Wiggins' intelligence already influencing his leadership of A&M's offense

Had the original plan come to fruition, Dr. Holmon Wiggins’ workday would be spent inside an office helping young people work out problems and thrive.

That’s kind of like what Wiggins does now. He just doesn’t spend as much time inside an office.

Last January, Wiggins — who at 45 still looks like he could play — was named Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator by head football coach Mike Elko. The promotion from receivers coach brought back vivid memories from when he’d just completed his playing career as a running back at the University of New Mexico.

“To be honest, it was a full circle moment,” he said while relaxing on a couch inside the Bright-Slocum Complex. “My major was in psychology. I knew I wanted to work with kids, whether that be social work or open my own child therapist office.

“When I graduated, I thought I was going to the NFL. Some of those things didn’t work out. It just wasn’t in the cards for me. To be honest, I wasn’t ready for life.”

Wiggins had been a football star since his high school days in South Central Los Angeles. He’d been an elusive running back and kick returner in Albuquerque. Football, he thought, was over.

He planned to enter grad school. However, that required money.

TexAgs

Holmon Wiggins arrived in Aggieland as Texas A&M’s wide receivers coach in January of 2024.

“So, I wound up going and talking to our head coach, Rocky Long, about becoming a graduate assistant with the idea that it would help me pay for my master's,” Wiggins said.

It was a good plan that would’ve worked. Until an assistant coach, who’d seen Wiggins excel as a grad assistant, butted in.

“Coach Jeff Conway was like, ‘Dude, you don’t want to be behind a desk every day. I think you’ve got a niche. You’ve got to get into this coaching thing,” Wiggins said. “He was like, ‘All these things that you use in your education, you can actually use them (in football) … the counseling, the psychology.’ And he was right.”

An amazing two-decade football journey followed. The path took Wiggins from Albuquerque to Illinois State, Tulsa, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Alabama and finally Texas A&M two years ago.

During that stretch, he became a husband to his wife, Dominique, and a father to six children — daughters Justyce, Karyn, Brooklyn and Journye and twins sons Kingston and Legend.

He also developed a reputation as one of the nation’s premier receiver coaches. He coached Heisman Trophy recipient DeVonta Smith at Alabama as well as first-round draft choices Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy and Jameson Williams.

That number figures to increase with A&M’s KC Concepcion, a likely first-round draft choice later this month.

He also coaches NFL receivers John Metchie III and Jermaine Burton at Alabama and All-ACC selection Cam Phillips at Virginia Tech.

But he wanted more. He’d set a goal to be an offensive coordinator by the time he was 35. He’s been ready to assume this role for 10 years.

“When I started back in 2006, I never thought that this journey would take me here, but this was always kind of one of those goals that I had,” he said. “It’s funny. I looked back at the goals that I wrote down, and my goal was to be a coordinator by the time I was 35. It just so happens that it’s been 10 years later.

“But I wouldn’t have guessed that it would have been in this capacity, at this level. So, I’m happy for coach Elko seeing this in me.”

Fortunately, Elko isn’t the only one. Other coaches celebrated Wiggins’ promotion, including offensive line coach Adam Cushing.

That’s vital because a rift between the coordinator and line coach can cause major problems. For example, in 2015, A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and line coach Dave Christensen didn’t see eye-to-eye.

The results were predictable. A&M’s offense typically struggled in SEC play. The Aggies scored 25 points or fewer in five SEC games. They needed overtime to reach 28 points vs. Arkansas.

There won’t be any issues between Wiggins and Cushing.

“He and I have a tremendous bond and respect for each other,” Cushing said. “I’m truly, truly, really excited because I think he’s going to carry on and even lift our success higher. He’s a really, really, really good football mind.

“Holmon is elite as a football mind, and he is elite in connecting with these young men. He understands what’s going on in their life, in their minds and how to get the most out of them.”

Aggies fans are hoping for just a little bit more. Last season, A&M was ranked No. 19 in the nation in scoring offense and 23rd in total offense.

Quarterback Marcel Reed returns. So does All-American receiver Mario Craver. Also, 6-foot-4 transfer receiver Isaiah Horton adds another element to the offense.

With a receivers coach-turned-offensive coordinator calling plays, the Aggies can expect Reed to be frequently throwing downfield in a high-flying, wide-open attack, right? Wrong.

“That’s a big assumption that I continue to always have to debunk, right?” Wiggins said. “Because most people don’t understand that I played running back, and I actually coached running backs before I transitioned to coach receivers.

“I’d be remiss to not understand that everything we do will start up front. So we want to have a balanced attack that starts with a physical run game. And from there, we want to punish guys for overcommitting to the box with our RPO (run-pass option) game and then have the ability to push the ball downfield and create explosive plays through our play-action game.

“But everything we do will start with the run.”

Wiggins knows he has talented running backs with which to work. He’s trusting Cushing to rebuild an offensive line with four new starters.

Wiggins is also very aware that Reed, who passed for more than 3,000 yards but also threw 12 interceptions last season, still needs to show improvement.

Danny Grant, TexAgs

Marcel Reed is entering his second full season as Texas A&M’s starting quarterback.

“He’s taking his football intelligence to the next level just as far as understanding what we’re doing conceptually,” Wiggins said of Reed. “Kind of the next step to getting us into the right play, getting us out of a bad play, checking protections, being great in situational football. That’s always the things that coach Elko talks about.

“He’s doing a great job of grabbing the bull by the horns. Coach (Joey) Lynch is doing a remarkable job of being in lockstep with him and continuing to sit there and teach him what we’re doing. Marcel is doing a great job of listening and learning and applying it.”

By all accounts, Wiggins is doing a great job this spring of bringing it all together.

Of course, that won’t be known for sure until next season. As is all coaches, Wiggins is fully aware that’s when he’ll be judged.

But he’s waited for this chance. He’s embraced it. Every day, he’s diligently working to show that Elko made the right choice.

“It means the world,” Wiggins said of his promotion. “Definitely, happy and appreciative to be in this position. It feels like it’s been a long time coming.

“I want to tip my cap to coach Elko for giving me the opportunity to be able to take advantage of the responsibility and be in this position. It’s a blessing. I have no complaints. I’m having fun with it.”