A new offense and big expectations: Previewing Jimbo's first spring at A&M

As spring football begins across the state, we’re examining the big questions for each program as they begin their set of 15 offseason practices. Next up: Texas A&M.1. How quickly can the Aggies embrace a pro style offense? Kevin Sumlin built Texas A&M into a pure hurry-up, spread offense. Jimbo Fisher's offense might incorporate a few more of those concepts to fit his personnel, but at Florida State, his offenses were much more traditional in both pace and concepts. That's an adjustment for everyone, from the quarterbacks and offensive line to the backs and receivers. It's also different than what most everyone across the state is running. 2. Who's the quarterback? Texas A&M looked like it had its QB of the future in Nick Starkel before a broken ankle in the season opener against UCLA cost him most of his redshirt freshman season. Sophomore Kellen Mond had some rough moments in his first season on the field, but he was vastly improved by the end of the season and with a new offense and new coaching staff, the competition should be wide open this spring. Starkel likely begins as the favorite after reclaiming his job against Mississippi State and finishing the season with a 499-yard outburst against Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl, but he'll have to earn the job in spring. 3. Can Fisher find more stars on the defensive line? Swiping new defensive coordinator Mike Elko away from Notre Dame was a major coup and one of Fisher's best staffing hires. However, he'll have to find three new starters on the defensive line for a unit that struggled over the final month of the season. Zaycoven Henderson is gone and Daylon Mack struggled to build on the promise of his freshman season in 2015. Jarrett Johnson is also gone, along with starter Qualen Cunningham. Kevin Sumlin's recruiting late in his tenure theoretically gave Elko and Fisher tons of talent to work with, but players like DT Jayden Peevy, DE Justin Madubuike and DE Micheal Clemons have to continue to develop and turn potential into production. That's key this spring. 4. How does Fisher address expectations? This is not a rebuild. Jimbo Fisher was hired to take Texas A&M from eight wins to 12. People joke about it, but the pressure will be very real and immediate. Fisher has mostly played it coy since arriving in Aggieland, stopping short of any broad declarations or predictions but acknowledging that he's expected to bring trophies to College Station. Wins aren't enough. "I want to take Texas A&M to somewhere they haven't been, and that's the champion of the SEC. That's where we want to be and what we want to be and advance to the national championship and how we do it," Fisher said in his introduction press conference. "If you can compete in this league, you can compete in any league in college football. We have all the ingredients." There will be plenty more talk about what to expect under Fisher big picture and in the immediate future. He'll have as much pressure as any coach in America this spring and he hasn't coached a game. 5. Who catches the ball? Christian Kirk left school early and Damion Ratley is gone, too. That's a lot of production to replace. Sixteen touchdowns, 101 catches and 1,613 yards, to be exact. The Aggies know they at least one big-time back in Trayveon Williams, but beyond Jhamon Ausbon and Camron Buckley — who finished 2017 with modest production — the Aggies are short on proven talents in the passing game. Now's the time for players like Roshauud Paul, Hezekiah Jones or Quartney Davis to emerge. More big questions for spring football: