Speedy Noil was a five star recruit out of Louisiana who Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin recruited to play for the Aggies despite fierce competition from rival schools. His freshman season in 2014 saw Noil catch 46 passes for 583 yards and five touchdowns. He showed regular glimpses of the athletic talent he possesses as well as being involved returning kicks. But since his freshman season, Speedy Noil has struggled off the field leaving doubts among Aggie coaches and fans alike.
Noil got himself into trouble on occasion during the 2015 season which left him out of favor with the coaching staff. This includes being suspended for a portion of spring practice last year for undisclosed reasons and also missing the Music City Bowl against Louisville for breaking team rules. Aside from these issues he was also hampered by nagging injuries to his hamstring during the season. This meant Noil only featured in nine games and caught just 21 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns despite high expectations for him in his second season.
What sort of impact will Speedy Noil have in 2016?
This spring unfortunately showed both sides of Speedy Noil as he impressed during the spring practice game but also got himself suspended for the season opening game against UCLA at Kyle Field on September 3rd. This was because Noil was caught driving without a license in April this year after being pulled over due to a faulty brake light. So its’ clear that he still isn’t able to stay out of trouble either which continues to be a major worry.
For the Aggies, wide receiver is one of the few positions they are confident about heading into the 2016 campaign. With Ricky Seals-Jones and Josh Reynolds announcing they’d return for their senior years to add to breakout talent Christian Kirk amongst a number of talented receivers on the depth chart below them. But Noil is such a talented player that if he can stay healthy and out of trouble off the field then he has the potential to elevate the Aggies passing game even further in 2016. He is the best deep threat on the team and quarterback Trevor Knight is talented enough to utilize him if he’s on the field.
