IRVING — When the new streamlined Big 12 takes the field next year, Texas A&M hopes to be one of the league’s marquee teams.

The Aggies want to return to the powerhouse they were in the final seasons of the Southwest Conference and the early years of the Big 12.

Maybe even the once vaunted Wrecking Crew defense will make a comeback.

“I think the Big 12 needs A&M to step up to the plate,” said Aggie head coach Mike Sherman at the Big 12 media days.
Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald, file

An A&M re-emergence wouldn’t just be good for the maroon and white faithful around the state.

It would be good for the Big 12.

When Nebraska bolts to the Big Ten next year, the Big 12 will lose one of its strongest and most respected football programs. No, the Cornhuskers aren’t what they used to be in the Tom Osborne era, but Bo Pelini has them on the right track.

The Aggies seem like the obvious choice to fill Nebraska’s void, and third-year coach Mike Sherman understands that.

“I think the Big 12 needs A&M to step up to the plate,” said Sherman at the Big 12 media days. “We’re ready to accept that challenge. Certainly in our fan base, our former students dream of the days of the mid-1980s and ‘90s when we were that marquee type of team. I think we’re getting closer to that point, that vision that I had when I took the job.”

The Aggies are a long way from challenging Texas and Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy.

Part of building a program is establishing stability, and Texas coach Mack Brown and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops are two of the most entrenched coaches in any power conference in the country.

Recruits know those two programs are often in the hunt for Big 12 and national championships, and it doesn’t take a whole lot to convince top players to sign. That’s where Sherman wants to get Texas A&M’s program.

After finishing 4-8 in Sherman’s first season, the Aggies went 6-7 last year. But it was a schizophrenic team to say the least.

How do you go from losing 62-14 to Kansas State one week to a 52-30 crushing of Texas Tech the following week? Two weeks later, Oklahoma put a 65-10 tattoo on the Aggies. But all was well with the Aggies the following week as they bombed Baylor, 38-3.

Sherman hopes a more mature team will translate into more consistency this season.

“Last season with the amount of freshmen we played, we lacked maturity,” Sherman said. “But I’m excited about the guys we have on board right now. We’ve elevated our talent. We should be better and have higher expectations.”

The Aggies arguably have as many high profile veterans as any team in the Big 12.

Senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson is the league’s preseason offensive player of the year after passing for 3,579 yards and 30 touchdowns with just eight interceptions last year.

After collecting a league-high 17 sacks last season, outside linebacker Von Miller is the preseason co-defensive player of the year with Nebraska defensive lineman Jared Crick.

Texas A&M senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson is the Big 12’s preseason offensive player of the year.
Jose Yau/Waco Tribune-Herald, file

The Aggies feature two of the top returning running backs in the league in Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray, while bringing back three receivers who caught 40 or more passes.

Sherman believes Johnson can be an even more dangerous quarterback this season.

“To really understand Jerrod, you have to understand the leadership he gives you on and off the field,” Sherman said. “I thought he really stepped up quite a bit this spring. He holds guys accountable and holds himself accountable as well.”

For the Aggies to take the next step, some young guys are going to have to deliver in the offensive line. The defense will have to get a lot better after ranking last in the Big 12 last year after allowing 426.3 yards and 33.5 points per game.

Sherman brought in defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter from Air Force to install a 3-4 defense to replace the old 4-3.

“I have high expectations for our defense, but we’re going to be a work in progress as we learn,” Sherman said. “I think this year we’ll be more physically mature than we were a year ago, and I think we’ll tackle better.”

The schedule is favorable enough to allow the Aggies to win eight or nine games this year if all goes right. That’s not Texas and Oklahoma status, but it would be another step in the right direction for a program trying to reclaim some old glory.

jwerner@wacotrib.com

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