Gavin Stansbury

2008: 96 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries
2009: 65 tackles, 12 sacks

2008: 6-3A First Team All-District
2009: 6-3A First Team All-District; Max Emfinger All-American

Upon seeing Gavin Stansbury in person for the first time, you quickly realize that the young man has a great frame and he should grow into a prototypical strongside defensive end. Stansbury is already about 6-4 and his frame is going to carry well over 270 pounds. He currently weighs in at 240 but it's worth noting that Stansbury has put on over 50 pounds since his sophomore year.

Up until this point, Gavin has spent his football off-seasons playing basketball and throwing the shot/discuss at a small high school in Louisiana. In other words, he hasn't spent much time in the weight room and will likely become very familiar with Netum Steed during what could very well be a redshirt season in 2010.

The fact that he excels at two other sports is also the reason he's still a very raw defensive end prospect. Nevertheless, Stansbury put together two very productive seasons for Franklin as the team's best defender and player and flashed enough talent and upside to earn a handful of D-I offers even before the '09 spring evaluation period.

At the time of his commitment, Gavin chose A&M over very early offers from Arkansas, Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech. Stansbury ended his high school career by earning 6-3A First Team All-District honors after totaling 65 unassisted tackles and 12 sacks. As a junior, Stansbury garnered First Team All-District and "Best of the Teche" mention, amassing 93 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.

Right now at 17, Gavin is 6-4 and he's got a lot of room to grow. He's got long arms and runs a 4.8 forty. He's very quick off the ball and very explosive in his stance. When he matures into a college football player, he could be one of the better players in the Big 12 Conference. He did a great job for us in the scheme we ran. People more or less re-routed their running game away from him because he had those long arms and was so quick off the ball. He uses such great leverage that offensive tackles had a hard time blocking him. As a pass rusher, he uses his hands well. He knows different pass rushing techniques. He has a big bull rush and a good swim move and rip technique. He uses all of them well and when he begins to use them better, he could be one of the better defensive linemen out there. The kid by far is a big time football player." - Franklin head coach Zebulon Simon.

"I'm doing a lot of training right now to get ready to be at A&M. I'm doing a lot of speed drills and explosive work in addition to track. For my first year at A&M, my goal is to play a lot and contribute to the team. I don't want to just sit back and soak it in, I want to work hard and get a chance to get out there. I'm so thrilled that Von [Miller] isn't leaving because I'm looking forward to learning from a guy like him." - Gavin Stansbury.