The Texas A&M spring practice schedule is coming to a close and will be on the field Saturday as the 2023 Aggies make their public debut in the Maroon & White spring game on Saturday in College Station, Texas.
The 2023 season is a pivotal one for the Texas A&M program under Jimbo Fisher, who guided the Aggies to a top-five finish in 2020 but has not repeated that success since or reached the level of SEC championship contention in any of his other four seasons on the job. In fact, Texas A&M's 5-7 showing in 2022 marks the worst win-loss record of Fisher's career, and winning just two conference games pulled his cumulative SEC record down to 23-18.
So, some changes were made, including a splash hire at offensive coordinator and some portal action that had notable incoming and outgoing transfers. Texas A&M wants to show that missing the postseason in 2022 was an anomaly, and some fine tuning to the coaching staff and roster could quickly fix issues that had the Aggies coming up on the wrong end of several close results. Five of the team's seven losses were by six points or less, so if Texas A&M can find just one more touchdown per game — the Aggies' 22.8 points per game scoring average ranked No. 101 nationally last season — we could see a big jump in the standings this fall.
How to watch Texas A&M 2023 spring game live
Date: Saturday, April 15 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Kyle Field — College Station, Texas
Live stream: SECN+
2023 Texas A&M spring game storylines
1. Bobby Petrino's return to the SEC: Jimbo Fisher was searching for a way to improve his team's explosiveness and tapped a familiar name to fill his offensive coordinator position: Bobby Petrino. This is Petrino's first time as an assistant coach since he was the offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2002, and given Fisher's hands-on approach to offense in the past, there is plenty of intrigue as to who actually will be calling the shots. Now the low-stakes environment of the spring game is not going to bring much conflict among the coaches, but fans will get to parse what exactly has changed with the additional input of Petrino when the Aggies offense is on the field.
2. Conner Weigman looks to build on rookie experience: Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman emerged from a crowded room that saw both Haynes King and Max Johnson get starting opportunities before injuries and performance issues saw the true freshman under center by late October. Weigman's breakout performance came in a 31-28 defeat to Ole Miss that saw him throw for 338 yards and four touchdowns, but his workload and production wouldn't hit those marks again as he finished with 896 yards and eight touchdowns on 55.3% passing across five games. With Petrino on board, boasting an impressive list of quarterbacks who have thrived under his direction, expectations for Weigman in 2023 have been raised significantly.
3. Rueben Owens headlines newcomers with instant-impact potential: One of the biggest holes to fill from 2022 is the starting running back position that saw Devon Achane rise to being one of the top skill players in the country. There are a few in-house candidates to fill that role from last year's roster, but there is also an opportunity for five-star true freshman Rueben Owens to hit the ground running in College Station. 247Sports had Owens ranked as the No. 2 running back in the 2023 cycle with a 98 prospect rating coming out of El Campo High School in Texas. Owens has more experienced competition in the battle for snaps, but his playmaking ability provides plenty of excitement within the context of the Aggies' offensive makeover. Other instant-impact newcomers to note include transfers Tony Grimes, a former five-star cornerback from North Carolina, and fellow defensive back Sam McCall from Florida State.
