfortable. And he's back to being the guy we saw make a lot of plays last year. And I think he's poised for a great senior season. And I don't think it's a deal where he's going to be out for like, some long time, so we'll watch that. But then also, I mean, gosh, that linebacker position, I think it has a chance to be good and like, better than it's been. But that's an if because Noah McHale has to make. Speaking of jumps, he has to make a significant jump, which he was a true front. Everybody says that year one to year two jump, right? Noah is that guy. He's big, he's physical, he's fast. He makes play, makes a lot of plays with his hands in the passing game. He gets his hands on footballs a lot. He seems to have a good feel for jumping in that passing lane, kind of, you know, hidden there in that second level. Something you really like to see with a linebacker is to have a knack for where the football's going. But him, I don't. I don't. Here's a guy I don't think we talk about enough is Ray Koney coming in from Tulsa. And I think Kony is a dude that you might look up and he might be in the starting lineup. And then you got Lockhart, Jordan Lockhart in year three, who's as big in physical as any of them. And he's a real leader out there. He's got really. Got the respect of his teammates. He's an energy guy. He's smart, like. So who is going to be most reliable player or two outside of Samford for Mike Elko, that's going to be where they need to be. You always hear him talk about misalignment or misfit, like, who is going to be the player that you don't have to worry about that as much with. And the guy that you have full confidence is going to be where he needs to be on any given snap. Because that to me, is what has been lacking as much as anything. And who's going to take on a block and not get gobbled up right by the. By the offensive lineman, where you just, you feel like, man, where's the linebacker? There he is. You can barely see him because he let that lineman, you know, get to him at that second level where he just, on the linebacker just kind of disappears. And you saw that some against Miami you saw it a lot against Notre Dame, Miami, Texas. These are the games where A and M had real issues stopping the run. And there were others, Arkansas to some level, Missouri. And a lot of times there's exception in there too. But like Texas, Miami, Notre Dame, big physical offensive lines. And I thought the Aggie linebackers not only had a hard time shedding, but they had a hard time just avoiding initially because yeah, if you're 230 pound linebacker, you're going to have a hard time escaping a 320 pound lineman and gets both hands on you. So that's. But the way to do it is you can't dance around them and not be back in the hole you're supposed to be in either. So to me like that that's an area where they're putting a lot of emphasis. So which of those guys can do that? Because those are the guys who are going to start and play the most and Sanford's certainly one of them. But out of that other group, who is the most willing and able to be the most consistent and I think the most physical.

[A]

One more group for you that I don't think I've talked enough about tight ends and I think there's a lot. Absolutely, that's a group that, I mean there's some talent coming in for sure, but overall I don't know how that shakes out.

[B]

Yeah, I actually brought that up to Marcel in an interview last week and I told him, I said, hey, we're going to talk tight ends because we haven't like, I feel like we've talked a lot about everything except that. And as an old high school tight end who lived in college with a couple of longtime NFL tight ends, Hunter and Dan, and then also grew up a big fan of Mark Bavaro, one of the all time tight ends with all that said, you'd think I would pay a little more time, give a little more time to the tight ends this offseason. I don't think we have. I mentioned in the article the other day, I think yesterday Richie Anderson really stands out to me right now from Fresno State. He came in known as a physical point of attack guy that could catch and run some too, but he was heavy, like he had some, some weight. It didn't matter if you're known as a physical mauler, as a blocker. You see him now, he's, he's going to be one of the guys that tomorrow everybody goes, oh, he's transformed under Tommy Moffitt. A lot like it. And it's funny, because K.K. johnson, the true freshman tight end, gained like 30 something pounds. He looks like. He looked like he just stepped in from an NFL field. And then you got Kyoti Armstrong at about 280. Looks like. I don't even know who he. I'm trying to think of a tight end. He looks like a throwback tight end back in the day. So the young talent is what's going to jump out the most to anyone that's at practice. And like, if NFL scouts came in, they'd be like, damn, who are these two? Well, they're a freshman year one guy in his first practice ever at A and M in the fall. And then there's a year two guy who has, you know, was a true freshman last year. But they're very raw still. And I do think, you know, Kiati is going to get some looks, you know, here in the season he's going to play, but they're still very young and very raw. Richie Anderson just jumped out at me. He leaned up a lot, like noticeably, and he's going to look a lot more athletic than he did, I think in the spring and even on tape at Fresno. And he's got the hands and like I said, he's physical. He knows how to, you know, body position to get the football. And. And then, you know, Houston Thomas, we don't talk about enough Houston Thomas. Go watch. I mean we. Bronnie's been covering him since he was really young here locally. But go watch him at College Station High and then watch him utsa some of the catches. He's a super athletic. You watch him and you think of somebody that with a basketball background, just the body position, the way he goes up and gets the football high points, it the vision, you know, on how to time your jump, how to position yourself. Like he's got. I guess the word I'm using I'm looking for here is just feel, feel for the passing game. That's going to be a big asset for A and M. And you know, you've also got a team captain at tight end. And I think he is a guy that impressed me so much during our Captain's interview, Mike O'Reilly that I'm just like, I want to see how a guy who, when he got here, Cole Kubelik was excited about it. Cole, you know, is as close to Auburn in terms of what they're doing as anybody. He said, man, you guys got a good one. Like, he'll kick your ass. And he's got that respect of the locker Room clearly to be voted a captain. When he didn't play a lot last year he played but he was, he was your definitely no better than your third tight end last year. Now he's coming back, he knows the off. He's, you know, man, he walks in. He's an impressive looking college tight end. He's an older dude. He's been through, been at Auburn, he's played in a couple iron bowls, he's played in A and M Texas. I'm really interested to see what kind of impact he can have because I just don't, I don't think he's just there to provide. I don't think he's just there for leadership and to say the right thing at the right time and to be kind of the, as they've said that the sometimes the bridge between players and coaches just kind of be the guy to go say the tough thing to a coach that maybe they don't want to say like hey coach, we can, you know and you need that. It's great. But I think he's preparing to make an impact on the field as well. And I don't think A and M signed him out of Auburn to be a locker room. There's a lot of these guys that there's a transition period for transfers and so just like a year to play a year two transfer can make a significant jump as well. And I think you've seen it here. You saw it with, you saw it with Cassius Howell when he was Biden's time behind people. But I mean he, he made a big jump as a player from year one to year two and you've seen it with a couple other. Will Lee was another guy I think did that. DEZ Rick certainly did that. Ratcliffe did that. Some of those guys were like playing a lot more in year one. So like Michael Riley I think absolutely can make that year one to year two jump. The tight end position to me has the widest range. Like is it so much other? Is the receiving room so talented that we see and is Marcel more comfortable with it being wide open that we see more wide open looks and sets? You don't see as much of the multiple tight ends and they're used less or are they used? Are they a weapon, a strength where you can run the ball better with them on the field? You feel good about their blocking enough that you see more of that. Is it a week to week mix fluctuation? That's what I think we'll see. But again like Houston Thomas I think Michael Riley and some of those guys are so big that I do think you might actually see they're versatile enough to line up as big inside receivers as well. So I don't think it's a world where they're not on the field. I just think it's a world where maybe Holman Wiggins uses them in a little more versatile way than we think. And that would explain maybe someone like Richie Anderson really leaning up and becoming a more like svelte looking athlete in the position.

[A]

Thank you, Billy.

[B]

All right, appreciate you.

[A]

When we come back here on Tech SAGS Live, Luke Evangelist from the Bahamas. Let's talk about Paragon Financial Advisors now. Great teams don't chase quick wins. They build for long term success. And that's the same philosophy that applies to your financial life and your business. And at Aggie Owned and operated Paragon Financial Advisors, the focus isn't on chasing headlines or reacting to every market move. It goes deeper than that. It's about building thoughtful financial plan that helps you pursue the goals that you have for years to come. That means helping families prepare for retirement, guiding business owners as they grow successful companies, and helping them prepare for the day that they're ready for the transition of that business they've worked so hard to build. If you're ready to take the long view, visit paragon-adv.com for more Paragon Financial Advisors, Aggie owned and independent serving clients nationwide.

[B]

You can get the podcasts of Texangs Live, the Louis Bellina show or chip power at zoning100150.com, Google Play, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

[A]

Yes, I do know that camp starts tomorrow and all the attention in the world is on football. But texags wants to cover every sport better than anyone. And there's only one reporter in the world that was allowed to go to the Bahamas and cover Texas A and M. His name is Luke Evangelist and he's here with us now live from the Bahamas. And it looks like his grandmother's kitchen. Luke. Good morning, sir.

[C]

Yes, this is actually my grandmother's kitchen, so I had to wear a shirt that was fitting. I've got a shirt that you'd probably see on your grandmother. Very old fashioned tropical fruit, basic design. It's probably not my best Hawaiian shirt, but that's why I decided to wear it on Tech SAGS Live because I have to wear my best ones for the games.

[A]

So just out of curiosity, did you go by wardrobe for this trip or you already had your Larry David starter kit at home?

[C]

Well, so I actually have three Hawaiian shirts at home. But, you know, in future planning for maybe coming here in November, I knew I had to go stock up. So I did go buy three more before this trip. And so the ones that you've been seeing make the rounds on texag's content and videos, those were new purchases. This is one of the old ones. Hence why, you know, I. I don't think it's one of my best, but I think the one I've got for the third game is probably the best one I have.

[A]

Okay, well, let's look back at yesterday and look ahead to this afternoon. So just your initial takeaway from the first time watching Buckyball in an organized slash scrimmage, slash game.

[C]

Yeah, it looked very much like a Quad 4 home game that you would see them play in the first week of the season. Some things look disorganized, other things look good. But I saw a lot of progress from where this team was in August last year. I know it's hard to compare because last year's circumstances were just a total mess with the team getting here late, Bucky getting here late. And so they were really behind. But this year's team, how they looked right now, from what I saw from the game yesterday, is a lot how they looked in their first couple of bye games last year. Defensively, they've still got a ways to go. You know, what you saw from them against Oklahoma State, where nobody could guard on the perimeter and they really struggled one on one is pretty much what you saw yesterday, hence why they gave up 88 points. But that's to be expected early in the year. Offensively, you expect guys to be able to go get downhill against inferior athletes. But defensively, when you're playing in the Bahamas and you're up 20 to 30 most of the game, it's hard for those guys to lock in and stay focused. So you definitely saw defensive lapses. And then something that I didn't really see all summer that, you know, popped up yesterday was poor free throw shooting. Aside from Cade Phillips, I feel like I've seen everybody on this team be a pretty good free throw shooter. And so for them to shoot 58% was a little bit concerning, but I'll continue to watch that and how they shoot free throws the rest of the way. But overall, you know, not too much to complain about because you'd rather have these moments of lapses in August than November. And so I trust that this staff, given three months to fix it. Anything that I saw that's a concern I think, you know, they've got plenty of time to try and fix it.

[A]

Luke, I don't know the answer to this, but how did Arkansas look yesterday? I mean, did you see similar kind of issues?

[C]

Oh, for sure. I mean, Arkansas's entire team was out of the casino the night before the game, so they were looking like they wanted to go home. They've been here since, like, Wednesday, so they've been here almost the whole week. And it definitely showed. They were really sloppy. But they've got four seven footers. One of them isn't even eligible to play. So when you get to the season, they'll have five seven footers. They're super athletic, but overall really sloppy. Like, Billy Richmond is probably my favorite non A and M SEC player just because I love the way that he plays. He's super athletic, super fast, and he had five turnovers in, like the first four minutes of the game. And so they definitely look like they were in the Bahamas in August, just banking on their athleticism to get by teams. But you know, the team that they were playing, Toros Deval, is the one that A and M is going to play today. And physically, they gave Arkansas everything they could handle. Inside. It was just, Arkansas is a top 10 team in the country, and they were eventually able to overpower them, but it was a eight to nine point game for the entire first half. So Arkansas looked really sloppy. They were without one of their best players, similar to how A and M is without Bryson Warren. Both players just awaiting eligibility. But yeah, Arkansas for sure looked like a team that was lapsing in focus, didn't really take care of the ball much. But A and M is going to have their hands full with the team that they just played. Very physical, very fast. And so that's going to play into their style. But yeah, Arkansas's got a ways to go, just as A and M does.

[A]

Talking to Luke Evangelist, who's live in the Bahamas. All right, Luke, let's kind of just look at P.J. haggerty. Give me some thoughts from what you saw from him, because I know the ability to score is always going to be there. But some other things caught your attention.

[C]

Yeah, you know, PJ's an interesting player because you. You watch him and it's like he just looks so nonchalant out there, and you're wondering, is he really locked into the game? And then, you know, in a moment's notice, he'll score eight points on five possessions. And he's really known for playing fast and playing up tempo. But What I saw from him yesterday was a lot of patience driving to the hoop. You know, when you think of PJ's game, you think he's just going to straight line drive. But he worked really well yesterday in the pick and roll with Jamie Vinson, being really patient for Jamie to set up those screens and weaving his way through defenders. So it took him a little bit to get involved in the game. I thought early A and M's forwards were really, you know, dominating the game with Jamie scoring inside, Cade Phillips scoring inside. It took a little bit for the guards to get involved, but once PJ did, he was huge at the end of the first half to push it from an 8 to 9 point game to like a 19 to 20 point game with his patience. And then he also had five rebounds and four steals. So when you think of P.J. haggerty and the narrative about him of, you know, really just being interested in scoring the ball and not doing anything else, I thought he was a really active defender and really pushing for rebounds and hustling out there, which is an encouraging sign because I too have those questions of can you get a player who knows he can get 25 points at any given time to lock in and do those other things that Bucky Ball requires of them? And I thought PJ put a good showing out there for his first time.

[A]

And then Mackenzie Mbako, is this the version that you saw last summer that you were raving about? What did you see from him yesterday?

[C]

Yeah, he had 17 points and he didn't shoot the three well at all. He was one for five. And they were good looks. They just weren't falling. Him being the. The player that Mackenzie is right now, all I. All I can really quantify it as is that he's fully healthy. He's not the version that I saw coming off of the NBA draft workouts last summer. He's getting there, but I don't think he's there yet. But this is a baseline of a fully healthy Mackenzie embargo. What does he look like playing? I think 20 minutes or 17 minutes. And he has 17 points and efficient from him. I really like that. When his threes weren't falling, he would immediately be like, okay, I'm done hunting the three. I'm just gonna go drive downhill. And I thought he was really good attacking at the rim. His foot looks fine, his athleticism looks fine. This is probably a good baseline for what a healthy Mackenzie can be, but I don't think we're there yet of a, you know, second round Pick, first round pick, potential that I saw last summer, but he's definitely getting there. Once that three starts to fall, if he knocks down two more of those threes, that's 23 points in 17 minutes, which is when I would say, okay, he's got all three phases of his game working, but he's getting there. He's definitely making a lot of progress.

[A]

So, all right, in the afternoon game, what are you looking out for? What's something that you want to see from yesterday to today?

[C]

Well, I want to see 40 minutes of Buckyball. I think they completely understandable, lost a little bit of focus yesterday after going up 30, Victoria trimmed it all the way down to 11. I want to see 40 minutes of focus and intensity. And when that lead does get up to 20 or 30, I should say if it does get up to 20 or 30, they maintain that focus and win by 40 like Arkansas ended up doing last night. But this team they're playing is a professional team from Colombia that's made up of 25 to 30 year olds who are physically built like SEC players and they just won their league title about six weeks ago. So they've been playing together, they know each other well. Offensively, they move the ball well. So that's going to be a challenge for A and M's defense that likes to limit long passes. They try and take away team, they try and take teams out of their rhythm with on ball pressure. So I want to see A and M's point of attack defenders be better to make sure you can't allow this Colombian professional team to get into their rhythm and get into their system and move the ball as I saw them do in the first half against Arkansas. So defensively I want to see improvement from A and M. It'll be a better challenge than Victoria, but I want to see their perimeter defenders and interior defenders come with a little bit more intensity than they had yesterday.

[A]

Out of curiosity, how did Bucky take yesterday?

[C]

You know, he had a great interview with him after the game and he was as open and honest as he always is. Not concerned about the three point shooting, not really too concerned about anything offensively because they still don't have everything in place. He understands it's a work in progress and I think he's happy that they're getting to work it out now as opposed to the first week of the season. But definitely it has some adjustments coming defensively for what scheme you saw from A and M in the first half and they changed it in the second half. I think they're definitely moving away from what you saw defensively in the second half. So he's got some adjustments, he's got some things to work on. But overall he's not too concerned because he knows his team better than anyone else. And what you saw in that first game is about the same as what you've seen in the summer. But he's encouraged with how his team looks offensively. He just wants to see them put it together for 40 minutes and play with some better defensive intensity. And when they change the scheme back to what they were running in the first half, I think you're going to see more from that defensive intensity that he wants to see from his team. But overall he was pleased and ready to go hop in the lazy river and go to the beach after the game.

[A]

Lou, great work, man. We'll catch up with you soon.

[C]

Yep. Thank you, David.

[A]

Thanks. That's Luke Evangelist here on Tech Sacks Live. We'll hit a break, come back with a final segment to wrap up the show and set you up for tomorrow at Sex Acts.

[B]

Aggie football sounds even better online. Check it [e-mail] segment of the program.

[A]

Cage, you got me again. Goodness gracious. Yeah. You know what I'm talking about. Yeah, I was just, I was a little late on the button. I could hear it. We go to the Angry Elephant News and Social Center. Are you ready to touch the button?

[D]

I think I am.

[A]

All right, let's. What do you have for us?

[D]

So ESPN's Bill, he's Carson Stein, by the way. Thank you, thank you.

[A]

Thank you for responding to me.

[D]

ESPN's Bill Conley just released his top 40 most important players for the college football season. Marcel Reed coming in at number eight. He says. Well, he has Jon Matier at seven and he compares the two quite a bit in his breakdown saying Reed, he said Reed was more like a dangerous matier. His mistakes were just as cataclysmic. He had an even higher interception rate and lower completion rate. But he also made more big time passes and rushed for more yards in far fewer attempts.

[A]

I don't have a problem with any of that. Give me the, give me the one through six because we already know seven or an eight.

[D]

Okay. Number one I found quite surprising. He has Alabama's quarterback, Keelan Russell and

[A]

how did he phrase the, what's the headline of this again?

[D]

Top 40 Most Important Players in college football.

[A]

If Keelan Russell turns out to be a stud, people are going to look at Alabama completely different. They are because they, I mean, this is year three for Kaylan DeBoer. If he or Austin Mack turns out to be the guy. Like, oh my goodness, I can see that. And that's why he is very important to their success, as all quarterbacks are. But anyway, who's two?

[D]

Josh Hoover of Indiana.

[A]

I would have put Josh Hoover number one. Personally, I'm not.

[D]

I think that makes sense. Okay, who's Terry replace the Heisman number three. He has Darian Mensah at Miami.

[A]

Another one. But again, I'm starting to give Miami this like, hey, whoever they put at quarterback, they're going to get good results from kind of thing. Carson Beck did not have a bad year last year. He was more of a Joe Flacco for them, but he made plays when they had to.

[D]

That's an. That's an elite, elite comp right there. I'll say. Sorry. Bill Conley has number four in his list, Will Hammond at Texas Tech.

[A]

Hey, he ain't wrong. I mean, considering the Swordsby situation. If Will Hammond puts, you know, if they go 11 and one with Will Hammond their backup quarterback, like after all the expectations that they had from Swartsby. And he's also really, really good. Yeah, that's. I can see that. I mean, have you noticed the highs and lows with these is teams that are either replacing a guy in the mid off season or from last season that have expected success or the 6 and 7, right. 6 and 7 or 7 and 8, 7 and 8 of quarterbacks that when they were elite, the teams were playing at a certain level and then when they weren't. So so far it's been a trend there.

[D]

Yes, that's how those top four went. Five, five through eight. Kind of like you said how we talked about Matier and Marcel. Number five, he has Arch Manning.

[A]

If Arch Manning plays the way he played down the stretch for 85% of the season, then Texas does get to be the team that people projected them to be last year and this year.

[D]

Yeah, number six, he has Dante Moore at Oregon.

[A]

I mean, what did Dante Moore have a bunch of lows last year?

[D]

Not really. It's just in the big games they really didn't perform like just mainly the playoff game is what comes to my mind.

[A]

Yeah. All right, we're gonna drop it right there. Good job, Carson. Thank you very much.

[D]

Thank you.

[A]

That'll do for Tech Sacks live here on a Tuesday. Tomorrow we'll have some sound from coach Elko. The press conference is at 1pm The Tech Sacks team will be there. Follow us on socials for all that information as as it happens. We'll break it all down tomorrow. Thanks so much for watching. We'll see you Mana.

[B]

They don't realize smart people use smartphones.

[D]

Huh?

[B]

Seeing through BS they thought was gonna slide. Download text now cause it cuts out clownery. You can literally activate it from your couch. Nationwide. 5G with the same towers the other companies use. Pay what you want or not at all. You're in control. Show these ridiculous carriers we ain't paying for stupid because we're way too smart to pay dumb.

[C]

We're shutting them down. Free app based talk and text me the text now App requires wifi or data connection. Data plan sold separately. 5G where available.