Who is available after fall camp?

Injuries have unfortunately played far too large a role in Texas A&M's football seasons in recent years. At the quarterback position in particular, the Aggies have lost players to injuries with extremely unfortunate frequency since 2021.

Because it had such a big impact on the outcome of each season, many Aggie fans were willing to pin the blame on one staff member or another. The offensive line coach was a frequent culprit when it came to quarterback injuries; the strength and conditioning coach was sometimes another target.

While these factors certainly played a role, I think it's difficult to boil this down to a single cause. Part of it was just bad luck, of course, especially when you think about Haynes King's injury in 2021.

With the new coaching staff in Aggieland, however, many of those complaints have disappeared. Of course, that will likely only remain the case as long as key players aren't injured, but for now, there is a definite sense of hope in College Station.

However, there are still a few players who are currently struggling with injuries. Two of them are particularly noteworthy at the moment: Jabre Barber and Rueben Owens.

As I've written a few times, Owens suffered a foot injury during the first practice game of fall camp and will likely be out for the rest of the year. Elko mentioned that he could potentially return if the season is extended, but even that possibility seems a bit unlikely.

The other notable name currently on the bench is Jabre Barber. The Troy transfer wide receiver's outlook was initially bleak; he was considered a key part of the battle for the wide receiver position, but an injury in the spring seemed to sideline him for the entire year.

However, it looks like Barber could be back much sooner than we initially thought; rumors suggest it's possible we could see him before the halfway point of the season. If that happens, that could be a huge boost to this receiver room.

With only two injuries, this was a relatively healthy fall camp. Hopefully this trend continues next year and we see a full-strength Aggie team for the entire season.