The Aggies continue with spring practice as the spring game approaches on Saturday, April 19th.
Coach Doug Martin and offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon have shown that they’re not afraid to move players around and mix-and-match. To that end, they have two former quarterbacks, Travaughn Colwell and King Davis III, at other positions. Las Cruces native Matt Ramondo, who played defensive tackle last season, is now on the offensive line, and new position coach Steve Marshall thinks that Ramondo could have NFL potential at that position.
Davis is filling in nicely at running back/slot receiver. The sophomore runs a 4.5 in the 40 and is a great competitor. He’s too slender to be an every-down back, but he’s a nice, speedy changeup in the intermediate passing game. He and Xavier Hall could be the speed threats out of the backfield, while Marquette Washington will most likely be the regular, 20-carry-per-game type back.
Colwell, meanwhile, has been moved to safety. Despite being completely new to the defensive side of the ball, he’s shown some potential there. It’s hard to believe that he’s already a senior! He’s played QB, running back, and wide receiver already, but Martin and his staff are excited about Colwell playing on defense.
The offensive line looks like a serious strength heading into the fall. Ramondo is the only new face along the line, and the other four have proven themselves. Coach Marshall and Coach Brandon are excited about the returning starters, as well as some younger guys (specifically redshirt freshman Thomas McGwire and sophomore Peter Foreman). Junior guard Andy Cunningham is missing spring ball due to injury, but will be back in the fall. Coach Brandon says, “If we’re gonna turn this thing around, it starts up front.”
Despite the fact that the Aggies are unproven at quarterback and running back, there won’t be nearly as much of a learning curve as there has been in the past. For all four years of the Coach Walker era, the team had four different offensive coordinators (including Coach Martin himself, back in 2011). Now, there is continuity in year two under Martin and Brandon. You can expect the Aggies will turn up the pace of the spread offense even more now that players know the system backwards and forwards.
As far as the receivers go, there’s still plenty of experience without Austin Franklin. Seniors Jerrel Brown, Adam Shapiro and Joseph Matthews are solid players who contributed a lot last year, and they’re joined by speedy slot receiver Jordan Bergstrom (also a senior) and walk-on success story Joshua Bowen, an Albuquerque native.
Still, who’s the deep threat? Who can inherit the role that Franklin excelled at for three seasons? Receivers coach Todd Littlejohn recently spoke of two players who redshirted last year, Teldrick Morgan and Greg Hogan, as potential gamebreakers. Hogan is a serious talent from the Houston area who, if consistent, could be an explosive player. Morgan is more of an unknown, but Coach Littlejohn thinks highly of him as well.
Regarding Hogan, Littlejohn remarked, “He’s got kind of a combination of different things. He can make people miss in the open field. He has the ability to take a simple play on the long run. He can also stretch the field. He kind of gives you a little bit of everything.”
Coach Brandon also had kind words to say about Shapiro, who he described as “stepping up his game. He’s a great kid….he’s very coachable.”
Best case scenario for the receivers? Shapiro, Brown, and Matthews step up and continue being consistent, while Morgan and Hogan provide the big-play capability.
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