Ari is generally not the highest on us as he is an Ohio St. guy so this seems like a neutral opinion from mainly a recruiting guy.....
If you could buy futures in only one of Texas or Texas A&M, whose are you buying? Jungman M.
This question is really hard because both are at critical junctures and both have really solid cases. Let's start with a sales pitch for both programs.
Texas: When it comes to recruiting, it's not a stretch to say that Texas should expect to be the king of the Lone Star State. Texas is the school that every top-tier prospect in the state should at least explore. The Longhorns also just hired Steve Sarkisian coming off a national title at Alabama, so the program is pairing an ultratalented roster with a coach who really knows how to draw up an offense. Texas has never had a hard time with talent accumulation. The issues have been developing that talent and getting the most out of everyone on the roster. Sarkisian hasn't coached a game in Austin yet, but I believe he can do what Tom Herman could not: develop his players. The Longhorns are also in a much more winnable conference than Texas A&M, which plays in the SEC.
Texas A&M: No team in college football had a better finish in the 2021 recruiting cycle than Texas A&M. The Aggies' class ranked No. 8 overall and featured four top-75 national prospects from Texas. (Texas finished No. 15 in the national recruiting rankings.) Meanwhile, Jimbo Fisher, who won a national title at Florida State, has the Aggies coming off one of the most successful campaigns in program history. Texas A&M has also been crushing it in recruiting in Houston, which includes a commitment from 2022 five-star quarterback Conner Weigman of Cypress Bridgeland. Everything in Aggieland seems to be trending up.
Which one would you choose? It feels as though there isn't a wrong answer.
I've gone back and forth multiple times. But this is a mailbag and not answering is boring, so I am going to go with Texas A&M right now.
I am repeatedly fooled by Texas. I say "Texas is back" more than anyone because I see the roster and the program's resources and say, "Why not Texas?" Then all too often the Longhorns fail to meet expectations. Now there is a new coach, and I'm back to having a ton of hope for what the program can do. But on the other hand, Sark and Herman seem to be very similar hires on the surface. Texas should be able to win the Big 12, but is that expectation smart at this point? I don't know.
There are some drawbacks to picking Texas A&M. The Aggies play in the same division as Alabama and LSU, so they face inherent roadblocks that Texas (outside of Oklahoma) frankly doesn't have to face.
I just like a little more what Texas A&M has been doing on the recruiting front. Maybe this answer won't age well and Texas will win 10 games in the fall and sign a top-five class in 2022. But right now, Texas A&M has a youthful and talented roster and the quarterback of the future who makes it easy to believe that Fisher will be able to win at the highest level.
If you could buy futures in only one of Texas or Texas A&M, whose are you buying? Jungman M.
This question is really hard because both are at critical junctures and both have really solid cases. Let's start with a sales pitch for both programs.
Texas: When it comes to recruiting, it's not a stretch to say that Texas should expect to be the king of the Lone Star State. Texas is the school that every top-tier prospect in the state should at least explore. The Longhorns also just hired Steve Sarkisian coming off a national title at Alabama, so the program is pairing an ultratalented roster with a coach who really knows how to draw up an offense. Texas has never had a hard time with talent accumulation. The issues have been developing that talent and getting the most out of everyone on the roster. Sarkisian hasn't coached a game in Austin yet, but I believe he can do what Tom Herman could not: develop his players. The Longhorns are also in a much more winnable conference than Texas A&M, which plays in the SEC.
Texas A&M: No team in college football had a better finish in the 2021 recruiting cycle than Texas A&M. The Aggies' class ranked No. 8 overall and featured four top-75 national prospects from Texas. (Texas finished No. 15 in the national recruiting rankings.) Meanwhile, Jimbo Fisher, who won a national title at Florida State, has the Aggies coming off one of the most successful campaigns in program history. Texas A&M has also been crushing it in recruiting in Houston, which includes a commitment from 2022 five-star quarterback Conner Weigman of Cypress Bridgeland. Everything in Aggieland seems to be trending up.
Which one would you choose? It feels as though there isn't a wrong answer.
I've gone back and forth multiple times. But this is a mailbag and not answering is boring, so I am going to go with Texas A&M right now.
I am repeatedly fooled by Texas. I say "Texas is back" more than anyone because I see the roster and the program's resources and say, "Why not Texas?" Then all too often the Longhorns fail to meet expectations. Now there is a new coach, and I'm back to having a ton of hope for what the program can do. But on the other hand, Sark and Herman seem to be very similar hires on the surface. Texas should be able to win the Big 12, but is that expectation smart at this point? I don't know.
There are some drawbacks to picking Texas A&M. The Aggies play in the same division as Alabama and LSU, so they face inherent roadblocks that Texas (outside of Oklahoma) frankly doesn't have to face.
I just like a little more what Texas A&M has been doing on the recruiting front. Maybe this answer won't age well and Texas will win 10 games in the fall and sign a top-five class in 2022. But right now, Texas A&M has a youthful and talented roster and the quarterback of the future who makes it easy to believe that Fisher will be able to win at the highest level.