Fall Camp Focus: Leading by Example

Monday marked Texas A&M's first day of the fall in full pads, as the Aggies took advantage of another sunny, dry afternoon to get two hours of work in on the Coolidge Practice Fields.

The end of practice was marked by a quick pop-up shower--a rare sight in a summer which has not brought much rain to the area.

 

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Much has been made on the national stage about the Aggies' historic 2022 signing class—and those guys are taking their first steps through Fall Camp this August.  

But it's not all about the youth movement for Jimbo Fisher and his staff. 

"Everyone's talking about the younger guys, but I'm excited about the older guys (as well)," Fisher said. "They can make improvements too. You watch them, each and every year, take steps. The older guys have to take those steps to get to the next level. They need to set great examples in practice--not just from an effort standpoint, but from a technique and toughness standpoint. I think our older guys are doing a pretty good job of that, they really are." 

As with every year, key losses in the offseason will lead to new opportunities and the chance for the next man to step up. And that's not just in play on the field—it's stepping up in the locker room, the film room and everywhere else details matter. 

"Leadership is such a critical component," added defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. "It's a word that's hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Any team that's going to win at a high level and compete for a championship better have great leadership. We spend a lot of time on leadership development and having veteran guys certainly helps. When you have guys who have been around it and understand some things, their ability to lead becomes much easier because of experience. They can speak on things to the younger guys and hopefully get them going in the right direction." 

The central tenets of the program—toughness, effort, discipline, pride and grit—are now a mindset.  

"A lot of the things Coach Fisher implemented, you're starting to see them fall through," punter Nik Constantinou said. "As more and more of us go through our years, the freshmen (that come in) are now being brought up engrained in Jimbo's philosophy. Everyone's coming into the program and they have no choice but to invest in that." 

FIRST POLL RELEASED

Texas A&M debuted at No. 7 in the USA Today Sports AFCA Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Monday. Four 2022 opponents appeared in the poll: Alabama (1), Miami (17), Arkansas (23) and Ole Miss (24), while six others (LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida, App State, South Carolina) received votes.  

The AP Preseason Top 25 poll will be released next week. 

OPEN PRACTICE

Hundreds of Aggies took the opportunity Sunday to watch the only open practice of the fall, held inside Kyle Field. The next time fans get to watch football inside the stadium, it'll count--against Sam Houston on September 3.

Photos from the event are below.
 

UP NEXT

The Aggies' first off day of camp is Tuesday. They'll return to the field on Wednesday afternoon and a stretch of three straight practices before the first scrimmage of the fall on Saturday. All workouts are closed to the public.