State of the 'board Address - 2023
Looking ahead to the All-Time Aggie Football Leaderboards to see what records will be broken in 2023
Who’s the greatest of all-time? Jordan or Lebron? Tiger or Nicklaus? Tyson or Mayweather? Band Geeks or Chocolate with Nuts?
Every once in awhile, we get to admire an athlete that dominates in their sport. We can’t help but sit back and watch. But when they’re gone from the sport, what’s left but memories of greatness?
Record books. Leaderboards. Statistics.
Let’s take a look at which Aggie Football players are looking to etch their names in history this season.
Passing
If we’re talking about Aggie passing records, we’re talking about Conner Weigman for the 2023 season. Weigman stepped in to replace Haynes King last season, who later transferred out of College Station.
Max Johnson is also returning to the QB room. Johnson is the more experienced option, coming in as a transfer last season from LSU, where he was the starter for the Tigers. Johnson played every snap against Miami (FL) and Arkansas, but left the game with a hand injury in the 4th quarter against Mississippi State.
Weigman should still be expected as the starter. Jimbo has a history of picking his ride-or-die QB; to instill confidence in his leaders, he tends to stay away from changes to the depth chart (for better or worse). It’s worth noting that Johnson is the most experienced backup QB in the conference. If 2023 turns out to be as injury-plagued as 2022, Max Johnson will keep the Aggies in good hands.
Passing TDs without an INT
Conner Weigman has thrown 8 passing TDs without a single interception. Among Aggie QBs, Weigman is currently tied for 3rd all-time with Nick Starkel, Jerrod Johnson, and Reggie McNeal. Weigman will need to keep his streak alive for a few more games if he wants to break into the top 2 of this leaderboard.
The Aggies open this fall with New Mexico, Miami (FL), and UL Monroe before getting into conference play. Look for Weigman to avoid throwing a pick while also putting up 1-2 TDs in each game, and he’ll be in serious record-breaking contention.
Career Wins at QB
Weigman needs to start for 3 seasons and put up 7 wins in each season to tie Branndon Stewart (23) at 4th-place. Add in a few extra wins and he could climb over Kevin Murray (25). Is it likely Weigman will stay for 3 more years? Probably not. But optimism is the lifeblood of this blog.
For Johnson, it’s hard to see a path where he climbs much higher. He’ll likely play in a few more games this season, but 2023 is sure to be his final year with the Aggies. I see a maximum of 5 more wins for him, good for 15th-place, behind Jerrod Johnson(9).
Rushing
With Devon Achane leaving for the 2023 NFL Draft, there are spots to be filled in the backfield. Texas A&M returns four RBs in Amari Daniels, Le’Veon Moss, LJ Johnson Jr., and Earnest Crownover.
Daniels led the pack with 36 carries and 200 yards, but Johnson and Moss beat him with 2 and 1 rushing TDs respectively. Daniels is likely to be named the starter, but I imagine the Aggies will be operating with a RB-by-committee philosophy this season.
Regardless, none of the active running backs are within reach of any career records, so there isn’t much to watch for in this aspect.
Receiving
Career Receiving TDs
A leader in offensive production in the past, WR Ainias Smith is returning for his 5th season with the Aggies. He left the season early last year with a leg injury, but is ready to continue his explosive play this year. Smith (17) sits at 7th-place in receiving TDs, so it isn’t far off to expect him to climb these leaderboards this season.
Smith’s personal record is 6 TDs in a season, which would break into the top 5. One more would tie him with Ryan Swope(24). If Bobby Petrino puts together a high-production offense, look for Ainias to get pushed over the edge this fall.
Career Receptions
Smith is also trailing at 9th-place all-time in career receptions. Based on his previous production, we can expect about 40 more catches this year. That would put him at 167 career receptions, good for 5th all-time, behind Terrence Murphy (172). If Smith can improve his production and add in a few receptions above his season average, he could be looking at landing in 3rd-place, behind the huge gap following Jeff Fuller (233).
Defense
If you’ve been paying attention to Aggie Football, you are familiar with the name Demani Richardson by now. The starting DB is returning for his 5th season in College Station, where he will be an important leader on the defensive side of the ball.
Career Defensive TDs
Richardson is among the six players in Aggie history to record multiple career defensive TDs. He’s also the only player to return 2 fumbles for touchdowns. Both of these plays occurred in the 2022 season. Needless to say, any touchdown that Demani Richardson scores this season will break the all-time defensive TD record for Texas A&M.
Go, Demani, Go.
Career Total Tackles
Currently, Richardson sits at 7th-place all-time in total tackles. In his previous seasons, he averaged 5.5 tackles per game. If he keeps this pace up, he’ll finish the season with 309 career tackles, enough to beat Trent Hunter (302) for 2nd-place all-time. At a minimum, just 2 tackles per game will put Richardson at 267, good for 4th-place.
Career Games Played
Finally, Demani Richardson is primed to take the record for all-time games played by a defensive player. The record, which extends to all positions on both sides of the ball, is currently held by Sean Porter at 52 games. Therefore, assuming this season stays injury-free, Demani Richardson will have played more Aggie Football than any player all-time by the end of the 2023 season. If he appears in every regular season game, the record will be set at 56 games.
Conclusion
In terms of most likely records to be broken, 5th-year seniors Ainias Smith and Demani Richardson lead the way to crush all-time Aggie leaderboards. On the offensive side of the ball, it’s easy to predict new OC Bobby Petrino will produce more passes, catches, yardage, and TDs. However, we’ll just have to wait and see if Petrino can provide the boost these players need to climb the ranks.
On the defensive side of the ball, DJ Durkin is entering his second year as DC. As with any coach, confidence increases with experience. Durkin has had plenty of time to install his philosophy, strategy, and recruits into the Aggie Defense. Pair coaching experience with player experience, and expect a big jump in defensive production in 2023 led by Demani Richardson.