We Have a Roster Update!

Yesterday, Aggie Athletics updated the football roster here, amending jersey numbers, heights and weights of the incoming fall group. While not all of these are accurate (hi, Ricky Seals Jones), and some people might say that looking down a spreadsheet of nothing but names and measurements is a bit, well, creepy and sad (hi wives and girlfriends), it's late July, and even a whiff of football provides enough excuse for a breakdown. A closer look at the roster reveals three distinct camps:

1. Hey, where did that guy go?

College Football, thy name is attrition. For every year's incoming freshman class of 25ish poised to take over the world, a few names that just a year or two ago filled recruitnik's hearts with joy are quietly tossed aside, whether through injury, grades, or just standing in close proximity to Urban Meyer. A cursory glance reveals both Michael Richardson and Jordan Richmond are no longer with the team, Richardson unable to continue his career after a spinal injury suffered last year, and Richmond reportedly unable to stay away from certain illicit substances. For those wondering if Thomas Johnson was ever going to magically reappear, it's probably best to pour a little out for his catch and run against Alabama, and move on.

2. Positive Surprises.

Individually, a handful of guys look like they've worked hard in the offseason, including Trey Williams (up to 195), James White (reports at 218), waify Tommy Sanders (up to 220), and a certain under-the-radar quarterback (Manziel to 210). I'll assume Johnny's pounds came in the form of eating lots of lean protein, as opposed to drinking lots of empty carbohydrates.

The much-fretted-about front 7 looks to be in good hands with Daeshon Hall checking in at 6'6", 245 (and sporting the quite fetching '10' on a DE), and the defensive tackle triumvirate of Justin Manning, Hardreck Walker and Isaiah Golden reporting at 290, 300, and 310 pounds respectively.

Other random happy thoughts: Nate Askew at 6'4", 235, Donnie Baggs over 230, Cam Clear at 6'6" 270(!), Floyd Raven at 6'2", 200, and Brice Dolezal at a smooth 5'9", 175. Keep it together ladies.

3. A few concerns.

Mike Matthews is only 6'2", 285? I know he's a technician, and has been practicing his pass pro set since age 2, but that's pretty damn light in the ol' SEC. I love me some big safeties, but something tells me Kam Miles at 6'2", 215 isn't long for the backfield if he can't shed a bit of weight. The summer exploits of Quiv Gonzales sound good in theory, but he'd better be as fast as advertised at 5'10", 165. At the other end of the spectrum, Reggie Chevis might want a year to redistribute a bit of that 250 pounds. Also, really disappointed in Gaston Lamascus not getting to 225 on that 5'6" frame of his.

Overall, this has become a bigger, more physical team almost overnight. The secondary in particular has a bunch of 6'+ kids over 200 that can really run, something that hasn't exactly been found in College Station recently. The front 7 should be able to rotate in 8 to 10 kids who all have the requisite size, if not experience, to compete early, and the wide receiver and tight end corps have the ability to throw out some ridiculous size/speed combinations depending on matchups.

Look for how this will all shake out in the GBH two-deep which @SpreadsheetAg has been working on furiously and may be published as early as tomorrow.