College Station, Texas ? Two weeks into fall workouts at Texas A&M, freshman linebacker Justin Warren was ready to go home. He wasn’t homesick; he was confused.

“I said, ‘Man, ship me back to Tyler right now, or I’ll be on straight academic or something or red-shirt me,'” Warren said. “That’s when I was having trouble with the plays. I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t think I could learn.”

Warren’s fog lifted in time for him to become the only true freshman starter for A&M’s defense. He responded in last Saturday’s season-opening win over Arkansas State with six tackles and a sack, and forced a fumble.

His confusion wasn’t with the physical part of the game.

“It was that I wasn’t in the right place to make the plays,” Warren said. ” It doesn’t matter how good you are if you’re not in the right place to make the plays. You can’t be Superman.”

Frustrated after those first two weeks of preseason practice, Warren went to defensive coordinator Carl Torbush and got extra work.

“The next few days I got better and he talked to me more than yelled,” Warren said. “About the fourth week, I started shining up.”

The closer the season opener got, the better Warren played. Now he feels confident that he can grasp the intricacies of the Aggies’ multiple defense, and film watching with Torbush is more fun.

Texas A&M's Justin Warren (10) knocks the ball lose as he hits Arkansas State quarterback Elliot Jacobs. Warren started last Saturday's season opener as a true freshman.

“I’ve messed up a couple of times but when I did, I knew what I was doing,” Warren said. “We’d see it on film and we’d just shake heads at each other. He knew that I knew what I did.”

Warren is the first starter from the initial recruiting class of coach Dennis Franchione, who took over as the Aggies coach in December.

“Justin has closing speed and instincts,” Franchione said. “He’s one of those guys when it comes time to play full speed, he can really do it. That’s kind of special for a freshman to do it. He’ll be better this week than he was last week.”

Receiver Earvin Taylor of Mission was the only other of Franchione’s first freshman recruits to play in the opener.

Torbush didn’t inform Warren of his starting assignment until late last week, and the linebacker isn’t assured of starting today’s game against Utah.

“We had an inkling during the week that the young man might play,” Torbush said. “He’ll start again this week unless Nurahda Manning beats him out. We’re upfront with our players and let them know that the most consistent players will start.”

Warren was an outstanding defensive end at Tyler Lee, leading his high school team to the state quarterfinals last season with 23 quarterback sacks and 23 quarterback pressures.