Texas A&M is in a new era thanks to the splash hire of former Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher as its new leader. The Aggies parted ways with Kevin Sumlin in late November before they went all in on luring Fisher into the SEC.

The recruitment of Fisher was a success to College Station with a 10-year deal on the same plane as Nick Saban’s contract at Alabama. Will the juice be worth the squeeze? Opponents reacted positively to Fisher joining the conference, according to several SEC coaches that spoke anonymously through Lindy’s expansive 2018 SEC preview.

"Any time you've got somebody that scores points like Jimbo Fisher, you better watch out,” one coach said. “He can score points. Your defense plays to the offense's personality. Jimbo's offenses are physical and tough. I know they'll practice more physical than with Kevin Sumlin. That alone will make them better. Jimbo is a hard-nosed guy, he ain't no foo-foo guy. He coaches quarterbacks like some people coach defensive linemen. That will translate into some positives."

After A&M finished with an underwhelming 7-6 season and shootout loss to Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl, a hard-nosed approach to the offseason has been a welcome sight.

The addition of Mike Elko as defensive coordinator is publicly considered one of the best hires of the offseason. Most recently the defensive coordinator for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, SEC coaches privately appear unexcited about the hire. The Aggies have work to do after 36 points per game allowed last season from November onward. Notre Dame gave up 369.2 yards and 21.5 points per game last season compared to 408.5 yards and 30.7 points per game for A&M.

"He knows what he can do,” an SEC coach said anonymously. “But I never thought Notre Dame played great defense. I watched the first half of (A&M's) spring game and I thought the defense sucked."

What about on-field talent? Texas A&M brings an interesting quarterback storyline into training camp, but running back and defensive end caught the most attention on film from opposing coaches.

“I really like Trayveon Williams and Landis Durham is a great pass rusher,” an SEC coach said. “He's the real deal."

Williams ran for 4.6 yards per carry in a split backfield last season with Keith Ford. Williams scored eight touchdowns and netted 798 yards with the 1,000-yard mark as a possibility for the 2018 season. Durham heads into the season with great expectations. One of just a handful of players to return to college with 10 or more sacks, he anchors the defensive line. Durham tied for the team lead last season with 12 TFLs with an impressive 10.5 sacks that seemingly came out of nowhere. Entering 2017, Durham had just four games and six tackles to his name as a former 247Sports Composite three-star recruit.

