Everybody knows the household names. At Texas A&M, it’s Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall on defense, and perhaps Christian Kirk on offense, a player who burst onto the scene as a freshman. And as far as the coaching staff goes, Kevin Sumlin is a name Aggies fans recognize readily, for better or for worse.

But what about those players who don’t get the recognition? What about those players who, behind the scenes and out of the limelight, help carry the load and aren’t necessarily the players who see their name in publications or get their picture taken? After all, it is a team sport.

Who are the unsung heroes at Texas A&M? Well, there are probably many, but here are a few — one on offense, one on defense and one from the coaching staff.

Offense

Avery Gennesy, LT – When you talk about unsung heroes, there’s no better place to look for on a football team than the offensive line. Gennesy is a senior who started every game at left tackle in 2015. He played on an offensive line with a lot of talent last season.

It was a cohesive enough group to lead the Aggies to an average of 424.7 yards per game. That breaks down to 255.6 passing and 169.1 rushing. It was an offensive line that paved the way for running back Tra Carson to rush for 1,165 yards and 7 touchdowns. Gennesy was on a group that became just the seventh in program history to pave the way for an offense that produced more than 5,000 total yards in a season (3,323 passing, 2,198 rushing).

The JUCO transfer from East Mississippi CC, a four-star prospect, helped his team win the 2013 National Junior College Championship. He probably won’t be in the spotlight again in 2016, but Gennesy will play a huge role in leading an inexperienced offensive line that will be critical in the development of the Aggies’ offense under new OC Noel Mazzone and graduate transfer QB Trevor Knight.

Defense

Armani Watts, CB – Yes, the junior is somewhat of a known commodity. He hasn’t entirely flown under the radar. However, he still continues to toil in the long shadows of Garrett and Hall. No matter, Watts goes about his business in workmanlike fashion in or out of center stage.

As a sophomore, he led the Aggies in tackles with 126. That included a whopping 83 solo tackles, which tied for third in the nation behind Houston senior LB Elandon Roberts (88) and Kansas junior DB Fish Smithson (87). He was far and away the SEC leader. Missouri’s Kentrell Brothers was a distant second with 73.

Watts became the first Aggies player to record 100 tackles in a season since 2010. He was the program’s first defensive back to accomplish the feat since 2003. Watts started every game at free safety last season. He piled up a career-high 20 tackles against Ole Miss, tied for fifth-most in program history.

Aside from his massive number of tackles, Watts had 6 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception. In other words, he did it all. Expectations are through the roof in 2016 for this talented athlete.

Coach

Terry Price, DE coach – Assistant coaches are notoriously unsung figures within the football program. However, they couldn’t be more critical to a player and a team’s success. Such is the case with this Texas A&M defensive ends coach.

Price is in his second season in charge of the Aggies’ defensive ends, specializing on the position after coaching the Aggies’ entire line from 2012-14. Though he is an unsung hero in the program, the defensive ends he coaches are anything but. Garrett and Hall were among the best bookend combos in the country last season and figure to be even better this year.

Garrett led the SEC in sacks (12.5) and tackles for loss (19.5) in 2015. He followed in the footsteps of … Price, who played defensive tackle at Texas A&M, was the team’s leading tackler among defensive linemen in both his junior and senior years and was drafted in the 10th round by the Chicago Bears in 1990.

Price, who returned to his alma mater in 2012 as part of Sumlin’s first coaching staff at Texas A&M, will be responsible for the continued growth of two edge-rushers that should make life miserable for opposing offenses this season.