As All-American Kenyon Green slides left, Aggies have big hole to fill at guard

We’re gonna miss you in 2021, Kenyon Green.

The above sentence is neither a typo nor a reason to panic. It’s just the truth.

You did not miss a blockbuster story. Kenyon Green did not follow the lead of LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase and decide to sit out next football season to prepare for his NFL career.

Kenyon Green isn’t that type. He will be playing for the Aggies in 2021. But he’ll be missed.

Let me explain: One of the college football periodicals that appear in the summer sent a questionnaire enquiring what five Texas A&M players from the 2020 football season would be missed most.

Of course, what’s missed is production, not personality. Myles Garrett was a nice guy, but when he left for the NFL, the 100,000 yelling at Kyle Field missed the pass rush he provided.

Frankly, A&M doesn’t stand to miss that much in 2021.

Oh, the Aggies certainly will miss quarterback Kellen Mond. He was talented and experienced. Everybody wants that combination at quarterback.

Potential successors Haynes King and Zach Calzada are certainly talented, but they have minimal playing experience. Whichever wins the QB1 role, he won’t be expected as a starter to run the offense as efficiently as Mond did as a senior during his first season.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

Buddy Johnson’s production and leadership will be missed in 2021.

The Aggies will also miss Buddy Johnson. He led A&M with 86 tackles, which is even more impressive considering opponents had only 283 rushing plays. As a linebacker, most of his tackles would occur on running plays. Though Johnson did have some tackles on pass plays, he averaged a tackle on about every fourth running play. He also had four sacks, forced two fumbles and returned an interception for a touchdown.

Andre White projects as a very capable replacement for Johnson. Still, duplication of that production won’t be easy.

Aside from Mond and Johnson, the Aggies don’t figure to miss much. The only other starter lost on defense is tackle Bobby Brown, who had such a strong 2020 season that earned him All-SEC acclaim.

Yet, Jayden Peevy’s decision to return for a super senior season along with the development of McKinnley Jackson, Isaiah Raikes and the arrival of five-star Shemar Turner leads me to believe Brown’s production (22 tackles, 5.5 sacks) can be adequately replaced.

A&M must replace production in one of the nation’s best offensive lines. Four of the 2020 offensive line starters are now pursuing NFL careers.

Replacing most of that production might be more realistic than some would believe.

Carson Green was a solid three-year starter at right tackle. However, his position figures to be filled by Jahmir Johnson, a graduate transfer from Tennessee. Johnson made 11 starts at left guard as a sophomore for the Vols. Last season, he made five starts at left tackle.

Veteran right guard Jared Hocker is also gone. However, Layden Robinson played exceptionally well when he filled in for Hocker. He appears ready to take over that spot.

The same goes for Luke Matthews, who is expected to replace hard-nosed center Ryan McCollum. Word from our Billy Liucci is that Matthews was making a serious push for significant playing time before suffering a shoulder injury.

Walker Lott, TexAgs

Five-star recruit Bryce Foster could make a push to replace Green at left guard.

The Aggies must replace Dan Moore, a three-year starter at the all-important left tackle position. The answer there is to shift All-American left guard Kenyon Green to tackle, which is his natural position. The Aggies could upgrade that position with Green.

Of course, that means A&M must replace All-American caliber production at left guard with someone with minimal playing experience at the collegiate level.

Kenyon Green will be missed there.

That is unless second-year players Aki Ogunbiyi, Josh Bankhead or perhaps incoming five-star prospect Bryce Foster prove capable of playing at a high level just as Kenyon Green did when he started as a true freshman.

In that case, the Aggies might not miss Kenyon Green that much. And the offensive line might not miss a beat in 2021.