Ben Bass seemed to be just another victim of a coaching change when he left the Texas A&M football program after the 2008 season. He wasn't making an impact on the field, and he was doing worse in the classroom.

He seemed to be collateral damage from an 4-8 season, the first season for Mike Sherman, who had taken over Dennis Franchione. Several players fell by the wayside as Sherman built the program, and Bass was among them. Besides, no one missed a blocking tight end without a catch in 10 games in an offense that averaged 88.5 rushing yards per game, which was 114th in the country.

But instead of just fading away, Bass worked overtime to rejoin the program. Now, he has a chance to be the catch of the season in the Big 12. The 6-foot-5, 280-pounder has been on a mission since fall camp opened.

"I come out here just to do my part, whether my part is on pass rush or run downs, starting or backup," Bass said. "I'm here to get in where I fit in. I'm just here to try and make this team better and to compete with other guys and make them better."

The former Plano West standout knows all about needing to get better.

He had to take at least 36 hours with no lower than a 3.5 grade point average just to get back into A&M. He did that at Blinn's campus in Bryan in less than nine months.

"At one point I was completely focused on my school work," Bass said. "I mean, it was just school. I didn't get to work out for two months because I was cracking down on my books and trying to get back to A&M and show the coaches that I'm serious about doing this."

Once he passed those 36 hours, Bass approached Sherman about rejoining the team. The staff had changed position coaches since he'd flunked out, and they liked what they saw in person and on film, so Sherman reinstated him. He joined his teammates in summer workouts and had only one more hurdle: He needed to take 19 hours in summer school at A&M and get an A in each class.

He did it, finishing up last Wednesday.

"It would be a great story if it works out," Sherman said. "He wasn't taking care of his stuff academically. [But] he realized what's important in life and he really turned things around in the classroom and on the field."

Bass finally is in position to be the player the Aggies envisioned when he signed with Franchione coming out of Plano West as the state's 53rd-best prospect. He earned all-state honors as an offensive lineman but was projected as a defensive end in college.

Bass worked out on the offensive line and at defensive end while redshirting in 2007. He was moved to tight end by the new coaching staff during the spring of 2008, but halfway through drills a hamstring injury ended his workouts.

He came back in the fall, not playing in the first two games but seeing action in the next 10, including starts against Kansas State and Texas. He moved back to defensive end for spring drills in 2009, tipping a pass in the final scrimmage action that was intercepted, but he was gone after the spring semester.

"I was just immature," Bass said. "I got here when I was 17, to begin with. I just didn't have my stuff straight. I thought football was the reason I was here. I wasn't trying to go to class. I wasn't trying to do any of the right things you need to play football or even be good at football. So I mean, I was just making the wrong decisions. It's hard to put into words."

He was past talking a good game. He needed to produce.

"I had only two options," Bass said. "I either could go home and do nothing with my life or I could pick myself back up and get back into school and try to make the best of my situation."

He's made the best out of the last 16 months. Now he's trying to make the most of being back in fall camp. Bass typically wears a big smile for his teammates, who often are grimacing as the temperatures rise.

"It gives me a great perspective," he said. "There might be guys out here who are hating this or even just [saying], 'Man, why do I have to go to practice and do all this stuff?'"

Bass welcomes the chance.

"I love being out here right now," he said. "I worked so hard just to get back to this point, just to get back in school. I'll do anything to stay and get on the field."

Bass made sure he was in great shape when he came to Sherman with his updated academic resume in tow.

"I had to run on my own," Bass said. "That was a discipline that I had to learn by myself. And that's one of the things that the guys in the NFL have to learn how to do, so why not learn how to do it now?

"If you can't work hard by yourself you can't expect to work hard with the team. I mean, a lot of the situations I'm put into on defense were 1-on-1. That means you gotta whip the guy in front of you."

Bass said he hit the weights and toned up his muscles, leaving the 20-year-old in the best shape of his life.

"His on-the-field work has really improved dramatically," Sherman said. "He's very athletic. He made a great play [Thursday] on a keeper pass, where he changed directions."

The one thing Bass never wavered on was his dream of being an Aggie football player.

"I coulda gone to junior college," Bass said. "I coulda gone to Blinn in Brenham [and played football], even to Kansas with [former line] Coach [Buddy] Wyatt. But I committed here for a reason and I love the tradition of A&M. I like the people here. My girlfriend is here, so I have strong ties here.

"I [also] think that commitment lasts until your playing time is over. I'm real big on commitment and I'm real big on finishing what I started, and what I started was A&M and I have to finish."

Bass returns with high aspirations. He wants to graduate in May with a degree in real estate. He'd like to improve enough on the field to be drafted, using his first NFL contract to fund his own real estate investment company.

First-year defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter will do everything to help Bass realize his dreams. DeRuyter feels like he fell into a draft choice with Bass, who is battling for a spot in A&M's new attacking 3-4 defense, a switch from last year's 4-3 alignment.

"He's been a big shot in the arm for us," DeRuyter said. "He's long and athletic. He's got a little ways to go obviously, because he hasn't played football in a year, but he's got a chance to be a good football player."

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