'He's Healthy Now': With Conner Weigman Healthy, Everything Coming Together For Aggies

Conner Weigman will be essential to the Texas A&M Aggies' march toward contention next season under new management. After speaking on his offseason, however, he also made his intentions regarding the Texas Longhorns were clear.

Sep 9, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Things are going to look a little bit different next season for the Texas A&M Aggies.

After a problematic final season under Jimbo Fisher where the Aggies were struggling to win games — partly due to an injury to star quarterback Conner Weigman — ended in the coach's firing, it was clear that a direction change was needed.

What that looked like wasn't clear at first glance, however. Sure, a new coach could come in and things would look different, but that only accomplishes so much.

Unless the coach knows the culture of the program inside and out.

Jul 18, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

Enter Mike Elko. An Aggie at heart, and now with a job to bring the program out of its slump.

He's the leader by example on the sidelines, which has already helped for the players, as they'd tell you again and again, but what about on the field? Trey Zuhn III, Taurean York and Shemar Turner are three of the faces who take on the on-field leadership.

But beyond them, Weigman finds himself in an interesting position. He's yet to truly play for the Aggies the way he entered the program intended to. Injuries hampered him from the get-go, but now with another chance to prove what he can do, he's looking to take full advantage.

"This offseason was just all about getting my foot right and getting back to 100 percent," Weigman explained. "Once we got there, I got that figured out, (I was focused on) football stuff. Just cleaning up my mechanics, footwork stuff, being good with my eyes ... things like that." 

Albeit a strong way to put it, Weigman essentially had to learn to be a quarterback again. He had to hit the field and begin working on the form that's set to carry him — and the Aggies — through the season, but also work on the relationships that he's going to need.

Namely with rising junior receiver Noah Thomas.

"That's my guy," Weigman said of his and Thomas' relationship. "He's been working hard. He's been in the training room with me — we were right by each other doing our treatments and rehabs.

"He's 6-foot-6 and he can fly," the quarterback added. "He can go get a ball up top, and he can do anything. Just giving him the ball quickly, and giving him the ball in open space ... it's going to be fun to watch him this year."

Oct 14, 2023, Knoxville, Tenn., USA; Texas A&M Aggies receiver Noah Thomas (3) celebrates after catching the ball for a first down against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

As much praise as Weigman had for his reciver, so, too did Thomas for his quarterback.

"We got a great bond," Thomas explained. "That's my dude. I got his back on everything. ... That's a great feeling to have on and off the field, ready to go to battle, go to war against other teams. We got a great chemistry."

Spending time with Thomas was just one example of Weigman's effort to build relationships with his teammates, but certainly not the only one. While one part of his offseason was focused on his health, the other was about his teammates.

He stressed the latter's importance heavily, which didn't go unnoticed.

“He’s healthy now," Elko said, dispelling any lingering worries of his quarterback's health. "You’re starting to see that energy. You’re starting to see him really come into himself and, obviously, it’s going to be really important for us to get good at quarterback play this fall.”

With Weigman, the Aggies are in good hands. But running the show behind the scenes is new offensive coordinator Collin Klein, who also has a big responsibility in the Aggies' march toward contention.

He had to enter a new system, but his adjustment was seemingly trivial. And why?

He fit right in.

"Collin brings an innovative mind," Elko said of his new offensive coordinator. "I think the thing that really drew me to Collin was his knowledge of the game of football, his intelligence level and his understanding of how to attack defenses."

Weigman certainly agreed with his coach.

"The scheme came together pretty fast," he said before admitting that his injury somewhat forced him to prepare in other ways while he worked toward getting healthy. "I was up there spending a lot of hours with Coach Klein right off the bat because that's all I was able to do when they first got here. I couldn't move. I was still in the boot.

"I guess that side of things — just being able to pick his brain on his offense — (helped in) picking it up pretty fast. It's been really good so far."

Sep 9, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) throws the football during warmups prior to the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

So, with Weigman taking snaps over a healthy foot, Texas A&M is seemingly prepared for a new season. It has a new coach, new coordinators and a new attitude, which it hopes will translate to wins on the field in the fall.

One game stands out from the rest, however. One the Aggies have their eyes on, even now.

"I've always wanted to beat Texas," Weigman said. "That's a given."

And when asked about the possibility of getting a win for the first time since 2010?

He kept it short, sweet and crystal clear.

"That's going to happen."