Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams pledged his team “is the tightest it’s ever been” after former linebacker Santino Marchiol alleged a multitude of misdeeds by the A&M program under new coach Jimbo Fisher.

“We’ve grown together so much as brothers,” Williams said Thursday during the Aggies’ news conference to advance their August 30th season opener against Northwestern State. “When you go through a lot with your brothers, you find out who you can really trust, and who you can really lean on.”

Marchiol alleged this week in a USA Today article that he received cash from an A&M assistant coach for recruits on unofficial visits, and Fisher’s staff violated practice rules in the offseason, among other breaches.

“We take them very seriously,” Fisher said Thursday of Marchiol’s accusations. “We’re open to all inquiries and will be very open in our records of everything we have. We feel very confident in the things in which we have done. … We’ll cooperate in any way, shape or form in which they want (us) to. I feel very confident in our program and how we’ve done things.”

“It’s an exciting feeling, being able to go back out there and compete,” Williams said. “Whenever you’re able to be in front of Kyle Field, it’s always a great feeling. We have the best fans in the world, best fans in the country, and those, and those guys are going to come out there and give us their all every day. I’m excited to be able to go back out there in front of them so they can see this new team.”

Williams has 1,660 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns over his first two seasons with the Aggies. Last year, he had 603 yards and six touchdowns.