Former RB/DB Brandon Leone shares his 2023 expectations for A&M

Aggie football is just 19 short days away, and former Texas A&M running back and defensive back Brandon Leone joined TexAgs Radio on Monday to detail his thoughts on how the Aggies will fare this year. Leone also shared his thoughts on "Untold: Johnny Football" and more.

Key notes from Brandon Leone interview

• I’m cautiously optimistic. I just started tuning in as fall camp started up. The first thing I watched was Bobby Petrino’s press conference. I thought he did a great job. I was really excited to see the players speak too. It seems like all these questions are being answered. The returning production and talent give me reasons for optimism, but the question marks at linebacker, cornerback and offensive line give me some concerns. I’m dialed in now, and I’m excited for the season.
   
• I would say my senior year in 2006, we returned almost all of the same guys, so that step up can happen when you have a lot of young talent. They can gel together after a whole offseason together. There’s probably more top-end talent now than when I was there. I just think everything is there for them to put a productive offense on the field. It’s time.
   
• Just based on what you hear the players say, it shows you that change is happening with Petrino coming in. I think this was just the next step that was needed for them to take the next step. It allows Jimbo to zoom out and coach the whole thing.
   
• The wide receiver room is our most talented unit. With who our offensive coordinator is, that’s exciting.
   
• With the quarterbacks, you’ve got to feel confident no matter where they go. Both can win a ton of football games. Who makes others better around them? Who will be the best leader? Who can make plays to win games? Our best seasons in the SEC all had great quarterback play.
   
• Some questions I have are: Can they get pressure on the quarterback consistently? Can they stop the run in the SEC consistently? Do we have guys who can cover wide receivers on an island for 3 or 4 seconds consistently? Can you get physical? Can the linebackers fill their gaps? Can D.J. Durkin and this defense slow down a powerful SEC team? And then finally, the running back room, who is going to separate themselves? Who is going to be a guy that Bobby Petrino can trust?
   
• That’s been the tale of time for A&M, can we get both units on the same page for 12 games? We’ll score 40 points but give up 45, or we’ll hold a team to 10 points and only score seven. Can we have the mental toughness to respond, stop the bleeding and get back in the game? They need to find a way to answer. Can our team come together, build off each other and be consistent enough to use the talent on this team?
   
• “The Pulse” is fun. It’s a great watch. You feel like you’re in there with the team.
   
• Speaking of TexAgs love, y’all got a lot of love on the Johnny Manziel documentary. I loved the documentary. It was raw. It was real. I appreciated it. Say what you will about Johnny, but he’s always himself. I’ve seen that struggle. I genuinely cannot imagine what he went through. I think it’s really cool to see Johnny in a better headspace, and as Aggies, how can we not be happy that he’s here and he’s well? The feelings it brought to me, that was probably the most nostalgic thing I’ve watched. Seeing the success that the team had together was a blast, and I hope we can recreate it.
   
• Bobby Petrino talks about feeding the studs, and that’s how I feel about our fans. Feed the fans. We will go crazy, fill that stadium up and tailgate for weeks. I’ve played in a lot of stadiums, but when it’s popping, there’s nothing like the 12th Man at Kyle Field. You can’t recreate it. It’s so special.
   
• After Arkansas, we will know who we are. You got a road test in Miami in Week 2, so by that time, we will really know who we are heading into the Alabama game. I will feel confident by the time Alabama is here with how the season will play out.
   
• I think you have to be undefeated heading into Alabama to feel really confident this season. You have to get to the point where you can beat Miami, Auburn and Arkansas. Jimbo was brought in here to win championships, so the time is now. I think it’s time to go and produce. You return the most production in the SEC, and you did a great job navigating the portal.
   
• The thing for me is you need to beat the Mississippi schools. We should be at a point in our program where we can beat them. Then it’s about beating the Alabama schools, then it defending Kyle Field, and we build from there.
   
• Petrino has always done a great job with RPOs and making it easy on the quarterbacks. When you look at the receivers, yeah, I want to feed Ainias Smith, but I also want to feed Evan Stewart, Moose Muhammad and Noah Thomas. You could see some Percy Harvin stuff for Smith. Whatever he does, just get Smith in open space, and let him work. Petrino knows how to do that better than me, and Smith is a guy who deserves his fair share of touches.