Brandon Leone gives a former player's analysis on A&M's RB stable

Former Texas A&M running back and defensive back Brandon Leone offered his thoughts on the Aggie running backs and successful rooms around the country. He also discussed how NIL and the transfer portal have affected college football ahead of SEC Media Days.

Key notes of Brandon Leone interview

• I remember when I was working with TexAgs, we went to SEC Media Days for the first time, and we went to Big 12 Media Days the year before. But SEC… it's insane. Media row, seeing Nick Saban, Gene Chizik was at Auburn then. I met Bruce Feldman and was on the Cole Cubelic radio show before he went to ESPN. You get snippets from players and head coaches that are bulletin board material. I’m jealous. I wish I was going.
   
• It’s been well talked about, but I’m excited to see the Saban-Jimbo thing and will be very interested in talks about NIL and the transfer portal as well. Those two things are changing the landscape of college football. Changes need to be made to NIL. It's the wild west and like free agency. It's trending in the worst direction. The transfer portal too. If they're not the guy on day one, they are out. When I was playing, if you transferred, you had to sit out a year, and for interconference transfers, you had to sit for two years. These things will be talked about past media days.
   
• I’m excited about the SEC West and to see what Arkansas does this year. Lane Kiffin will make some people mad.
   
• There are plenty of good reasons to transfer. I signed with R.C. Slocum, and they brought in a guy that wouldn't have signed with. Side note, Dennis Franchione is struggling with cancer, so please pray for him and his family.
   
• Devon Achane is a Heisman-caliber talent. My brother was team Achane even last year with Isaiah Spiller there. He's a world-class guy. He is balanced and strong for his size. He runs hard, has great vision and catches the ball well. An area of improvement is how durable is he. Can he hold up to the grind of the SEC? He’s got to be a top-three most talented running back in the country.
   
• LJ Johnson Jr. looks like a running back. He produced a significant amount of yards in high school. He clocked a 4.4 and that’s impressive speed. He's got great vision. so he needs to stay healthy. I'm excited to see what he brings to the table.
   
• It’s hard to not say Alabama has the best backfield in the country every year. Bijan Robinson at Texas is great as well. The SEC is a different grind. It's hard to say A&M will be up there because of a lack of experience. They’re talented but unproven. Texas has to be in the conversation of the best RB group in the country.
   
• Quinn Ewers is talented. He has the potential to be one of those elite guys. To me, it's all hype. There are so many quarterbacks. Ewers has maybe top-10 potential.
   
• Max Johnson had a good year, and the guy earned my respect last year when he scored the game-winning touchdown. It was a perfect throw. I wasn’t thrilled with the calls on the last drive. I have a lot of dislike for LSU.
   
• To beat Alabama and get swept by the Mississippi schools, it’s an Aggie thing to do, but I’m still mad about the LSU game.