August 06, 2006
The Texas A&M football team reported to campus on Sunday and will hit the practice field for the first time at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
Aggie head coach Dennis Franchione welcomed 105 players, as mandated by the NCAA, including 22 newcomers.
?They?â„¢re all present and accounted for,? Franchione said.
Officially joining the A&M squad for the first time were scholarship freshmen and transfers Kenny Brown, Chris Caflisch, Latrael Cooper, Corey Gibas, Mike Goodson, Jerrod Johnson, Anthony Lewis, Terrence McCoy, Lucas Patterson, Jordan Pugh, Leslie Ray, E.J. Shankle, Matt Szymanski, Cornell Tarrant, DeMaurier Thompson, Cody Williams, Will Harris, Johnathan Batson and Misi Tupe, as well as invited walkons Eric Pennington, Matt Rankin, Craig Raschke. Two other members of the 2006 signing class, freshman Cody Beyer and junior transfer Mark Dodge, enrolled at A&M in January and went through spring drills with the team.
Franchione mentioned a few position changes that he and his staff are contemplating as fall camp begins.
?For the first five workouts we?â„¢re going to put (tight end) Amos Gbunblee at defensive end and see how that goes. We may leave him there and we may move him back, but we wanted to look at him there. Kevin Bryan will be a tight end rather than an offensive lineman.?
Franchione also mentioned that Jason Jack, who has started 18 games at defensive over the last two years, might be a factor at defensive tackle as well as defensive end.
?He?â„¢s a guy who can play both,? Franchione said. ?If he plays inside he gives you a quick guy and if he plays outside he?â„¢s comfortable there.?
Franchione said the names might be put back on the players?â„¢ jerseys.
?My thought process is that if the Leadership Council feels like we have come together as a team with a good Aggie Spirit, then I?â„¢m for it,? Franchione said. ?I?â„¢m going to leave the decision up to them. I would suspect the way this group has started that they will have names on their jerseys.?