The issues with Texas A&M’s defense a year ago were, let’s say, varied. From the defensive line all the way back to the secondary, issues persisted throughout the season. One of them will almost certainly remain a question as the Aggies work their way through spring practice: who is going to hold it down at linebacker?

The Aggies certainly have some talent at the position; Otaro Alaka began to emerge toward the end of his freshman season, earning Defensive Player of the Game honors in Texas A&M’s shootout bowl win over West Virginia, while Shaan Washington was solid and is the team’s leading returning tackler.

However, new defensive coordinator John Chavis will be without several members of the Aggies’ linebacker rotation from last year. Justin Bass and Donnie Baggs were both seniors, while Jordan Mastrogiovannia left the team to focus on his academics, leaving the Aggies thin at linebacker.

Chavis, who was hired as linebackers coach as well as DC, has done some excellent work with linebackers in the past, teaching players how to get a good jump on snaps and play downhill. There’s a reason the Tigers had four players drafted in Chavis’ tenure, with a fifth likely coming in Kwon Alexander this spring.

The new DC has some incoming talent to work with on top of the players still on the roster. They’ve already got Richard Moore and Claude George, a junior college transfer, on campus as early enrollees. Three more linebackers are coming in to add to the depth on the roster.

On top of that, A.J. Hilliard is coming back from a dislocated ankle suffered in the Aggies’ season-opening win over South Carolina. Coming into last year, he looked like he was ready to be A&M’s best linebacker and a leader on the defense. If he can return to the form that had him in the starting lineup coming out of camp last year, Chavis will have a lot more to work with.

Will it be enough to key a turnaround? Coming off of a disastrous two-year stretch for the defense, Texas A&M has talent but not the depth needed. Still, Alaka certainly looked like a player capable of living up to his four-star rating coming out of high school, while Washington has the versatility to play multiple positions for Chavis. With Hilliard healthy, the Aggies have a solid starting linebacking corps ready to go, one that could have a bit of an easier time with an improved defensive line.

If the incoming players can help lend depth behind the starting trio, A&M could be in a much better place than a year ago.