Texas A&M's 5 top returning players
Crippled by faulty play defensively during the 2014 season, the Aggies wanted more after a promising 5-0 start and rise to No. 6. Nearly all of the production on both sides of the football returns next fall for what should a much-improved campaign:
5. Kyle Allen, QB: He hasn’t locked down the starting spot, but Allen’s on-the-job interview during the Liberty Bowl was a successful one after throwing for a season-best 294 yards and four touchdowns. As a sophomore, he’ll battle Kenny Hill and Kyler Murray for the job, one of the more intriguing storylines on offense in the SEC West in 2015.
4. Drew Kaser, P: This junior averaged 44.2 yards per punt this season, doing so for a defense that had trouble stopping the opposition from anywhere on the field despite being put in favorable field position. Kaser didn’t see much action during the season’s first two months, but did when the offense received a case of the hiccups the rest of the way.
3. Armani Watts, S: By season’s end, this true freshman blossomed into one of Texas A&M’s top players in the secondary with a team-high three interceptions and 11 passes defended. Watts appeared comfortable at safety by November after learning on the fly and adjusting to speed of the game during the first few months of the season.
2. Speedy Noil, WR: Another rookie who made an instant impact on offense and in the return game, Noil caught 46 passes for 583 yards and five touchdowns and averaged 23.9 yards per kickoff return. With more targets next fall, he’ll have a chance to earn All-SEC status on the outside.
1. Myles Garrett, DE: Despite immense expectations as the nation’s top-ranked defensive player coming out of high school, Garrett flourished off the edge for the Aggies with an SEC freshman-record 11.5 sacks. He finished with nearly three times as many tackles-for-losses (14.0) as his next closest teammate and commanded double-teams be season’s end. A future early-round pick, Garrett’s just getting started in the SEC.