Official Confirmation Of SEC Invitation To A&M, And Other Aggie News

This is for those people who questioned if A&M had an invitation to join the SEC, or whether we were just bluffing to leverage our position in the Zombie 10:

Boren said the SEC extended offers only to Oklahoma and Texas A&M, both of which opted to stay in a slimmed-down Big 12 after Colorado left for the Pac-10 and Nebraska left for the Big Ten. Because the SEC offer didn't include two of the Sooners' key rivals, Oklahoma State and texas, Boren said he didn't consider it a good option.

"There was a time when A&M thought they were going to the SEC and they very much wanted us to go with them," Boren said. "Oklahoma, in the whole thing, we were positioned in a way where virtually we could not have lost."

Expected Starter: Jerrod Johnson. The senior quarterback comes into the 2010 season as arguably the best quarterback in the conference and a darkhorse Heisman candidate after his 3579 yard, 30 touchdown campaign in 2009.

If Jerrod is 'arguably' the conference's best quarterback, I'd like to know who the other quarterbacks are in the conversation. Jerrod had phenomenal numbers last season, and performed very well on the field, leading one of the top offenses in the nation. I'm not exactly sure what he has to do to 'prove' himself to some of these pundits.

Harris' preview of A&M's running backs:

Expected starter: Christine Michael. In 2009, as a freshman, Michael gave Aggie football fans flashbacks to the days Darren Lewis and Greg Hill. Michael was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year with 844 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns and, although he split time with Cyrus Gray to start the season, Michael began to get the majority of the carries towards season's end.

Other than the fact that Harris misidentifies redshirt freshman Kalvin Guyton as a sophomore, it isn't a bad read. Howard points out that we have some interesting options at RB in 2010, with Cyrus Gray possibly continuing his role as a third-down back because of his ability as a receiver out of the backfield, while Kalvin Guyton gives us another power-runner to complement Michael.

The NBA Draft is tonight, and Fox Sports SW takes a look at who may be drafted out of the Big 12; while they don't have any Aggies going in the first two rounds, they do talk about Donald Sloan.

Donald Sloan, 6-3, Texas A&M---Sloan had a nice career for the Aggies but the consensus is that he doesn’t have the size or a strong enough shooting touch to get drafted. He did average 17.3 points at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. However, it looks like Sloan could be headed abroad but could get a shot at the NBA as an undrafted free agent.

I'm just surprised Bryan Davis isn't receiving any consideration at all; I know his offensive game is lacking, but his shot-blocking ability and willingness to do the dirty work around the basket make me think he's help some team somewhere.

The early Heisman Odds are out in Las Vegas: A $100 bet on Jerrod Johnson right now could net you $6000 if/when he wins the Heisman Trophy. If A&M has a 10-win season this year, your winnings might be able to get you decent season tickets next year. I would think Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State would be the realistic odds-on favorite at this time; Mark Ingram isn't going to repeat.

Rumors: I'm hearing that DT Rod Davis has left the team, and is looking to transfer somewhere else for a fresh start, but I can't find anything confirming it online. If anyone has a link, please let me know. Davis was a four-star recruit when he signed, and many Aggies were excited about getting him. His work ethic has been questioned, but I was looking forward to seeing what he could do for us in our return to the 3-4 defense. If Davis is planning on leaving, I wish him the best of luck wherever he goes.