As camp begins in Aggieland, Texas A&M has the looks of a contender

At approximately 4:45 on Friday afternoon, behemoth Texas A&M football players began stampeding onto the practice fields like a Maroon & White herd of bulls.

No, wait… They looked bigger than that. Some might say they were more like “Ragin’ Rhinos.”

Pick whatever simile you prefer.

The point is the Aggies began August practice with the look of a team that could challenge Alabama for supremacy in the Southeastern Conference West Division.

The Aggies are big. Very big.

And fast. Very fast.

You knew that already.

You saw it last season when A&M finished 9-1 and No. 4 in the nation.

And despite the recent curveball that raises questions about the future of promising defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson, the Aggies appear more ready to challenge Alabama than at any time since 2013.

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The Crimson Tide defeated A&M, 52-24, last October. However, the Aggies enter 2021 as Alabama’s top contender in the SEC West.

The talent divide between the Aggies and Crimson Tide has narrowed.

That’s partially because the A&M returns 15 starters from last year’s Orange Bowl championship team, while Alabama must replace half the starters from its national championship team. Six of the departed starters were NFL first-round draft picks. Two more were selected in the second round.

There is even more reason the gap has narrowed.

Coach Jimbo Fisher’s recruiting is leveling a playing field that always tilted heavily to the east.

Don’t take my word for it. Take the word of 247sports recruiting rankings.

Based on the lineups projected by Lindy’s preseason magazine, Alabama will start four players who were five-star recruits, 16 that were four-stars and two that were three-stars.

By comparison, A&M will start five-star defensive end DeMarvin Leal, cornerback Jaylon Jones and left tackle Kenyon Green. The Aggies are also projected to start 13 four-stars and six three-stars.

A half dozen three-stars might alarm some, but consider that group includes receivers Ainias Smith and Chase Lane, guard Layden Robinson, defensive end Tyree Johnson, offensive tackle Jahmir Johnson and cornerback Myles Jones.

There’s some five-star talent in there. Seriously, would anybody who actually knows football rate Smith, Chase or Jones as three-star players? No way.

Of course, Alabama has always had more depth. The difference is no longer as significant.

Fisher’s roster is stocked with highly-coveted prospects in backup roles like Demond Demas, Devon Achane and Shemar Turner, among others.

That narrowing talent gap has been a key reason Fisher said this summer that he aims to beat Alabama before coach Nick Saban retired.

Fisher did not back off that statement last month at SEC Media Days.

“We look forward to playing (Saban),” Fisher said. “Understand, we have the utmost respect. Understand, me saying we're going to beat them doesn't beat them. We have to develop the skills, the right practice habits, coach the heck out of the players and let them play, and be able to play those games and understand how to play those games.”

The Aggies figure to have gained that understanding by winning their final eight games of last season. Many of those victories were secured with dominating fourth-quarter performances.

That seems to suggest Fisher hasn’t just upgraded A&M’s talent but also established the culture he hoped to establish when he arrived in College Station four years ago.

“Whenever you do something, and somebody tells you, ‘If you do this, this, this and this, this will happen,’” Fisher said. “As it starts to materialize and really starts to come, you really start to understand the benefits of doing things the right way, in a certain way with a certain mentality and pressure that you put on yourself in practice. Not just the physical part, but the mental part.

“From what I’ve seen in the summer, what I saw in spring, and what I see by the results and the questions and the meetings I have, I feel extremely confident in our guys.

“We have to re-establish that again. I think we're starting to get the results we were talking about, but there's still another level we have to go to, and I think they buy into that and understand there's still a lot of work to be done.”

That work started on Friday evening with Fisher barking at a team that looks like a contender.