Around Aggieland (12/13)

During Monday’s edition of TexAgs Radio, Richard Zane joined to take us Around Aggieland and provided updates from the gridiron, the hardwood and beyond as it was a busy weekend for Texas A&M Athletics.

Football (8-4, 4-4)
On Friday, Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko was named the head football coach at Duke University following four years with Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies.

• It is Elko’s first head coaching position of his career, in college football or otherwise.
• Texas A&M has not yet hired Elko’s replacement.

Eight Aggies were named All-SEC selections by the Associated Press on Saturday afternoon.

• First-team: Kenyon Green, DeMarvin Leal and Nik Constantinou.
• Second-team: Tyree Johnson, Antonio Johnson, Jalen Wydermyer, Layden Robinson and Isaiah Spiller.

On Sunday, senior safety Leon O’Neal Jr. announced that he will enter the NFL Draft, forgoing his final year of eligibility at Texas A&M.

• O’Neal becomes the second Aggie to declare for the Draft, and he will not play in the Gator Bowl vs. Wake Forest.
• The Cypress Springs product made 48 appearances over four seasons in Aggieland, making 161 tackles, 10 TFLs, 1.0 sack, 18 pass breakups and six interceptions, including a pick-six vs. Kent State.

This weekend was a big weekend recruiting-wise for Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies as many Texas A&M commits and top targets were on campus.

• For more information, make sure you are a TexAgs Premium subscriber.
• Here’s your reminder that the Early Signing Period begins on Wednesday, and TexAgs Radio will air a special Signing Day show, starting at 7:00 a.m. CT.

Men’s Basketball (7-2, 0-0 in SEC)
The Aggies had a three-game win streak snapped by TCU on Saturday night as they fell to the Horned Frogs, 68-64.

• The contest was played at the Toyota Center in Houston as part of The Battleground 2k21.
• TCU’s Chuck O’Bannon led all scorers with 18 points. A&M’s Marcus Williams had 16 points.
• Texas A&M struggled on the defensive glass as TCU pulled down 17 offensive rebounds and held a 16-9 advantage in second-chance points.
• The Aggies were 8-for-18 (44.4%) from the free-throw line.

Texas A&M’s Tuesday night contest with Tulane at Reed Arena has been canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Green Wave program.

• The Aggies will travel to Corvallis on Saturday to play Oregon State.

Women’s Basketball (9-2, 0-0 in SEC)
No. 18 Texas A&M was upset by TCU in Fort Worth on Sunday afternoon as the Aggies fell, 87-75.

• TCU’s Lauren Heard had 33 points as she was 7-of-12 from the field and 18-of-21 from the free-throw line.
• Kayla Wells led the Aggies with 20 points. Qadashah Hoppie had 17.

The Aggies return to Reed Arena on Sunday to host Rice for Holiday Hoops in Aggieland.

• Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on the SEC Network+.

Soccer
G Guerrieri & Co. have added an SEC transfer in Vanderbilt midfielder Quinn Cornog, who will be eligible for the 2022 season.

• Cornog was a 2021 SEC All-Freshman selection who appeared in all 19 games for the Commodores and made three starts. She had one goal and two assists in her first collegiate campaign.

Upcoming Events
A number of Texas A&M programs are currently on a “finals” or “holiday” break and will return to action after the first of the year. Here’s when each returns to action:

• Men’s Swimming & Diving: Florida State in Tallahassee - Jan. 6
• Women’s Swimming & Diving: Florida State in Tallahassee - Jan. 6
• Track & Field (Indoor): High School Classic in Bryan-College Station - Jan. 7-8
• Men’s Tennis: Sherwood Intercollegiate in Sherwood, CA - Jan. 15-17
• Women’s Tennis: McNeese in Bryan-College Station - Jan. 16
• Equestrian: Baylor in Bryan-College Station - Jan. 29
• Men’s Golf: Sea Best Invitational in Ponte Verda, FL - Jan. 31-Feb. 1
• Softball: Aggie Classic in Bryan-College Station, TX - Feb. 11-13 (Season Opener)
• Baseball: Fordham in Bryan-College Station - Feb. 18 (Season Opener)
• Women’s Golf: The Icon in Humble, TX - Feb. 21-22