For Texans fans, it’s signing day
Aggies, ranked 11th in the coaches poll, want to keep their minds on practice and away from social media
Fans clamor for autographs from star defensive back J.J. Watt following Day 7 of training camp, the first that was open to the public. “It was exciting to have the fans out here,” said Texans head coach Bill O’Brien, and many fans waited overnight to get in early to secure prime fandom real estate. See more Texans coverage in Sports.
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M’s camp, which began Thursday, boils down to two forthright objectives, coach Jimbo Fisher said after a first practice in 100-degree heat.
“Find the best 11 on each side and then find their backups,” Fisher said. “That’s really what it is. We’ve got to figure out who we are, what we can do and who we can count on.”
That means, Fisher added, that all jobs are open.
“It’s a new year,” he said. “Just because you did it in the past … you’ve got to show that you can do it again.”
A year ago, the Aggies were unranked in the preseason coaches poll. They checked in at No. 11 on Thursday, coinciding with an initial practice that Fisher claimed left much work to be done before A&M opens its season Aug. 29 against Texas State at Kyle Field.
“That’s the way everyone else looks at it,” Fisher said of his colleagues placing the Aggies on the edge of the top 10. “I watch us practice, and boy, I don’t see it. But you’d rather be up there than not be up there, I guess.”
Because of similar outside prognostications, good and bad, A&M junior defensive lineman Justin Madubuike vowed that he and his teammates were “turning off social media for camp.”
“We want to eliminate all the noise and increase our focus,” Madubuike said. “No tweeting, Facebook, Instagram … we’re just trying to stay away from the phones and more into the playbooks. When (camp) is over, you can socialize and do your thing.”
Junior Kellen Mond, the clear-cut starter at quarterback, said the Ag
gies are aware of their position in the first preseason poll of note, but none of that matters if they don’t take their duties seriously in August.
“We’ve worked so hard in the offseason, but we’ve got to make that translate to the football field,” Mond said. “It doesn’t really matter what we do today if we’re not going to grow tomorrow. We always think we’re going to be one of the top teams in the country – but we’ve got to go out and prove that.”
Texas A&M will face the top three teams in the coaches poll — Clemson, Alabama and Georgia, along with No. 6 LSU. The Aggies, who finished 9-4 last season in reaching nine victories for the first time since 2013, play at top-ranked Clemson on Sept. 7.
“It lets you know where you’re at,” Fisher said of facing the reigning national champion early in the season. “No matter what the consequence or the results, you’ve got to keep playing the same way and keep on a steady pace of how you’re going to play. You’ve got to figure out how to win those games in time, and you may do it this year.
“The key is laying the foundation for doing things right and never varying from it.”
In addition to the Aggies who used up their eligibility or bypassed their senior seasons for the NFL, at least four other players from last year’s roster are no longer part of the program — backup defensive linemen Mohamed Diallo, Ondario Robinson and TD Moton, and fullback Ben Miles.
“We’ve got plenty of guys in there that rotated (last season) and some really good young players,” Fisher said of any potential concerns about depth on the defensive line.
Miles is the son of former LSU and new Kansas coach Les Miles, and the walk-on is joining his father at Lawrence, Kan.
“How many guys at this level get a chance to do that?” Fisher said of Miles playing for his dad. “Ben did a great job for us and was playing his tail off and was finding a role. But at the same time, I totally understand. He has a great family, and I totally understand and support the decision.”
The Aggies continue practice through the weekend and will hold their annual “Fan Appreciation Day” on Aug. 11. Players and coaches will sign autographs from noon to 2 p.m. that day in the Gilliam Indoor Track Complex, and the program’s lone open scrimmage of camp also will be Aug. 11, starting at 4:30 p.m. at Kyle Field.