Billy Liucci of TexAgs discusses the Aggies fall camp and the injury RB Reuben Owens
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All right, Billy Lucci of TexasAg.com joining us now on the Buyer's Right Hotline. Update for Reuben Owens, Texas A&M running back. Billy, first and foremost, just what had you been hearing about him in camp? And what's the latest you have on his injury status? Reuben Owens, sorry, Cole, take care. Sorry, we are.

I knew that was going to happen. I knew that was going to happen right in the middle of being on hold. It's only acceptable if you're ordering breakfast tacos at Fuego, by the way. That's actually where I'm on my way to get breakfast tacos. That was people working at the house over here. But anywho, Reuben Owens, that injury, you know, that's just –

It happened Saturday during the scrimmage. Just, you know, pretty routine play. And I don't think Reuben was going to get –

a whole lot of work. He and Le'Veon Moss, you know, up until Saturday, the two of them had had a really good camp. And I think I said this to you guys either on radio or in, you know, when we were in Dallas. I keep wanting to say Hoover. When we were in Dallas at SEC Media Days, I thought running back was a position that Elko and his staff –

When they got here in the offseason and through the spring came away, that would have been one of the positions I would have told you they came away feeling really good about, as in maybe even better than they'd expected when they got to see those guys in pads over an extended period. So losing him with what sounds like a foot injury, that's a tough blow. Is it devastating? No, but –

It could be because, you know, I think Owens and Moss, I do think Moss is, to me, in my opinion, has been the best back on campus for the last two years and is still right now. But Rubens, if there was a one, there was a 1A. I mean, they're both really good, really promising young backs, heavily recruited.

They've shown it in their experience so far at A&M. Reuben was a nice breakout player as a freshman. So losing one of your two. Now they've got E.J. Smith, the Stanford transfer, son of Emmett Smith, and then they've got Amari Daniels, who led the Aggies in rushing yards last year at about 600.

But I just think those two were the guys. I think those two were going to be your workhorse backs, even though all four were going to play. So now you're down – now Le'Veon Moss, he could have a great year, but you know this. The last thing you want to do is go in with a thin stable at running back into a football season. And four was maybe one too light anyway, and now you're going in with three. So it's kind of scary if you're the Aggies.

How does that adjust how the new offense is going to look? I mean, if you look at what Kansas State's done with Colin Klein the last couple of years, that's the new OC. They've used multiple backs. They've utilized big body backs that are kind of utilized as fullbacks. They've used some kind of those hybrid H-back tight end type bodies. So how do you anticipate them kind of filling that void in the event in which they are a little more thin at that position?

Yeah, I think, Greg, they've got the H-back body types, but when you want to go two traditional backs, yeah, I mean, it's going to be – you're thinner, but I think Ruben – Amari Daniels can do what Ruben did in that regard. The problem for me, when you mentioned Colin Kline, is how much he likes to get the ball to the backs out of the backfield, right? Yeah.

Reuben Owens, I believe, was the best pass-catching threat out of the backfield that the Aggies had. So if someone's going to replace that, it's not going to be Amari, in my opinion. That would have to be E.J. Smith, which I remember him as a recruit coming out of high school. Not only Jimbo Fisher, but a lot of schools thought maybe he could be a receiver. He's got those type hands. Now, he's bulked up considerably since that time. He's a running back build for sure.

but I think this is time to watch EJ Smith and say, okay, can you be the guy that catches, you know, a good number of passes out of the backfield? Cause Ruben, I thought was pretty special in that regard. And I think that was two strengths of his game were that, and that he was a really explosive weapon.

And I don't see a whole lot of really explosive weapons at the skill spots. I think Le'Veon Moss, if he's healthy, could have a terrific year. I think he's that good. And I've talked to scouts all week that kind of have been walking away going, okay, you're right about number eight. Like, he's special. But...

I don't think he's not that type of fast catcher as Owens was. And Owens just had that extra gear, and I thought it gave the offense some much-needed juice. And that includes receiver, where to me still right now Noah Thomas is starting to shine. But I'm still wondering, you know,

where the other where's where the other guy's going to step up at I there's a part of me that thinks that ultimately might be a guy like Terry Bussey that's lining up at corner right now but I watched him house uh he housed a kickoff return in practice a couple days ago and man did he look you know he's a five-star recruit they signed late and damn did he look apart so I don't know I think they're still looking for explosive weapons at skill positions I think

the receiver from Troy, Jabray Barber, they might have him back before September's out. And I think they thought his injury was a lot longer term. But during spring ball, Greg, he was the guy that was the most explosive receiver in that room. And he was the guy that was impressing, I think, more than anybody. So if you could get him back with Noah Thomas, you'd start feeling a lot better about that receiver core, top to bottom.

Billy Lucci of techsags.com joining us on the Buyers Right Hotline. I kind of felt like most people were going in with Thomas Walker, Muhammad, and then obviously Barbara was the guy in the spring. You knew, and we saw what he did at Troy, was going to be able to help you. You're adding Cyrus Allen, Jacob Bosick. I didn't think there were a lot of concerns there. It sounds like you might be a little bit worried, though, about the receiver position.

Yeah, I was worried. I mean, not worried, but it's been a concern of mine throughout the offseason. It's kind of been that and the O-line is kind of a let's see it to believe it type thing considering the last couple of years they've had. So that was my one. The other was receiver because I just felt like what they had –

Jadae Walker had a solid finish to the season, but battled drops for a lot of that year. Noah Thomas, I think, can be special. He's been banged up the first two years of his career. And then Moose has generally been inconsistent. And I don't know how much that's changed under a new stat. He's been an inconsistent player.

performer really up and then goes away for a while. So those things concern me. And then I really liked Cyrus Allen and Jabri Barber out of the portal. I thought they did a good job finding two guys that were going to play and contribute and make plays. And Cyrus still looks that part, but when Jabri broke his foot, so, and I think Bostic, they took him as more of a down the road guy, a big body, um,

I think maybe he'll play this year. I like the true freshmen, to be honest with you. Ashton Bethel-Roman, who was a very late flip from Arkansas. In fact, I think he signed his letter of intent with Arkansas on signing day and then got out of it. And then Isaiah Williams, who was a late flip from Florida. Those two freshmen are turning heads. I still think Terry Bussey, in my opinion, guys, is lightning in a bottle. And I know in a perfect world for Elko, the defensive guy –

Looking up and seeing Des Ricks, the Bama transfer, and Terry Bussey at corner would give you the most athletically gifted set of corners A&M's had in a long time. And previous looking out there. And they've had issues in the secondary since they joined the SEC. I guess I should say at corner more so than the secondary. That would be ideal.

But they've got a lot of depth at corner. They really do. They got, you know, some starter, a transfer starter from Kansas State, B.J. Mays from right there where you guys are at UAB. They've got guys. They've got Des Ricks. They've got a fourth-year starter returning in Tyreek Chappelle. It's the receiver where I think

hey, if you can be explosive and make plays, there might be a space for you as a true freshman. So that's kind of the guy that I've got my eyes on and also those other two freshmen I mentioned.

First time in a while we've heard great glowing details about Texas A&M's corner, so that's got to be super encouraging. Well, it's been a while, yeah. Oh, yeah, I think since, what, I don't know, 97 thereabouts? I don't know. Seriously. It's been a minute. Well, Greg, I'll tell you...

I was just going to say, when you look at what's killed A&M, obviously the last two years, the O-line, but since they've joined the SEC, and really since it kind of feels like Mack Brown got to Texas, you could go back and you know that big three at Roy Williams, B.J. Johnson, Sloan Thomas. It just feels like, and then Stoops gets to OU, and then Leach at Tech, and

And it feels like for so long, that is where A&M just has been beaten and can't quite match up. And that's especially so against these receivers in the SEC. Yeah, I don't know why it's been that way. It's kind of crazy. And look, there's been a lot of good wideouts that they've run into for sure. Whether it's LSU or Ole Miss or Bama, I mean, everyone's had good wideouts. So it's understandable, but that's a position group that you would like to see a little more from. So hopefully that happens for them.

this year. Offensive line, Cole and I last week kind of gone through Notre Dame, and that being week one game, offensive line needs to be ready to go because that group that Notre Dame has is a handful. So how confident is the staff right now in how that group's coming together? Well, and I think if you watch that game, that might be two defensive lines based on what I've seen from the A&M D-line.

In fall camp, that might be two defensive lines that have their way. Even if the Aggie O-line ends up being pretty good, like you said, that Notre Dame front is – I mean, I don't know. It might end up being as good as any day that the Aggies face this year. I'm just looking at the SEC schedule. It might be. I think the O-line, it looks so much better than it did a year ago. And I heard some good things coming out of this first scrimmage with the 1s.

There's depth. There's a, I think my question as I'm sitting here, you know, 10 days, two weeks into camp, my question would be, you've got a lot of depth at guard surprisingly or inside. They've got a transfer center from Utah, uh,

Armage Reed Adams, the transfer, and he was a starter at Utah last year at center. Armage Reed Adams, the transfer from Kansas, who if you walk through the doors, Cole, you would wonder if he was a transfer from Georgia or Kansas. Like this dude, when you say looks the part, so much so that it's making me personally wonder,

If he wouldn't be better off, and he's been getting reps out there some, if he wouldn't be better off at tackle, which he did play at Kansas. I say he. I think he's an NFL guard. But, I mean, for the Aggie offensive line, when you're talking about getting your best five out there, it might be a situation where you move his, you know, six. He's about 6'5", 315, 20 pounds.

Maybe he's out there at right tackle. And then you let the transfer from Utah start at center. And then Mark Naboo and Cam Dewberry battle it out at guard. I don't know if that's how it will turn out, but it wouldn't surprise me because I think that dude can handle it. And right now there's a battle between crown over and fathery at right tackle.

And, you know, look, if Armage Reed Adams is a better tackle option and you've got a lot of depth on the interior, it might work. I think you'll see that start to shake out in the next week or so because, like you said, Greg, they're not building up into that schedule in September when they start with Notre Dame and the strength of that team is probably their secondary or their defensive front. Billy Lucci of techsags.com joining us on the Buyer's Right Hotline.

So we have to get to Connor Wigman, one of the bigger questions in fall camp for Texas A&M. There's a lot of confidence around him if he's healthy and he's available. What are you hearing? What are you seeing about the Aggie quarterback so far? He's healthy. I think he's had a good camp. The job's his. Again, he's added, I think, some much-needed weight. He was pretty skinny, scrawny almost, especially as a freshman, but didn't really seem to –

fill out much at all in that next year either, which was a little bit of a concern of mine. Kind of looked gangly. I don't know what he did after suffering that injury, but he's filled out a good amount. I think they list him at like 225, which he might even be a little bigger than that even. So I think Connor, A, he's a gamer, so when he starts looking good in practice, I start to feel a lot better about him even than I already do. I just, again, I go back to

I think Aggies, to me, if they're going to win this year and be an overachieving team, win a game or two more than people expect, I think it's going to have to be with defense, which has looked sensational so far, and the run game. And I think Connor, off of that run game, can have some nice open lanes to throw the ball through, play action and stuff, but they're going to have to

That's why that Reuben Owens injury was one that made me kind of go, ah, because I really think they need to run the ball with a lot of success. And I believe they will. Greg, you mentioned Colin Klein, and that is – man, he does such a nice job of –

creating running lanes and creating mismatches. And then you mentioned the tight ends and the H backs and all that play action that comes off of that, that what it sets up. So I think Connor could thrive. I think it's just going to, we're going to be in a wait and see mode with that offensive line and his weapons, you know, and that those are two,

You know, you'd be lying if you said those weren't two question marks going into the season. They do have some – I think there's reason to be confident on the O-line. It does kind of – it's going to be maybe a little misleading when you face Notre Dame in that first game. But, man, if they could hold their own against the fighting Irish and give Wigman time to throw, and if this offense can look, you know, even solid in that first game, how well does that bode for the rest of the season?

Billy, we appreciate the time. Otherwise, health pretty good for A&M so far through camp? Yeah, unfortunately, that's been the only significant injury, I would say, so far. So that sunk. But, again, it was a big one. There are certain guys you circle and you go, man, you don't want to lose them. He was one of them. I don't think it's devastating because of Moss, but –

Moss is kind of like a Noah Thomas where I think they're both special, but their first two years have kind of been in and out with various injuries. So you can get in a situation real quick now.

Absolutely. All right, Billy, we'll catch up soon, man. Thanks for hopping on. Appreciate some of the insight and information of everything happening with A&M camp. We'll talk soon. All right, guys. See y'all. There you go. Billy Lucci, techsags.com, covers Texas A&M. It's time for Bob's Dare to Compare. You get style. You get features.

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