Before Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC) heads to Neyland Stadium for a pivotal road matchup against No. 19 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC), it’s worth checking how the roster has stacked up so far.
While the Maroon and White look to rebound from last week’s loss to No. 11 Alabama, the sky is not falling halfway through the season. Rather, Texas A&M has put together a significant leap regarding offensive and defensive efficiency from a season ago.
That leap resulted from both younger players piecing their skills together on the field, alongside the guidance of the veterans who returned to College Station for the 2023 campaign. There’s been no better example than that of the defense, where junior linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and true freshman linebacker Taurean York have been a force to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, it’s been a juxtaposition of talented wideouts such as Evan Stewart and Ainias Smith doing damage through the air. Alongside them are the likes of Trey Zuhn III and Le’Veon Moss holding it down in the running game.
Roughly halfway through the regular season, here are the ten highest-graded Aggies according to Pro Football Focus. For reference, we excluded those who will remain out for the rest of the season (e.g., Conner Weigman) and those with fewer than 100 total logged snaps through six games.
1
LB Edgerrin Cooper
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Defense grade: 84.2
Run defense grade: 81.8
Pass rush grade: 79.4
Total snaps: 286
2
QB Max Johnson
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Offense grade: 84.2
Passing grade: 91.0
Total snaps: 203
3
RB Le’Veon Moss
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Offense grade: 80.0
Running grade: 82.7
Total snaps: 145
4
WR Ainias Smith
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Offense grade: 78.6
Receiving grade: 80.9
Total snaps: 281
5
TE Max Wright
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Offense grade: 77.6
Pass block grade: 79.6
Run block grade: 73.3
Total snaps: 164
6
WR Evan Stewart
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Offense grade: 75.5
Receiving grade: 74.6
Total snaps: 258
7
EDGE Shemar Turner
Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Defense grade: 74.1
Pass rush grade: 81.2
Total snaps: 218
8
DL McKinnley Jackson
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Defense grade: 73.7
Run defense grade: 75.8
Total snaps: 185
9
LB Taurean York
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Defense grade: 73.5
Run defense grade: 84.7
Pass rush grade: 74.5
Total snaps: 232
10
OL Trey Zuhn III
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Offense grade: 73.0
Pass block grade: 77.2
Run block grade: 71.3
Total snaps: 410
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