By ROBERT CESSNATexas A&M head football coach Mike Sherman is so confident in his team's leadership that he gave the microphone to five players at Tuesday night's Brazos County A&M Club's Coach's Night.
Junior guard Evan Eike, junior quarterback/wide receiver Ryan Tannehill, senior outside linebacker Von Miller, senior inside linebacker Michael Hodges, and junior strong safety Trent Hunter took turns asking each other questions before a record-setting crowd for the event at The Zone. The players provided insight and took a couple jabs at each other, but were somewhat subdued in their 12-minute panel discussion before handing the mike back to Mike.
"That was as quiet as I've ever seen that group of men," said a smiling Sherman. "They'll do all the talking when you don't want them to talk, then when you want them to talk, they'll go quiet."
Sherman, though, is confident his players will be heard loud and clear on the field this fall.
"I'm looking forward to this season," said Sherman, who is 10-15 at A&M in two seasons. "I've said it to you, [and] I'll say it to you 100 times between now and the start [of the season], I like these guys. They're good guys. They're fun to work with. I'm honored to be their head coach. And we're really looking forward to this season."
Sherman said he had to be the lead spokesman during his first two seasons as the foundation for the program was put in place.
Sherman's theme for the first season was "Get in the boat." He said some players fell by the wayside, while others were reeled back in during a turbulent 4-8 effort. Last year's theme was "Take it one step at a time, one play, one game." The program improved to 6-7 and the Aggies went to the Independence Bowl, but Sherman thought the team lacked maturity. This year's theme is "Take the next step."
Sherman expects significant improvement from the freshmen and sophomores who were inconsistent last season. He's also revamped his coaching staff, adding five assistants led by defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who has installed an attacking 3-4 alignment that the players are excited about.
"I don't have anything specifically to talk about tonight," Sherman said. "I have no power points for you. I just want to tell you I really like our football team. I like our football staff."
Sherman said when he goes into team meetings, he can see that everyone is on the same page.
"I look into their eyes and everybody has bought into this stuff," Sherman said. "And I'm very proud of it. Our football team has worked extremely hard."
Sherman said all those ingredients should lead to a fun season.
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NOTES -- Hunter got a few rips in during a question to Tannehill, saying that the offense doesn't have a moniker like the Wrecking Crew, nor is the group as tough as the defenders. Tannehill just invited the crowd to come out to practice and watch running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael run over Hunter, who wears No. 1. "We like to call him Highway 1," Tannehill said. ... Miller, who led the nation in sacks last year, was asked if he'll get more or less sacks because of the new alignment. "I might get more, I might get less," he said. "Sometimes I got a couple sacks and we didn't win. Winning feels better than getting any of my sacks." ... Sherman said Miller, who was wearing a white shirt and white slacks, just finished his yachting class on the Brazos River as Miller walked to the podium. ... Athletics director Bill Byrne said season ticket sales are up and "this is an exciting time to be an Aggie." ... There were a few whoops from the crowd during the invocation when Father Chris Downey asked God to bless the upcoming football season. ... Brazos County A&M Club president Keith Krueger read an update from associate women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer on his 14-year-old son Logan, who suffered a severe head injury while wakeboarding. Logan, who is in Tyler's East Texas Medical Center ICU Unit, ate solid food Monday night for the first time since the accident. The family is hopeful he can be transferred to a rehabilitation center in Houston later this week. Krueger asked for prayers for Logan and the family. ... The first thing Sherman did was applaud the A&M administration for making the decision to remain in the Big 12. He realizes there were those in the crowd who didn't agree, but said it's time for all Aggies to get on board.
NOTES -- Hunter got a few rips in during a question to Tannehill, saying that the offense doesn't have a moniker like the Wrecking Crew, nor is the group as tough as the defenders. Tannehill just invited the crowd to come out to practice and watch running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael run over Hunter, who wears No. 1. "We like to call him Highway 1," Tannehill said. ... Miller, who led the nation in sacks last year, was asked if he'll get more or less sacks because of the new alignment. "I might get more, I might get less," he said. "Sometimes I got a couple sacks and we didn't win. Winning feels better than getting any of my sacks." ... Sherman said Miller, who was wearing a white shirt and white shorts, just finished his yachting class on the Brazos River as Miller walked to the podium. ... Athletics director Bill Byrne said season ticket sales are up and "this is an exciting time to be an Aggie." ... There were a few whoops from the crowd during the invocation when Father Chris Downey asked God to bless the upcoming football season. ... Brazos County A&M Club president Keith Krueger read an update from associate women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer on his 14-year-old son Logan, who suffered a severe head injury while wakeboarding. Logan, who is in Tyler's East Texas Medical Center, ate solid food Monday night for the first time since the accident. The family is hopeful he can be transferred to a rehabilitation center in Houston later this week. Krueger asked for prayers for Logan and the family. ... The first thing Sherman did was applaud the A&M administration for making the decision to remain in the Big 12. He realizes there were those in the crowd who didn't agree, but said it's time for all Aggies to get on board.
Johnson nominated for Good Works Team
A&M senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson was named a nominee for the Allstate AFCE Good Works Team on Tuesday. Johnson already has earned his degree in kinesiology and is a regular volunteer for charity work in Bryan-College Station.
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