Veteran presence in a locker room is always a strength when starting a new season, and so is having so much depth to work around.
At Texas A&M this season, one of those men returning for another year in Aggieland is TJ Searcy , who said the depth and his leadership will be exponentially better.
"I feel like we might get a little more depth than we did last year with them guys going to the league," Searcy said. "I definitely been trying to lead a little bit more," Searcy said. "I feel like I used to lead much more, so trying to lead by example last year instead of trying to do everything right and just hope people would see me. This season, I am using my voice a little more, speaking to people. We got a lot of young guys and portal guys that came in. I feel like they're going to make great contributions to the team."
That voice carried on Saturday after he spoke to the media, answering questions and recognizing what this Maroon and White team is full of going into the 2026-27 campaign. He touched on several different key contributors to this group, including the new linebackers, Anto Saka , and coach Lyle Hemphill.
"The new linebackers that came in, they communicate really well," Searcy said. "All the walk-throughs we have, I feel like they got the defense down."
As for Hemphill, the 6-foot-5 pass rusher said the message he sent was all about attack, effort, and urgency, and that was one of his takeaways.
"He preaches effort," Searcy noted. "Attack and effort. That's our main thing and just have urgency. That's the main thing coach Hemphill does. If we are out there playing hard, everything else is going to fall into place."
Part of the key pieces to defenses Searcy has also had his eye on is what the Northwestern transfer, Saka, has done throughout his time with the program, as he commended his all-around character.
"He's a real cool dude," Searcy said. "Super smart. He loves football. He hasn't left the facility all camp, so that pretty much shows you what type of dude Anto is."
The Thomaston, Georgia native also alluded to the potential that the pass rush can look like and why it could be better, indicating that if everyone handles business and can grow from last year's group, the sky could be the limit.
"God willing, we're trying to grow on what we had last year," Searcy said. "God willing, it should be better than last year if we do everything we are supposed to do. We got more guys out there; it shouldn't be anybody on the field that's tired."
In terms of health and how Searcy is feeling this offseason, he said he's gotten better and what he brings to that depth.
"I've just got exponentially better," Searcy expressed. "As far as using my length, getting off the ball, pass rushing, just being more vocal."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as TJ Searcy Ready to Use His Voice as Texas A&M Defense Reloads .
