Klein seemed to be somewhat concerned about mental mistakes that the offense was committing during practices. Hopefully they clean it up in the next couple of weeks.
Photo by Will Huffman, TexAgs
Assembling a jigsaw puzzle isn’t easy.
A myriad of pieces are sorted through to find the right fits, but with patience and dogged determination, a beautiful picture eventually appears.
Texas A&M’s offense is like a puzzle. The Aggies seem to have all the necessary pieces that can create something beautiful.
There’s a dual-threat quarterback with explosive capabilities.
The running back depth chart is stacked with high-level talent.
The offensive line is proven, physical and experienced.
More speed has been amassed at receiver. Much more. The addition of transfers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver and the growth of Ashton Bethel-Roman and Terry Bussey figures to add an explosive element to the offensive unit.
Concepcion had 839 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a true freshman at NC State two seasons ago.
Will Huffman, TexAgs
Mario Craver is listed at 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds as a sophomore.
Craver averaged 21.6 yards per catch as a true freshman last year at Mississippi State.
Bussey, originally expected to play cornerback as a true freshman at A&M, shifted to receiver last August. He had 17 catches for 216 yards.
Bethel-Roman had just four catches for 44 yards as an A&M freshman last year. But he’s routinely drawn high praise throughout August camp.
Offensive coordinator Collin Klein certainly has reasons to believe those receivers will make the Aggies more explosive. Indeed, he has two of them.
“It’s two things,” Klein said after a recent practice. “No. 1, it’s physical speed. Their ability to truly run and stretch the defense and make man coverage strain.
“But then I think on the other side, they’re more familiar with the offense. Coach (Holmon) Wiggins is as good as anybody at truly developing those guys into all-around players to where they’re playing the game mentally faster, which also helps their play speed as well. I think those two things are really going to show up.”
The receiving corps is kind of like the edge pieces of a puzzle. When those are connected, the rest of the picture comes together.
The increased speed at receiver figures to create more separation, which would set up more big pass plays for quarterback Marcel Reed, who had 25 completions of 20 yards or more last season. That number could double or triple in 2025.
Of course, Reed may be a bigger threat as a runner. Ask LSU. He came off the bench to rush for 62 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over the Tigers last season.
Overall, Reed rushed for 543 yards and seven touchdowns.
Yet, he’s not the Aggies' primary rushing threat. Le’Veon Moss was on his way to a 1,000-yard campaign in 2024 until a knee injury forced him to miss the last third of the season. He’s expected back full speed.
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily from a ‘piece’ standpoint. I think it’s just a consistent mentality. … Consistent in building our continuity with each other as these pieces come together, and then being able to do it day-in-and-day-out.”
Rueben Owens II is also back from injury. His presence injects more big-play possibilities in the running game, especially running behind an offensive line that has at least three members — Trey Zuhn III, Chase Bisontis and Ar’maj Reed-Adams — who will contend for All-SEC honors.
So what’s missing that would prevent the A&M offense from being one of the more explosive in the SEC?
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily from a ‘piece’ standpoint,” Klein said. “I think it’s just a consistent mentality. … Consistent in building our continuity with each other as these pieces come together, and then being able to do it day-in-and-day-out.
“I thought the first part of camp we were more inconsistent. The last couple of days, we’ve been able to stack some to put some good ones together.”
Klein said sometimes in camp there have been mental lapses, a lack of discipline and miscommunications. Those things, he warns, can kill a promising drive.
“It doesn’t matter how explosive or talented or anything else you are if you're not on the same page and doing things right. You shoot yourself in the foot,” Klein said. “I think that’s the biggest thing we’ve got to nail down the next two weeks.”
Iron out those wrinkles, and the A&M offense could be lethal.
Last season, A&M scored 31 points or more in eight games. They averaged 30.4 points.
With more speed, more experience and better health, that average may climb to 38 points or more.
Defenses wouldn’t be able to load the box to stop Moss or Owens. Opponents would have to respect the deep threat in the passing game, while also acknowledging Reed’s ability to scramble and make plays off-schedule.
It could look beautiful once the pieces all come together.
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