The offense dominated the headlines, but where would the Aggies have been in 2020 with just a mediocre defense? They certainly wouldn’t have been in position to argue about a Playoff snub.

Texas A&M’s defense performing at the level it did was monumental during that 8-game winning streak to close the season. After that Alabama clunker (more on that in a bit), the Aggies allowed just 19 points per game. In the final 5 games, A&M only surrendered 14 points per contest. They had the nation’s No. 2 run defense and led the SEC in yards allowed.

But that’s in the past for Mike Elko’s group. The task ahead for 2021 looks a bit different without staples like Buddy Johnson and Bobby Brown, both of whom were Round 4 picks in last week’s NFL Draft.

Here are the 5 defensive things that’ll define A&M’s encore season in 2021:

1. Finding a Buddy Johnson replacement

Yeah, buddy. That’s huge. What Johnson did last year was underrated nationally. As a senior, he did a little bit of everything in Elko’s defense. He got downhill and pursued ball-carriers (team-high in tackles, tackles for loss and forced fumbles), he worked well in coverage (3 passes defended and 1 interception) and he was the veteran leader of one of the SEC’s best defenses. Now, Johnson is with the Steelers and there’s a massive hole in the middle of the A&M defense.

The guy expected to step into that veteran role in the linebacker room is Aaron Hansford, who is back for his redshirt senior season after becoming a much more versatile player in 2020. Hansford went from being a pass-rusher to a much more complete player, which bodes well to replace all the things that Johnson did. Andre White got his first start in the Orange Bowl, and he looked the part by finishing with 8 tackles in A&M’s victory against UNC. He’s expected to be the starting middle linebacker in Year 3 in the system.

A&M returns 9 of its top 10 tacklers from 2020 with Johnson being the lone departure. Combine that with the fact that A&M signed 10 front-7 recruits rated 4-stars or better in the last 2 classes, and there’s no shortage of talented options for someone to step into the Buddy role.

2. DeMarvin Leal living up to that way-too-early Round 1 buzz

Will Leal be the first defensive lineman off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft? People are asking. Already. Take that for what it is as we sit here in early May, but it does speak to his potential. Leal emerged in the latter half of 2020. What scouts like about Leal is his ability to rush the passer on the edge combined with his ability to take on blocks and make plays from the interior defensive line spot.

The numbers as a sophomore were impressive. Leal had 7 tackles for loss, 3 passes defended, 2.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. You saw those next-level traits really take off down the stretch:

Leal is going to be at the top of every scouting report. Elko figures to move him around a lot after PFF had him graded No. 6 among all edge defenders at the Power 5 level. There are few returners in the SEC who can do the things Leal can, much less at 290 pounds. He’ll make life easier on everyone if he becomes an All-American and future first-rounder.

3. The leadership and consistency of Jayden Peevy

On one hand, you’d look at Peevy and say he was consistent last year. Among returning SEC interior defenders, only Phidarian Mathis and preseason All-American Jordan Davis graded out better than him (PFF).

On the other hand, you’d look at his lack of explosiveness and say that’s partially why he’s not as regarded at the next level like Bobby Brown, Justin Madubuike or the aforementioned Leal figures to be in 2022. Peevy’s lone sack came against that dreadful MSU offensive line (he earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for that), and he didn’t crack the top 10 SEC interior defenders in PFF run grade.

Don’t get it twisted, though. Peevy’s return for Year 5 was huge after losing Brown and Johnson from the front 7. Besides getting himself into a better spot for the next level, Peevy also preached to the younger interior linemen on the roster about the ins and outs of playing the position in the SEC. Elko asks his defensive linemen to do a lot, and usually they deliver. Peevy delivering an All-SEC season in 2021 would go a long way in helping the Aggies become one of the top defenses in America.

4. The experienced back end of the secondary turning the — wait for it — Tide

Want to know something crazy? Take away that Alabama game and A&M’s scoring defense would’ve dropped from 21.7 points per game to 18.3. Want to know something not so crazy? Alabama always seems to be the outlier game for A&M. In the Jimbo Fisher era, A&M has yet to surrender less than 45 points to the Tide. Even worse, Alabama averaged 381 passing yards and 4 passing touchdowns. The Tide posted a 12-2 TD-INT ratio in those 3 lopsided affairs, too.

Yeah, that has to change. One would think this year is A&M’s best chance for that trend to turn around. Besides the fact that A&M no longer has to face Tua Tagovailoa or Mac Jones — I suppose Bryce Young could wind up being better than both — gone are the likes of Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.

The Aggies also have loads of experience in the secondary. Starting safeties Demani Richardson and Leon O’Neal need to improve in coverage, but both have All-SEC potential. Myles Jones returns after improving as a second-year starter, and all signs out of camp are that he’s in tremendous shape after taking advantage of the free year of eligibility. Jaylon Jones becoming a lockdown guy feels like a key piece to the puzzle after he started immediately as a 5-star early enrollee. He didn’t put up 2019 Derek Stingley numbers, but Jones had a team-high 6 pass breakups in 10 games, 2 of which came in the Orange Bowl.

Dare I say, this should finally be the year A&M doesn’t get totally blown away by Alabama’s passing offense. Maybe?

5. Mike Elko coaching like this is a contract year

Per the terms of his current agreement, which was part of an extension he signed before the 2019 season, Elko is basically never in a contract year because A&M has the ability to add a year to his deal every December. So why would it make sense for Elko to be in a contract year of sorts?

Well, Elko’s name surfaced as a candidate to take the Kansas head gig. That didn’t happen, but after 3 banner years in College Station, there’s an expectation that there will be a head coaching market for Elko after Year 4. Part of that could be because of the timing of his son, Michael Elko, who will be a freshman on a baseball scholarship at Northwestern in 2022. If that’s the case and Elko does look elsewhere following 2021, consider it all the more reason why there should be the sense of urgency.

Elko has been one of the best defensive coordinators in the sport since arriving in College Station. He boasted the SEC’s best unit in terms of yards allowed in 2020.

Another year like that would certainly give A&M a path to an SEC title, which Aggie fans would accept if the tradeoff was Elko moving up the coaching ladder at season’s end.