Overview
When Mike Sherman arrived in College Station, he took over a team that was lacking talent and bodies on both lines plus a defense that had only a few play makers. Those factors combined to limit the Aggies to 2.9 yards per rushing attempt with a defense that gave up 255 points in going 0-5 against South Division foes. After a 4-8 record, Texas A&M needs a few recruiting classes in order to become competitive. Sherman believes he's moving the program in the right direction.

Who's missing
In Mike Goodson and Jarvorskie Lane, Texas A&M must replace running backs who accounted for over 4,000 rushing yards and 60-plus touchdowns in their career. The top three defensive ends from last season's roster also must be replaced.

Who's moving
Junior Lucas Patterson moved from the defensive line to offensive tackle. Senior Jordan Pugh, who moved from safety to cornerback last season, has been moved back to safety. Senior Matt Featherston has moved from linebacker to defensive end.

Fresh face
To fix a defense that finished 114th in the nation, Texas A&M is trying to put as much speed on the field as it can. The biggest change involves Von Miller, a 6-3, 215-pound junior who will play the "jack" position. It's a combination of defensive end and linebacker.

"I've always thought I've been a pass-rush type guy, a blitz-type guy," Miller said. "And the jack position is just like a designated blitzer every play. It's really my strength."

It allows A&M to line up in either a four-man defensive front or with four linebackers without substitution. In the spring game, he recorded three sacks (the Aggies had just 16 sacks last season).

The days of The Wrecking Crew, when Texas A&M's defense wreaked havoc on opposing offenses, seem long gone. But coach Mike Sherman's recruiting emphasis on defense involves finding play makers like Miller.

"He's very quietly gone about getting better," Kines said of Miller. "I'm so proud of him. It's daylight and dark from last year. Last year, he would flash brilliance and have a problem or two. He's been so steady."

Spring buzz
* Veteran defensive coordinator Joe Kines continued the process of simplifying the defensive playbook. He said that some of the schemes he installed a year ago were too complex. "It's hard to run fast when you're confused," Kines told the Austin American-Statesman. "It's kind of like we went through the closet and threw out everything that didn't fit."

* Junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson, the returning starter, expected to have competition from Ryan Tannehill. But an injured shoulder kept Tannehill out of spring practice. Plus, Tannehill played receiver last season and caught 55 passes for 844 yards and five TDs. With his position placement up in the air, pre-season practice could be interesting. Johnson says he's "leaps and bounds better than I was last year" in terms of understanding the offense and reading coverages.

* The Aggies' coaching staff used a point system to score the Maroon & White game. Players were awarded for big plays on offense and defense. Eleven offensive players had at least one 10-yard gain. Defensively, the Aggies had five takeaways and seven quarterback sacks. The offense won, 117-107.

* The spring game was limited because of depth issues. More than 20 players, including at least 13 on scholarship, weren't available to play. Combined with 28 high school signees who will be available once pre-season practices start and Texas A&M was without about nearly half of what will be its 2009 roster.

Coach speak from Mike Sherman
On the impact of the freshman class:
"We're counting on a fair amount of (the 28 incoming freshmen) to help us. I would have loved to have had them out there (during the spring), because they will play a factor in our upcoming season."

On the rebuilding process:
"We're trying to find our way, so to speak. It's a challenge, but I knew that coming in. I'm still optimistic that we can get where we want to get in a relatively short period of time."

On what the improvements needed on defense:
"We're starting to solidify ourselves on the scheme and how we want to play defense. Last year we played with linebackers who never played linebacker in high school."

On how the team can improve this season:
"We looked back at everything we did and how we did it and how we can do things better. We really looked hard at how we start and finish games. I thought we were slow starters and not great finishers at time. We talked in many meetings this spring about starting fast and finishing strong."

On improving his team's play on the offensive and defensive lines:
"We're not just a dominant group right now and we're going to work to that point. Any championship team that I've ever been has had good offensive linemen and defensive linemen. We looked hard in our recruiting to make sure we build our team from the inside out. ... "Every championship team I've been around, they've been good up front. It's a lot easier to run your offensive schemes when you can block the other team, one-on-one."

2009 Schedule