Another spring practice is in the books and while the Aggies entered the 2017 version with a plethora of question marks, it didn’t seem like a whole lot was answered, especially at quarterback. But it’s still early and by the time they tee it up in September perhaps the picture will be clearer at some critical positions.

Here’s a look at Texas A&M post-spring football, its strengths and weaknesses.

STRENGTHS

  • Running back: No question, this is the Aggies’ strength heading into fall practice. Trayveon Williams returns after a 1,000-yard season in 2016 and he might not be the best of the bunch. Senior Keith Ford is a beast, and redshirt freshman Rakeem Boyd had one of the better springs of anybody on the team. And that’s not even counting Kwami Etwi, who had the biggest play from scrimmage of the Spring Game, or Kendall Bussey. The position is so deep in fact that James White, who rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns last season, transferred to Lamar.
  • Offensive line: Last season this was an area of weakness. But the young players are jelling and if healthy will be a key force in the Aggies’ season. The spring experiment of moving Freshman All-American center Erik McCoy to left guard seems to be panning out with sophomore Colton Prater switching positions with him. Experienced linemen Keaton Sutherland and Connor Lanfear give the Aggies a pretty good, and still relatively young and improving, unit.
  • Secondary: With all but one returning from last season, the defense will be led by this group. Free safety Armani Watts is the leader with Donavan Wilson, Nick Harvey and Priest Willis making up what could be the best secondary in the conference. Throw in a talent like Charles Oliver, who had an outstanding spring, and it’s easy to see why there might not be a better unit in the SEC.

WEAKNESSES

  • Quarterback: While there is talent in the trio vying for the starting spot, none stepped up as the team leader the way graduate transfer Trevor Knight did from the time he stepped on campus last season. That’s the kind of leadership the Aggies lacked during the spring. But someone will win the starting spot, the question is who will it be? Jake Hubenak is the only candidate with any playing experience — as limited as it might be. Nick Starkel could win the job, but he’ll have to outplay both Hubenak and true freshman Kellen Mond to do so.
  • Linebacker: This is a position that has been a thorn in the side of DC John Chavis since he came to College Station from LSU. This season doesn’t look to be any different, although the potential remains for a much improved campaign. That’s because experienced players Otara Alaka and Richard Moore return. If Anthony Hines can step up it would go a long way in reversing the current trend of poor linebacker play with an inability to stop the run.
  • Defensive end: Perhaps this is to be expected when you lose the top overall pick in the NFL Draft and a third-round selection in the same year. Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall made up one of the most fierce bookends along the defensive line in college football. But a pair of newcomers are going to have to do their best to fill those gigantic shoes. Qualen Cunningham and Jarrett Johnson appear to be the two mostly likely to take on that daunting task.