Mario Craver ready to build on his early success at A&M

Key notes from Mario Craver interview

• It has been a good offseason. I’m stepping into a new role as a veteran and a leader in the group I’m in. I’m taking the next step. We have last year out of our heads, and we’re ready to get back. We’re working towards a new goal this year, and Mike Elko has set that goal. Everyone knows what that goal is.
   
• Naturally, I’ve done a good job. When I sit back, I can see I’ve come a long way, and I just want to thank God for all of the opportunities he has given me. I’ve been able to do what I’ve done, and I’m ready to continue and build.
   
• Just having more competitors on the team creates a culture of being competitors. It naturally makes you better. That’s how football goes. Bringing in KC Concepcion and me was a great thing for this program and a great thing for this team.
   
• We had early success. Nobody respected us a lot in the beginning. We came out in the Notre Dame game, and they were playing man-to-man. In the back half of the season, we hardly saw any man. For us to be better next year, we need to be more fluid, both running and passing, to put the ball in the end zone. Our main goal is finishing, and as an offense, we know what we have to do to move forward.
   
• My favorite play was probably that first play against Florida. All week, we knew we were going to take a shot to set the tone. We got the look we wanted, and we knew we were going to get a bracket look. Marcel Reed just cut it loose. I tell him not to hold back anything with me because wherever it is, I’m going to go get it.
   
• We saw more zone in general to keep the top on the defense and keep us underneath. We showed our YAC-ability and let that kill them.
   
• I think I’m another attachment to the run game. Coach just tells me to go get four games. I love getting plenty of touches as both a rusher and a receiver.
   
• I hurt my ankle in the Missouri game. I was dealing with some injury all the way until that break before the Miami game. I was 100 percent for that, but before then, I was dealing with something.
   
• I loved my production, wire to wire. That was my vision coming in, and that was the vision Holmon Wiggins, Collin Klein and Elko told me about. It was nice to see it come to life. The vision that they gave me and showed me film of different types of plays where they would give me the ball, I know what I can do. With a guy like Concepcion, it was just a great addition.
   
• Isaiah Horton is going to be a great red zone guy and somebody we can give 50/50 balls to. He can catch the ball when he’s covered. He’s going to be a great addition. He’s a great guy and great for the locker room and the culture.
   
• Ashton Bethel-Roman continued to grow throughout the season. I noticed it in practice that he was getting better, and he finally got the opportunity to show it. He’s going to continue to break out.
   
• Terry Bussey is special. We were talking about how he took that kick return back vs. Notre Dame. He’s a special player, and this year, he’s going to be able to step into a role he hasn’t had before.
   
• We have all of those young guys back. TK Norman, Kelshaun Johnson and a group of young guys coming in, like Jayden Warren, Madden Williams and Aaron Gregory. It’s going to be special, for sure.
   
• You’ll see a more mature Reed. It was his first year in a real system, and he still took us to the playoffs. We believe in Reed, and we’ll ride with him. He’s our quarterback. He has my back, and I have his back.
   
• In Year 2, Reed and I will have more fluidity in the passing game. It’s going to be more fluent. Even with Bethel-Roman and Bussey, he has been with those guys more than me. We’re going to take another step forward.
   
• Wiggins is a great guy, and this is the opportunity he has been looking for over the last few years. It’s his dream job to be an offensive coordinator and call plays. He has a receiver’s mind, so I think we’re going to put the ball in the air. I was very excited for him. It has been waiting for a very long time. It was a great moment for him, and I’m very proud of him.
   
• People don’t realize how much John Perry did last year. He was very valuable to the program. He’s a very intelligent coach and knows how to get us to the NFL. He’s going to take our receiver room to the next level.
   
• I don’t style my play after anybody, but I see some Jameson Williams in me and Ceedee Lamb. I loved Williams coming out of high school. He had that crazy year at Alabama, and I remember what he did vs. A&M. I was an Alabama fan back then.
   
• I’m most definitely excited to play against Alabama and to go back home.
   
• Playing against Mississippi State was fun. I got to see all of my guys and compete against them.
   
• I’m going with the Seahawks on Sunday. That defense is pretty good. Jaxon Simth-Njigba is hard to stop right now. He’s crazy.
   
• I didn’t get to go against Rickey Gibson III when we played Tennessee, but he’s from close to where I’m from. I think he’s a great addition and will be an asset to that cornerback room. Tawfiq Byard is going to be a great addition, too.
   
• Going against Jermod McCoy was a fun matchup. I didn’t go against him the whole game, but those reps against him were valuable for me to get better. You face first-round guys a lot in the SEC.
   
• The Year 2 to Year 3 jump that Dezz Ricks made was valuable, and going into this year, he’s ready to make the next step.
   
• My focus is on building my body into an NFL-prototype body and becoming a leader that people can look up to. I want to be someone who is going to put their head down and work.