AggieYell Mailbag, sponsored by Tres Hermanos 1850

Q: Is the OU linebacker who entered the transfer portal still available? (Ag20)

A: If you mean Clayton Smith, yes. If you mean David Ugwoegbu, the answer is also yes.

Q: What is Louie Addazio’s role with the staff? I see recruits talking about “Coach” Addazio but what is his official role? He is not listed anymore on the A&M website. Why aren’t the recruits meeting with actual coaches? (Naytch)

A: Louie’s an analyst, but he has a very significant role with the offensive line. And who’s to say that they’re not meeting with the rest of the coaches? What we see on social media is only a small part of the whole picture.

Q: Do you see Aggie Men’s Basketball on an upward or downward trajectory in the long term? (86Aggie)

A: Interesting question when they’ve won seven in a row and they’re 5-0 in SEC play. They’re doing this with their most natural scorer sidelined and they’re not really shooting well. They’ve got a big scorer in Bryce Lindsay committed. Buzz has proven he can navigate the portal. So yeah, I think they’re on an upward trajectory. No question.

Q: When will Manny Obaseki be Back? How will the rotation change with him? (Mexaggie)

A: Obaseki will be out for at least another four weeks. When he returns, I don’t think the rotation will change that much, it may just mean some starters get more of a break.

Q: It looks like we will return everyone to the offensive line.

Q: I understand Trey Zhun was injured. Assuming he is healthy how good can he be and how good does that make our offensive line.

I'm hoping that Fatheree, Foster, and Robinson anchor the right side, and Kam improves. 4/5ths of an offensive line isn't enough. We need Trey or somebody to take the next step.

Okay, did I actually ask anything? (Richard23)

A: Not really, but your observation is spot on.

Q: 1. Do you foresee the TEs being a large part of the passing game?

A: If you’re using your best weapons, then absolutely.

2. Last year, Durkin seemed like he couldn't be as aggressive as he would have liked. Does that change next season?

A: I would sure hope so. Having a more experienced group could help with that.

3. Does Petrino adjusts his tempo/play calls on offense if sees our defense is gassed?

A: He’s a smart guy, so I would hope so. One of my biggest annoyances with Sumlin was his complete obliviousness to what was going on defensively. You don’t want to lose your offensive rhythm, but you’ve got to have a clue of what’s happening in the whole game.

4. Is Jimbo going to step back from special teams coaching as well?

A: Everyone is involved with that, so it’s not like he’s running that show on his own.

5. Is new RB coach going be more recruiter, more coaching acumen or 50/50ish? (JustAvgIllini)

A: Consider the RB coach like the DH: He’s there for one purpose. That may be overly simplistic, but you stash a quality recruiter there.

Q: Can a player who entered the portal in the December period, signs with a team and goes through spring practice enter the portal and sign with another team when the spring portal opens if he is unhappy after spring practices? (Bbatt)

A: I think that in some cases there would be limitations, but I haven’t seen anyone stopped yet. So yeah, I think they could.

Q: Return game - who do u got in the mix other than Moose now that 6 is gone ? Kick off return and punt return ?

A: Punt returns can definitely be handled by Moose, but there’s a guy with the last name of Smith who may handle those too. We’ll have to see on that. Kickoffs? Le’Veon Moss was back there last year, and he could be again. There are quite a few guys who could handle that role.

Anyone of the new kids with Ckirk potential ? (Gatillero_76)

A: Hang on. Christian Kirk was one of the best returners in the history of the SEC. That’s not an exaggeration. So no, I would doubt that. But I wouldn’t mind seeing Micah Tease or Raymond Cottrell get a shot on kickoffs.

Q: 1. SIAP but did anybody ever figure out what clicked for the OL in the LSU game? Not clear on what they did differently to make such a dramatic improvement over the previous eleven games.

A: I think some of it was they finally meshed some as a group and they simplified the running game a bit. Also, they were probably embarrassed by how the season had gone and wanted to go out on a high note.

2. Who, if anybody from the OL recruits, do you expect to make the two-deep roster come August? I haven't seen enough of them on tape to form an opinion. Just seems like we miss more than we hit with our OL guys.

A: I think Chase Bisontis, Colton Thomasson and TJ Shanahan all have a shot. The tackle position remains thin and Shanahan is just that good.

Why can't we find more guys like Kenyon Green (think Foster is trending in that direction if he can stay healthy)? (Pebbycree)

A: Well, Kenyon Green was a 5-star and the #22 player in the nation (and turned out to be underrated). So they haven’t found more guys like Kenyon because…well, very few exist.

Q: Any additional recruits or potential transfers this week that will be allowed to participate in Spring practice (assuming they can get registered ASAP)? (Jamisko11)

A: I’m afraid my ability to divine the future is very poor today.

Q: What are you hearing and what are your thoughts on how Tyler Harrell's visit went ? (Jram)

A: I haven’t heard much, but I haven’t seen him rush off to visit anywhere else either. If you look at it, this is a match that makes sense for both sides. Harrell needs a season where he’s 100% healthy and gets the ball a lot so he can impress the NFL. The Aggies need a guy for a season who can stretch the defense and allow them to rebuild the receiver corps without throwing true freshmen out there unless they’re 100% ready. And, of course, there’s a past history between Harrell and Bobby Petrino.

Q: Any thoughts on the pitching rotation for Aggie baseball? (H273)

A: Nathan Dettmer is the Friday starter. Not much doubt there. Chris Cortez, the flame-throwing sophomore, probably moves from the bullpen to the rotation. Then lefty Ryan Prater is probably the last part of the weekend rotation. Trey Wansing, the transfer from Purdue, could also crack the rotation.

Q: Classes have begun so it is what it is for spring practice. Are there dates for spring practice yet? (DentonAg80)

A: No.

Q: Any updates on the OU or Tennessee LBs?

A: Nope.

RB coach most likely after February signing date? (Suwanee Ag)

A: I don’t want to get into it much, but if I’m right on my hunch, it’ll raise some eyebrows (in a good way).

Q: Are any freshman on the baseball team pushing for immediate playing time? (Guns-n-bone)

A: OF Jace LaViolette is definitely a candidate. He hit 3 homers, including one that went more than 500 feet, in an exhibition game against Lamar this fall.

Q: Looking at our roster today, and besides linebacker, which other positions do you think we are still lacking enough numbers to adequately have enough backups? (Davidimy)

A: They have “adequate” backups everywhere. They need “good” to “very good” backups, especially at offensive tackle, wide receiver and linebacker.

And before anyone asks, they do NOT need guards.

Q: Mccall and outside corner or nickel/safety?

A: I think he’ll get a look at outside corner first. But he has the size to be a good nickel.

Who's starting RB game 1? (Tschaar)

A: Amari Daniels is my guess right now.