John Chavis had a big task ahead of him when he arrived on Texas A&M’s campus this winter, way bigger than any he faced at LSU or Tennessee. The longtime SEC defensive coordinator took on the job of dragging the Aggies defense out of the basement of the SEC and turning it into a unit capable of elevating Kevin Sumlin’s team to SEC (and eventually national) championship contention.

Now that the Aggies’ spring is in the books and the team heads into summer, we can take stock of the changes Chavis has begun to make and see what we learned (or didn’t learn) about Texas A&M’s revamped defense.

The secondary will be more aggressive

Last year, the Aggies defense backfield did a lot of sitting back and waiting for ball carriers and receivers to get to them. That won’t be the case anymore. Cornerbacks will now be asked to play tighter coverage at the line of scrimmage, something that should benefit De’Vante Harris. The rising senior has packed on some weight and is ready to tangle with receivers at the line, something A&M’s corners simply didn’t do last fall.

A&M still needs to figure out who will start opposite Harris, but Chavis at least knows what he’s looking for. That increased aggression applies to the back line as well. Safeties will attack downhill more, and the coaching staff’s appreciation for that trait has earned Justin Evans praise in his first spring after transferring from junior college. Armani Watts, a reluctant tackler last year, has improved in that aspect as well. With Donovan Wilson returning and freshmen Larry Pryor and Justin Dunning arriving this fall, Chavis will have the type of safeties he likes on hand in his first year.

Defensive ends will be turned loose

One of the issues with the Aggies defense over the last couple of years was that it was overly complicated, with players tasked with multiple responsibilities on each play. The responsibilities for the defensive ends will be dialed back a bit, and they’ll be asked to simply attack one gap and get into the backfield.

The Aggies already have several defensive ends that fit the Chavis mold — long and athletic — in Myles Garrett, Daeshon Hall and Qualen Cunningham. Garrett in particular should thrive in the new defensive system, and it sounds like Chavis will turn him loose on the SEC after his record-setting but inconsistent freshman year.

There are questions surrounding Julien Obioha, a DE more focused on stopping the run who may end up spending time at defensive tackle this fall, but the Aggies should have a solid rotation of pass rushers this season.

Questions remain at linebacker

Despite the loss of Jordan Mastrogiovanni, Texas A&M should be okay regarding linebacker depth this fall. Mastrogiovanni left the team to focus on his academics, but that loss should be offset by the maturation of Otaro Alaka and the return of A.J. Hilliard, who was injured in the 2014 opener and missed the rest of the year. Alaka came on strong at the end of last season, but it’s unclear if he’s a fit for Chavis’ defense and just how much you can take away from his close to the 2014 season.

As the front four and secondary have drawn most of the attention this spring, the linebackers will go a long way in determining the fate of the defense. Shaan Washington, the team’s leading tackler, is back, two early enrollees are already on campus and three more freshmen arrive this fall. Depth won’t be an issue, but getting those players up to speed might be.