Ainias Smith makes case for why Texas A&M will play better in 2023, leave past behind

Texas A&M had a lot of correcting to do this offseason. After posting the second-worst offense in the SEC en route to just a 5-7 record, changes needed to be made in more than one aspect. Now, as the Aggies get things going in spring practice, what are they most focused on at the moment?

According to graduate wide receiver Ainias Smith, it’s improving on overall execution. From the offense’s standpoint, he thinks they feel as though they left a lot of scoring opportunities on the table. That comes back to execution in his eyes and, in turn, what they do in practice, which is why Smith says there’s now a whole new standard when it comes to practice in College Station.

“It was lack of execution, I’d say,” Smith stated during his press conference last week. “This past year, we had a lot of things open offensive-wise. Defense-wise, I’m not really able to speak too much on their behalf. But I know offensively we had a lot of extra opportunities that we didn’t necessarily capitalize on.”

“This year, starting really today, I feel like we’re gonna make it important or necessary to create a different standard. A mandatory, necessary standard. To be able to ensure that our practice habits are gonna be able to show in the game,” said Smith. “I feel like that’s going to be different – our practice habits.”

Offensive issues were really what was at the root of A&M’s collapse last season. Only Kentucky had a worse offense in the league as the Aggies finished two points behind the next SEC West team. To be fair, injuries, including to Smith, played a part in that. They also had to rotate quarterbacks throughout the year because of that.

Still, the defense wasn’t necessarily top-notch either. During their six-game losing streak, A&M gave up an average of just over 30 points per game.

Combine it all and that’s when execution comes into play. Jimbo Fisher can make as many additions or substractions to his program as he wants but none of it would fix that problem if execution is a matter that goes unsolved.

With Smith throwing down the gauntlet, though, this new mindset will hopefully lead to improved focus from the Aggies this fall. What you build your foundation on in the spring is vital considering how it carries over to the next season. With this getting highlighted and underlined now, it feels safe to say that Smith and the rest of A&M’s roster are very locked in on righting what happened a season ago.