'Great Passion, Great Effort!' Aggies' DC Jay Bateman Reveals What Kind of Player Texas A&M Will Target in Recruiting

Jay Bateman arrived in College Station back in December as the Texas A&M Aggies' new defensive coordinator after two seasons with the Florida Gators.

Jay Bateman arrived in College Station back in December as the Texas A&M Aggies' new defensive coordinator after two seasons with the Florida Gators.

Bateman offered his first impressions of the program and new head coach Mike Elko as he sat down with AggiesWire.

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"I think the main thing is getting back to work with Mike has been great," Bateman said. "You get back in the room with him, it’s been awesome. Feel really good about who we’ve added to the team. I feel really good about the kids that were on the team.

"I think he’s really driven, really bright. I think a lot of the things defensively people do in college football right now, Mike started. To get back with him, we have a lot of the same philosophies. We kind of grew up in this thing together and I think to get back has been awesome.”

Bateman also offered perspective on what kind of defensive players he'll be targeting to bring to Aggieland in the coming seasons.

"I want guys that play with great passion and great effort," Bateman said. "I think when you have those two things, we’re going to recruit good enough athletes here. Like when you play with passion, you play with effort, things are going to be pretty good."

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Bateman, 50, spent the last two seasons on staff under Billy Napier as the team's linebacker's coach and tackling coordinator. He is also considered to be one of the better defensive recruiters in college football. 

Last season, as the Gators struggled to a 6-7 finish, Bateman helped Ventrell Miller and Amari Burney become draft targets. Miller was picked in the fourth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Las Vegas Raiders selected Burney in the sixth round.