NCAAF teams
KC Joyner, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Why Texas A&M won't miss Manziel

Insider College Football, Texas A&M Aggies

It's never easy to overcome the loss of the greatest player in a college football program's history, but the track record of teams rebounding from the loss of their biggest name is far from entirely negative.

The Georgia Bulldogs went 10-1-1 the season after they said goodbye to Herschel Walker. Bear Bryant once called Joe Namath the most talented player he had ever seen. And yet, a year after Namath went pro, the Alabama Crimson Tide won a share of the national championship. Archie Griffin was the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, but in the campaign following his graduation, Woody Hayes was able to lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to a 9-2-1 record and an Orange Bowl win.

These examples offer hope for the Texas A&M Aggies, who will be without Heisman winner Johnny Manziel -- with all due respect to John David Crow, arguably the best player in the storied history of the program -- come this fall.

Indeed, when looking at the entirety of this roster and the circumstances surrounding the SEC, the Aggies seem poised to overcome Manziel's departure and join the club described above.

Here are four reasons:

State of the SEC makes this the perfect time to develop a QB

The Aggies aren't the only program in the SEC who will have a new face under center this coming season. In fact, the majority of the conference is experiencing upheaval at quarterback, with only three passers who started 10 games in 2014 -- Brandon Allen, Nick Marshall and Bo Wallace -- returning this season. If Allen doesn't get the starting job for the Arkansas Razorbacks (a sincere possibility) the list of SEC teams in a state of flux will grow even longer. 

As such, whichever teams can develop a strong starter fastest will be positioned for success. Kevin Sumlin's history suggests the Aggies are as good a candidate as any.

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