Texas A&M football: 5 questions the Aggies must answer in 2020

3. Is the pass rush going to show up

Despite talent on the defenisve line, one area where the Aggies were deficient was getting after the opposing quarterback. The team leader in terms of sacks was defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, who is now in the NFL ranks — and even he only had 5.5 quarterback takedowns last season. The leading returning player in that department is Tyree Johnson, who only had four.

There is experience and talent returning on the defensive line group, especially at defensive end. Johnson is back, as is Demarvin Leal, a sophomore who has the potential to break out as a star for this group as he takes over a bigger role, moving to the outside as a former tackle. Bobby Brown III and Jayden Peevy can also be impact players rushing from the interior.

As mentioned, Leal can be a huge force as he moves to the edge. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder (though he has shed some weight to account for the position switch) had two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss as a freshman. With experience and a position that better suits what he does well in terms of skill set should help.

What could really put the Aggies’ pass rush over the top, however, is a pair of freshmen. If Fisher can get big rotational contributions from Faidl Diggs and Donell Harris, that would be a gift from the college football gods. Again, this defense has potential but needs the pass rush to step up in the same manner as the secondary.