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Aggies Hire Blaise Taylor, Son of Trooper Taylor, To Defensive Staff | CFB Tracker

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Matt Galatzan

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MAR 6 AGGIES HIRE TAYLOR The Texas A&M Aggies have made another hire to their defensive side of the ball, with new head coach Mike Elko electing to add Blaise Taylor - the son of Aggies running backs coach Trooper Taylor - to the staff, according to reports from Football Scoop.

Taylor is being hired as a defensive analyst but is expected to work mostly with defensive backs, per the report.

Before coming to College Station, Taylor was a senior defensive analyst at Utah State. In that role, he also primarily worked with the secondary.

FEB 13 ESPN KEEPS CFP According to reports from the Athletic's Andrew Marchand, the College Football Playoff and ESPN have reached an agreement on a six-year $7.8 billion extension to keep the event and the network together.

However, per the report, that agreement is still pending the resolution of specific issues for the CFP.

“The full contract’s completion is still contingent on CFP leaders finalizing details of the expanded format in the wake of the implosion of the Pac-12,” Marchand said. “The CFP’s management committee and board of managers have meetings scheduled for next week and continue to work through the complicated process of settling their outstanding issues.

“The ESPN deal will not be ratified until the commissioners and presidents vote on the structure and financials of the expanded CFP. ESPN senior vice president of communication Josh Krulewitz and College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock both declined to comment.”

The Aggies are still searching for their first CFP bid. The playoff is set to expand to a 12-team format next season.

JAN 17 NOLEN WARNING? The Texas A&M Aggies lost a flurry of players to the NCAA transfer portal at the end of the regular season, including some heavy hitters in the form of Walter Nolen, LT Overton and Evan Stewart.

And while there are plenty of reasons for any playing leaving a program, Nolen seems to have hinted at his, sending a cryptic message on a recent Instagram story. 

"PSA if u going to A&M read ur contract thoroughly. (Hit me up) if u got questions just trying to help," Nolen wrote in the post. 

Nolen is not the first Aggie to send a warning about NIL either, with Stewart sending a similar message last month. 

In his post, Stewart not only said he saw the transfer losses coming, but commented on the NIL situation as well, claiming that he 'didn't get paid a dollar' by the Aggies.

“I saw it coming freshman year when I didn’t get paid a dollar from A&M but ‘sliced bread’ had y’all thinking we was all millionaires," Stewart said in the post.

JAN 11 ELKO'S STAFF EXPANDS New coach Mike Elko and the Aggies have added two new staffers for the upcoming season.

Blake McCall has been hired as the team's new associate director of strength and conditioning and will work under Tommy Moffit.

Bryant Gross-Armiento, who worked under former coach Jimbo Fisher as the defensive backs coach has also been added to Elko's staff to serve in an off-field role. Gross-Armiento's new title has been designated as "senior defensive analyst."

JAN 10 SABAN HANGING IT UP According to multiple reports, the first of which coming from ESPN's Chris Low, legendary Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is set to retire. 

Saban, who is arguably the best coach in the history of college football, now hangs it up after winning seven national championships, 11 SEC titles, 12 SEC West Titles, two Paul Bear Bryant Awards, and multiple other accolades throughout his pristine career. 

Texas A&M was just 2-10 against Saban during his time in Tuscaloosa, with the most recent coming in 2021 under Jimbo Fisher in College Station. 

The Aggies also beat Saban in 2012 in Tuscaloosa thanks to some heroics from Johnny Manziel. 

JAN 7 WEIGMAN FOR HEISMAN? When he is on the field, Texas A&M Aggies QB Conner Weigman is one of the best in the country.

And apparently, Las Vegas agrees, with Weigman listed as a top contender for the 2024 Heisman trophy by Fan Duel. 

As it stands, Weigman lands in the No. 4 spot alongside Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy and Oklahoma's Jackson Arnold at +1800 odds.

Ahead of Weigman are the trio of Texas' Quinn Ewers, Georgia's Carson Beck and Alabama's Jalen Milroe who have the best odds at +750, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel at +1000 in second, and Ohio State's Will Howard and Tennesssee's Nico Iamaleava in third at +1500.

DEC 26 WALKER DID WHAT? Texas A&M might have lost their best wide receivers to the NFL Draft and NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, but that doesn't mean there isn't still talent at the position. 

During Texas Bowl practice, wide receiver Jahdae Walker proved just that as well, making an absolutely mind-boggling catch from quarterback Jaylen Henderson.

Walker currently sits third on the team in receptions 27 receptions for 453 yards and two touchdowns. He particularly came on over the last four weeks of the regular season, hauling in 17 catches for 279 yards and a touchdown over that stretch.

He will look to continue that success on Wednesday against a suspect Oklahoma State pass defense. 

DEC 4 MORE LOSSES COMING? The Texas A&M Aggies suffered a major loss in the NCAA transfer portal on Sunday night when former five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. 

But according to cornerback Bobby Taylor, that might not be the end of the losses for the Aggies in the portal. 

"It’s finna get treacherous," Taylor tweeted Sunday.

Rumors of course have swirled about Aggies star wide receiver Evan Stewart since late November - though nothing has come of those rumors yet. 

That said, according to Taylor as much as 'half' of the Aggies' historic 2022 class could be on the way out. 

"No way 2 years ago you could’ve told me Jimbo would be fired, coaches leave, and half the class dip," Taylor Tweeted. "How dat happen?"

NOV 27 DATE SET According to a report from ESPN's Chris Low, the date for the renewed rivalry between Texas A&M and Texas has been revealed.

The Aggies and Longhorns have not faced off on the gridiron since 2011 when the Longhorns won 27-25 on a walk-off field goal.

Per Low, the Aggies and Longhorns will face off in College Station on Saturday, Nov. 30, which will be the final game of the regular season for both teams.

Said Low:

"Texas and Texas A&M will also renew their rivalry next season after a 12-year hiatus. The game will be played Saturday, Nov. 30, in College Station to close the regular season, according to sources. Traditionally, Texas and Texas A&M have always played on either Thanksgiving Day or the Friday after Thanksgiving."

Low also revealed the new date for the Aggies annual matchup vs. LSU, which is now set for Oct. 26

NOV 27 BRILES AND ELKO? The Texas A&M Aggies hired Mike Elko to replace the recently fired Jimbo Fisher on Sunday, ending their search for a new head coach. 

However, with a new head coach, also comes a new coaching staff. And while many believe Elijah Robinson could be retained as the team's defensive coordinator, the Aggies plans for offensive coordinator under Elko remain a mystery. 

On Monday, former Aggies standout QB Kellen Mond revealed an interesting idea for that spot - current TCU offensive coordinator, Kendall Briles. 

Briles has had great success with the Horned Frogs this season, especially considering his team has played most of the year with a freshman quarterback in Josh Hoover. 

The Horned Frogs currently rank 43rd in the nation in scoring offense, 13th in total offense, and seventh in passing offense, 

NOV 25 AGGIES PLAYERS REACT With rumors swirling that the Texas A&M Aggies would hire Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops to replace Jimbo Fisher in College Station, backlash has begun to pour in.

At the forefront of that backlash, have been a handful of Aggies players, starting with two leaders of the historic 2022 recruiting class, Walter Nolen and Bobby Taylor. 

"Keep coach (Elijah Robinson), simple," Nolen tweeted.

"Literally," Taylor responded.

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Starting safety Bryce Anderson also retweeted Nolen, responding with an exclamation point. 

It should also be noted that since these players reacted to the news of the potential Stoops hiring, those rumors have now been debunked by multiple college football insiders, including ESPN's Pete Thamel.

NOV 25 DABO TO AGGIES? According to a report from Houston Chronicle reporter Brent Zwerneman, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has emerged as a possible candidate to replace the recently fired Jimbo Fisher with the Texas A&M Aggies. 

Swinney is in the midst of a disappointing 7-4 season, after back-to-back seasons with three losses. 

Before that, however, the Swinney-led Tigers had made six-straight College Football Playoff appearances from 2015-2020, won eight ACC titles, two national championships, and been at or near the top of team recruiting rankings for all major services. 

Swinney is the second major college coach's name to be floated in connection with the Aggies in the last 24 hours, with Ohio State's Ryan Day being connected to the search on Friday and Saturday. 

The Tigers are set to take on South Carolina on Saturday night. 

NOV 24 RYAN DAY IN PLAY? The Texas A&M Aggies are in the midst of a national coaching search to replace former head coach Jimbo Fisher, who was fired after six seasons in College Station early this month. 

Recently, rumors have connected the Aggies to Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day, who is on the precipice of a Big Ten Championship Game and College Football Playoff berth.

A rumor that, while seemingly completely outlandish, does have a degree of smoke connected to it, according to TexAgs reporter, Billy Liucci.

“There is Ryan Day smoke but I’m very skeptical of the Ryan Day smoke,” Liucci said. “I’m skeptical that that’s not an agent drumming up stuff. I will continue to include Ryan Day as a candidate. That’s not who I would expect them to land.”

It wouldn't be the first time a big-time coach has abruptly left a conference or CFP contending team for a new job, with Lincoln Riley (OU to USC) and Brian Kelly (Notre Dame to LSU) doing the same over the last two years. 

That said, it is hard to believe that Day would leave arguably the best job in the entire country in order to help rebuild things in College Station.

NOV 20 TRAYLOR STAYS SILENT Amid reports that he has interviewed for the Texas A&M head coaching job, UTSA's Jeff Traylor elected to remain silent when questioned by reporters and focus on his team's upcoming season finale instead.

"There's nothing to balance," Traylor said. "This is about (UTSA QB) Frank Harris and the Roadrunners. That's all there is to balance."

And when asked whether or not he interviewed with the Aggies, Traylor also declined to comment on the situation.

"We play Friday at 2:30," Traylor responded.

NOV 16 THREE OUT? According to ESPN College Football analyst Peter Burns, there are three names that can be crossed off of the list in the search to replace Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. 

Unfortunately for the Aggies, they are also three of the most exciting names in the rumor mill - Colorado's Deion Sanders, Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin, and Clemson's Dabo Swinney.

"These are fantastic names for CFB rumor mill content farms," Burns tweeted. "But not realistic as the next (head coach) in College Station."

All three coaches recently responded to the idea of making a move to College Station, with all three denying interest in one way or another. 

NOV 13 STEWART REACTS The Texas A&M Aggies stole headlines on Sunday, firing head coach Jimbo Fisher after six years with the program.

After his firing, reactions across the internet began to pour in through social media - including that of star Texas A&M wide receiver Evan Stewart, who was as surprised as anyone. 

"To wake up and find out…wth," Stewart tweeted.

Arguably the Aggies' best offensively player, Stewart is second on the team with 42 catches for 506 yards and a team-high four touchdowns.

Given the current landscape of college football, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that Stewart could eye the transfer portal. 

And as a former Texas Longhorns commitment, there are surely going to be rumors swirling regarding his future until proven otherwise. 

NOV 12 FISHER OUT, ROBINSON IN The Texas A&M Aggies stole college football headlines on Sunday, firing head coach Jimbo Fisher after six years with the program. 

With Fisher now out, the Aggies will begin their search for a new head coach effective immediately. 

But until they find Fisher's successor, they have reportedly named his temporary replacement, with associate head coach Elijah Robinson taking over the reins as the program's interim coach.

Robinson first arrived in College Station in 2018, after spending time with Baylor, Temple, and Penn State, serving as the defensive line coach for his first few seasons. 

In 2022, Robinson was promoted to associate head coach and defensive run game coordinator.

NOV 9 ROGERS IN OR OUT? The Texas A&M Aggies are still waiting to find out who they will face under center on Saturday against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. 

According to Bulldogs coach Zach Arnett, starter Will Rogers is making progress in recovering from his shoulder injury that he suffered against Western Michigan last month.

That said, it is still unclear if Rogers has made enough progress to lineup under center vs. the Aggies.

“In reality? We’re going to see what Will’s availability is this week,” Arnett said. “He’s practicing and he’s able to do more and more and more. So, if it’s determined that he’s able to go? He’s our starting quarterback – no doubt about it. We obviously have a few days for that to get sorted out.”

When healthy, Rogers is an elite QB. Nevertheless, he has had an up-and-down season for the Bulldogs, completing a career-low 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,275 yards and 10 touchdowns with four interceptions. 

OCT 28 SMITH GOES DEEP The Aggies got off to a slow start on Saturday at Kyle Field against the South Carolina Gamecocks and fell behind 7-0. But once the second quarter started, it was all A&M. Ainias Smith got in the scoring groove late in the quarter with a 42-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Max Johnson, who started the game in place of the injured Conner Weigman.

Johnson threw a dart to Smith as he was streaking across the field toward the right sideline. Smith caught the pass and then juked his way into the end zone for the score. It was one of three Aggies touchdowns scored before halftime that went unanswered after the Gamecocks went up 7-0.

OCT 27 GAMEDAY TRAILER The Texas A&M Aggies are set to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, hoping to end a two-game losing streak.

In preparation for the game, the Aggies released their gameday trailer via Twitter.

The Aggies are 8-1 all-time vs. the Gamecocks. However, the Gamecocks won the most recent edition of the series last season 30-24 in Columbia 

OCT 18 JIMBO BACK ON THE HOT SEAT? The Texas A&M Aggies have been in a spiral over the last few weeks, dropping two straight games to Tennessee and Alabama, averaging a combined 16.5 points. 

Those two losses gave the Aggies three on the season, after their frustrating Week 2 loss to Miami.

And now, College Football Wire is the latest publication to put the Aggies coach back on the hot seat, citing his lack of consistent success as the main factor.

For a moment there, when Texas A&M reached 4-1 with back-to-back wins to open conference play, it looked like Fisher could move himself down a few tiers. Consecutive losses to Alabama and Tennessee ruined any chances for a surprise SEC West title, however. In his six seasons in College Station, Fisher doesn’t have a single 10-win season, and the Aggies are 8-12 in their last 20 SEC games. You don’t even have to rewrite history to say Fisher hasn’t met Texas A&M’s standards. Kevin Sumlin, the coach the Aggies fired before they lured Fisher from Florida State, won 66.2% of his 77 games at the helm. Through 67 games, Fisher’s winning percentage is 64.2%.

Fisher and the Aggies will look to silence the critics this weekend against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field.

OCT 17 MEYER DONE? Some Texas A&M Aggies fans have already begun to clammer for the firing of Jimbo Fisher after the team's 4-3 start. 

Never mind that the Aggies have lost to three teams with a combined record of 15-4 - two of which were without their starting quarterback. 

“I am good,” Meyer said Monday, per Mike Wilson. “I never really took a day off. People, when I say that, they scratch their head. I am like I never took a day off. I had some health stuff go on. I became addicted to sleeping pills. I was just a maniac worker. … So no. No desire.” 

So why such a hard stance from Meyer? Surely, there are plenty of schools that would salivate at the idea of hiring a three-time national champion to resurrect their program.

The Aggies might even be one of them - if it came to that. 

Should Texas A&M decide to move on from Fisher, the Aggies would likely be banging down the doors at Meyer's residence, or at least blowing up his phone. 

After all, he has won everywhere he has been in college - something that is harder to accomplish than most people realize. 

OCT 16 SOUTH CAROLINA KICK SET After a pair of frustrating losses to Alabama and Tennessee, the Texas A&M Aggies are entering their bye week at a most opportune time. 

On the other side of the bye, is a critical date with South Carolina in College Station, which will very much be a swing game for the Aggies. 

Win, and concerns will be quelled to a certain degree.

Lose, and the Aggies could be in danger of missing bowl eligibility altogether, and Jimbo Fisher's already hot seat with become scathing. 

And on Monday, the kickoff time for the matchup vs. the Gamecocks was set, with the game scheduled to start at 11 a.m. CT at Kyle Field.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

OCT 8 KING LEADS MIRACLE Former Texas A&M Aggies starting quarterback Haynes King helped lead one of the most improbable wins in recent college football memory on Saturday over the Miami Hurricanes. 

With Miami up three points with just over 30 seconds to go in the game, and no timeouts for Georgia Tech, all the Hurricanes had to do was take a knee. 

Instead, they chose to run the football, and proceeded to fumble, with Tech recovering. 

And just two plays later, King hit a wide-open receiver for a 44-yard touchdown with just one second to go on the clock. 

The Yellow Jackets would go on to win the game 24-20, making the Hurricanes a national talking point along the way. 

OCT 1 AGGIES DOGS VS BAMA Coming off of an impressive win over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, the Texas A&M Aggies remained unranked in the AP Top 25 Poll. 

Now, the underdog story continues, with the Aggies opening as 4-point underdogs to the Alabama Crimson Tide next weekend, per Circa Sports.

The over/under is also currently set at 48.5.

SEPT 25 AGGIES FAVORED Coming off of a dominant win over the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, the Texas A&M Aggies look to be getting their swagger back. 

Now, heading into a big matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks in Arlington, they are looking to continue that momentum. 

and according to the oddsmakers, the Aggies are poised to do just that, opening as 6.5-point favorites over Arkansas in the Southwest Classic, per SI Sports Book.

Arkansas currently leads the all-time series vs. the Aggies 42-34 with three ties. However, the Aggies have owned the series as of late, winning 10 of the last 11 matchups, including last season.

SEPT 23 OLE MISS UPSET? Since losing to the Texas Longhorns in Week 2, the narrative surrounding the Alabama Crimson Tide is more clouded than it has been in recent memory under coach Nick Saban.

While in years past, many would've predicted for the Crimson Tide to bounce back from the Texas loss and run the table the rest of the way, experts are seemingly picking against Alabama, including ESPN's Rece Davis.

"If this were Ole Miss giving seven, based on what I've seen from Alabama, especially last week, I would take Ole Miss and lay the seven," Davis said recently on the College Football GameDay. "So there's no question that I'm taking the Rebels and getting seven. Not only to cover, but to win outright."

SEPTEMBER 14 KIFFIN TALKS BAMA Few coaches are more familiar with Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide than Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.

After his former boss was upset on his home field by the Texas Longhorns, Kiffin was asked about Alabama's prospects for the remainder of the season.

Of course, Kiffin was nothing but positive about the Tide's situation.

"Sometimes an early loss can be good," Kiffin said. "Not Alabama week, but I'm getting Alabama questions already. But I think they're going to be in a better position because it wasn't an SEC game. An early loss sometimes over time has been really good and better than a late loss as we've seen in order to get in the Playoffs and things."

The Rebels and the Tide will face off in Week 4 in Tuscaloosa, where Kiffin will hope to be the second former Saban pupil to take down his former boss this season.

SEPTEMBER 1 ACC EXPANDS The world of college football is continuing to change dramatically, with the latest expansion taking place on Friday morning.

According to reports, Stanford, California and SMU are set to join the ACC in 2024.

The three schools are just the latest to make a realignment move for 2024, with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington joining the Big 10, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah joining the Big 12, and Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC.

Washington State and Oregon State are now the sole remaining Pac 12 members searching for a new home.

AUGUST 24 USC'S CALEB WILLIAMS TURNING DOWN EA SPORTS? Thanks to the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness, when the long-awaited release of Electronic Arts' newest college football video game drops, it could feature rosters with real player names and likenesses for the first time in the franchise's history.

Although it may not have everyone, USC quarterback Caleb Williams recently revealed in an interview with Yahoo's Ross Dellenger that he is unsure if he'll appear in the video game due to the reported $500 flat fee that EA is offering to players to use their likeness.

“Thing about life is, you have to adjust to anything,” Williams said. “Businesses and brands and things like that have to adjust to the new brand of college. I’d love to have the game back, but it’s the new day and age and everybody knows what the new day and age in college is.

“It’s like if you go to school and you are a straight-A student and there’s another kid whose strong suit isn’t school and he gets B’s or B-minuses. How fair would it be if you get the same grade as him? That never works in school and it doesn’t make sense. That’s how I look at that game with the situation with the $500.”

Williams won't be the only player who believes that the $500 fee does not meet their true value, which could serve as a domino effect for other top players to fall in line with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner if he does indeed choose to opt out of featuring in the game. 

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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