10 Things for Tuesday
Here’s this week’s edition of 10 Things for Tuesday, sponsored by Brent Campbell:
1. In Monday Thoughts, I talked about how I thought the Texas A&M receiver corps this year will almost certainly have a higher floor than last year, even though I’m not sure about whether the ceiling has also gone up. This is purely my opinion (and no pressure, kid), but I think that it may depend on one single player: Jerome Myles. Since he didn’t play last year, I think he’s getting overlooked. Since he’s been hurt each of the last two seasons, I get why folks may be in a wait and see mode with him. That’s reasonable, but let me give you a reminder of what he can do:
There’s a reason he was a 5-star recruit a year ago. If he’s healthy, Myles becomes another big body for Marcel Reed to throw to, but he’s got more speed than Isaiah Horton. If Horton and Myles are both out on the field at the same time, the Aggies — who topped out at 6-foot-1 as far as receivers went last year — suddenly cause a different set of worries for opposing corners.
The Aggies have four receivers right now at the top of the depth chart: Mario Craver, Horton, Ashton Bethel-Roman and Terry Bussey. If the can start bringing fresh players of equal talent in a second wave, that’s a luxury few teams have and a big problem for opponents.
2. The Aggie baseball team was in need of a similar shot in the arm (literally and figuratively) for their pitching staff. It was clear from the instant Shane Sdao was coming back that he and Weston Moss would be two of the weekend starters, but the third remained a question. Sophomore Aiden Sims, however, came out of the pack and was the talk of the offseason. After Sdao and Moss put in pedestrian performances in easy wins over Tennessee Tech, Sims came out and dominated Sunday, giving up a run on a single hit in six innings. If he can continue to provide solid performances the rest of the way, then A&M is going to have a shot to make some noise this year (probably).
3. Tomorrow is a big game for the Aggie basketball team, as they look to break their four game losing streak and move back to three games over .500 in conference. It would also get them their 18th win, a big step on the way to the needed 20. Wednesday night’s opponent for Texas A&M is Ole Miss, and the Rebels are…not good. They’re 11-14 on the season and have lost seven straight — losing the last four in a non-competitive fashion. Also, they’re not really tall, and height (as we’ve seen) can be an issue for this undersized Aggie squad.
4. The big objective for the Aggies tomorrow will be to slow down one of Ole Miss’ actual big men, forward Malik Dia. He scored 32 points in 30 minutes in their latest loss against Mississippi State, and he doesn’t mind being tough in the post. Rashaun Agee and Zach Clemence will likely have to deal with Dia, who is averaging better than 13 points per game.
5. Speaking of Agee, it’s probably not coincidental that A&M’s losing streak has coincided with him going into a scoring funk. In the last four games, Agee has shot 16 for 45 from the field, or 35.5%. He was 2-13 against Florida and 3-12 against Vanderbilt, which is a legit slump for anyone. For a guy who is still shooting 48.1 % for the year, it’s a downright abomination. Ole Miss should be a chance for him to get back on track.
6. I’m a little bit worried that the basketball team may be getting worn down as the season continues. We’ve seen them wear down their opponents with their pace and pressing defense, but that has to take a toll on them as well. Maybe they just went through a run where they played some tough teams (which they did, and two of those losses were by a total of 4 points), but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
7. One thing coach Mike Elko mentioned yesterday was the idea of getting running back Rueben Owens back at full health. Even though he didn’t miss a game last season, he still had to deal with the ongoing recovery from the ankle injury that cost him nearly all of 2024. The injury may not have limited him in terms of speed, but it may have limited his ability to cut and keep his balance. The stats may bear this out: Owens averaged a solid 5.4 yards per carry last year, but only averaged 2.9 yards after contact. Basically, one good shot could bring him down. Elko seemed to be indicating that it’ll take more to put Owens to the turf this season, if he remains healthy.
8. Aggie great Mike Evans will play again next year, and why not? He’s still got plenty left in the tank. It probably won’t happen, but it would be cool if Christian Kirk re-signed with the Texans and Mike joined him. That would go over really well with a large portion of the fanbase.
9. As I’m tying this, Jorian Wilson just hit his first career home run for Texas A&M. Earlier in the game, Boston Kellner hit his first, and Nico Partida hit his second before that. All three are true freshmen. There really may be no holes in this offense. Now that I’ve typed that, they’ll go in a two week skid, but anyway…
10. In an interview with On3 earlier this week, coach Elko said that college football needs a single commissioner to provide oversight to this massive moneymaking entity. I think he’s right, because we’re seeing the lack of singular leadership deadlock the expansion of the College Football Playoff right now. My question is, who (besides me) is capable of handling that job properly? I’ve seen Nick Saban’s name mentioned, and he may be the closest one to it. But to be successful in that job would take the patience and spine of a George Washington — and, even if it were Washington himself, it would be smart to make sure his office was on the ground floor so they don’t throw someone out the window.
Our sponsor
Sponsored by Brent Campbell, Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 1998. Brent is a Commercial Real Estate Broker, serving all of Central Texas and specializing in sales, leasing & development. He leads a retail acquisition and sales team and was recognized by the Austin Business Journal as a Commercial Real Estate Heavy Hitter in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 & 2023.
In the last 22 years, he has closed deals with a total transactional value of over $375 million and has leased more than 4.5 million square feet. Brent currently serves as the president of the board of directors for Habitat Homes, Inc. and Pathways Youth and Family Services. He is a former president of the Heart of Round Rock Neighborhood Association and a former member of the Round Rock Zoning Advisory Committee, the Round Rock Business and Retention Committee, and the City of Round Rock Ethics Commission, which has led him to begin developing in Williamson and Travis County.
An Austin native, Brent lives in Round Rock where he and his wife have raised four boys. Brent works for Don Quick and Associates, Inc. in Round Rock, TX and can be reached at [email protected].
