Let's hope Soccer Ava has more of an impact on A&M soccer than Ashley Soccer did at Baylor.
Recruiting Update
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Last: 19 hrs ago by DragonAGDawg
Bella is a top player too, this is two players from Dallas for the Class of 27 that are top players
I don't want to point out any specific kids as that's a crappy thing to do. Some of them may turn out to be more than squad depth, but it's undeniable we aren't getting any of the top talent out of Dallas and have not for several years now. Our coaching search this winter needs to focus on getting somebody who can pull genuine difference-makers out of Dallas.
G pulled Becerra, Leb, Cornog and Yokinsky from Solar. All were highly regarded and all will play important roles for TCU this year. McDonald was also a highly regarded player with offers from UCLA and USC. We see many of our transfers starting for Top 20 teams. The decline of the program has been more about coaching than talent.....although that is now lagging as the state of the program becomes apparent to all.
When was the last time A&M pulled big time (from your perspective) recruits from DFW? Who were they?
Yolinsky. Committed in 2020. So it's been 5 years.
So Becerra, Leb from 2022 class
Bella 2023 class
Fuller and Yolinksy from 2024 class
Holly Storer from 2025 class
All very well respected DFW players who played significant roles on one of the top two ECNL clubs from DFW and many had really good success in high school soccer as well.
Morgan Landry is another highly regarded player who dealt with some injuries prior to recruiting
Ava Sexton and Bella Yousef are both highly regarded as well.
I believe all three of these have had invites to USYNT ID camps at the least.
None of these are disappointing gets from the DFW area. They all will contribute to a college soccer team.
Should A&M be recruiting DFW much more heavily? I would think we all agree that should be a yes, but it's not that easy. Four of the girls who should have been in the 2025 class are already playing in the NWSL with two of them getting pretty significant minutes. Another from the 2024 class is playing in the NWSL. The top echelon in DFW are recruited by everyone in the nation with 120+ college coaches plus many NWSL scouts normally on the sidelines for their showcase games. Then, there is a style issue. I think just about the entirety of the SEC falls into the big, fast, kick and run spectrum of soccer and many who play on the top teams in ECNL want to play a more possession oriented game.
Note: If I missed someone from DFW on my list, I apologize. I did this off the top of my head.
Bella 2023 class
Fuller and Yolinksy from 2024 class
Holly Storer from 2025 class
All very well respected DFW players who played significant roles on one of the top two ECNL clubs from DFW and many had really good success in high school soccer as well.
Morgan Landry is another highly regarded player who dealt with some injuries prior to recruiting
Ava Sexton and Bella Yousef are both highly regarded as well.
I believe all three of these have had invites to USYNT ID camps at the least.
None of these are disappointing gets from the DFW area. They all will contribute to a college soccer team.
Should A&M be recruiting DFW much more heavily? I would think we all agree that should be a yes, but it's not that easy. Four of the girls who should have been in the 2025 class are already playing in the NWSL with two of them getting pretty significant minutes. Another from the 2024 class is playing in the NWSL. The top echelon in DFW are recruited by everyone in the nation with 120+ college coaches plus many NWSL scouts normally on the sidelines for their showcase games. Then, there is a style issue. I think just about the entirety of the SEC falls into the big, fast, kick and run spectrum of soccer and many who play on the top teams in ECNL want to play a more possession oriented game.
Note: If I missed someone from DFW on my list, I apologize. I did this off the top of my head.
Since Yolinski in 2020 (Leb and Becerra committed all the way back 2019!), we have not landed a single elite commitment from Dallas. Sure, a couple girls from Dallas are now going pro every year now, but there are a dozen every year going to college, and none are choosing to become an Aggie. Some girls, like Sidney Fuller, indeed turn out to be much better than projected.
I respect that you're trying to build up girls that your daughters have played with, and you certainly know them better than me and maybe they'll turn out to be absolute gems - I hope so!
So I won't comment further other than to say I will stick by my assertion that we have whiffed on the truly elite Texas prospects for 4 straight classes. I think that's fairly undeniable. And I hope our next coach rectifies the problem (cough…Eric Bell).
I respect that you're trying to build up girls that your daughters have played with, and you certainly know them better than me and maybe they'll turn out to be absolute gems - I hope so!
So I won't comment further other than to say I will stick by my assertion that we have whiffed on the truly elite Texas prospects for 4 straight classes. I think that's fairly undeniable. And I hope our next coach rectifies the problem (cough…Eric Bell).
To understand DFW soccer, you have to go through it. The politics, the antics, the competition...it is something to truly behold. If you understand the landscape and the players and the connections between college coaches, club coaches, the egos, etc, you would better understand what is happening. Most of the signings at tu over the last 6-8 years can be directly attributed to Ange Kelly and Missimo both playing soccer at UNC all those years back. This carries through to the 06 Solar commits. The A&M 04/05 Solar commits and the current Sting commits have some correlation as well. If you want to better understand it all, feel free to buy me a beer sometime.
With that said, the SEC is widely viewed as a transitional league. Coaches value speed, height, physicality over soccer ability or IQ. Most of the higher level players in the DFW area prefer to play at a school akin to the more possession oriented style they have played in ECNL and look towards the ACC or Big Ten schools for that type of play. Very few of the top players from DFW commit to schools in the SEC. The players we did get from the possession-oriented Solar teams are now at other schools.
If you look at A&M's recruiting over the last 20 years, we have relied on relatively few of the very top DFW players. Even when making the college cup, we weren't bringing in major talent from DFW. We have mainly focused on trying to get the best of Houston, the Austin/San Antonio area and then cherry picking some from Southern California or Colorado. I think a lot of it has to do with the relationships the staff has picked up or not picked up with certain club coaches throughout the years.
I'm not going to posit one way or another in terms of how G wants to run his program or recruit. I'm just trying to help shed some light on the crazy world of club soccer - especially in the DFW area.
With that said, the SEC is widely viewed as a transitional league. Coaches value speed, height, physicality over soccer ability or IQ. Most of the higher level players in the DFW area prefer to play at a school akin to the more possession oriented style they have played in ECNL and look towards the ACC or Big Ten schools for that type of play. Very few of the top players from DFW commit to schools in the SEC. The players we did get from the possession-oriented Solar teams are now at other schools.
If you look at A&M's recruiting over the last 20 years, we have relied on relatively few of the very top DFW players. Even when making the college cup, we weren't bringing in major talent from DFW. We have mainly focused on trying to get the best of Houston, the Austin/San Antonio area and then cherry picking some from Southern California or Colorado. I think a lot of it has to do with the relationships the staff has picked up or not picked up with certain club coaches throughout the years.
I'm not going to posit one way or another in terms of how G wants to run his program or recruit. I'm just trying to help shed some light on the crazy world of club soccer - especially in the DFW area.
Wannabeanaggie said:
G pulled Becerra, Leb, Cornog and Yokinsky from Solar. All were highly regarded and all will play important roles for TCU this year. McDonald was also a highly regarded player with offers from UCLA and USC. We see many of our transfers starting for Top 20 teams. The decline of the program has been more about coaching than talent.....although that is now lagging as the state of the program becomes apparent to all.
This is why I listed Eric Bell and Ryan Higginbotham on the Hot Board thread. They recruit all these kids from DFW and tend to sign more of them than they don't. If they miss, then they always seem to end up getting them in the transfer portal. Imagine what they could do with an SEC soccer budget...... And believe me, both are aware of the Aggie soccer coach salary level as well as the soccer camp market.
jessexy said:
This is why I listed Eric Bell and Ryan Higginbotham on the Hot Board thread. They recruit all these kids from DFW and tend to sign more of them than they don't. If they miss, then they always seem to end up getting them in the transfer portal. Imagine what they could do with an SEC soccer budget...... And believe me, both are aware of the Aggie soccer coach salary level as well as the soccer camp market.
TCU is actually a pretty interesting place to evaluate recruiting. Great campus, school and location for sure, and are able to attract students from across the country. They typically recruit a ton of soccer players as freshmen as they need to replace a ton of girls who don't last very long in the program. They churn through most of their freshmen after a year or two. Just looking quickly at their rosters for the last few years (apologies if I have one or two wrong):
2022 Class-4 of 10 still on roster in 2025
2023 Class-2 of 8 still on roster in 2025
2024 Class-6 of 14 still on roster in 2025
2025 Class-9 Freshman and 8 new transfers (and I think there was more than one 2025 girl who originally committed to TCU and didn't actually end up there as a freshman)
I think they have 6 Dallas area players on the roster that weren't transfers in, and I would say 3 of those players are probably considered elite. 16 players are not from Texas at all. In the last two years, TCU and A&M have each missed the tournament once and lost in the 2nd round of the tournament once.
Playing at TCU is a grind and certainly not for everyone. That said, they have done a much better job than A&M at keeping many of their elite players on the roster the last couple of years (Hennessey, Coppinger, Castain, Diorio, Patton, Brown). With those elite player staying, they have been able to recruit elite players through the portal. However, the list of players those coaches have churned through is extensive, with plenty of rumors of broken promises and verbal abuse. No doubt they are a good team this year with offensive firepower that will light up plenty of teams, but if I had a high school daughter going through the recruiting process, I am not sure playing for Bell/Higginbotham is the direction I would necessarily want her to go.
So, what I'm reading is TCU gets better recruits and results with the same amount of turnover as Texas A&M. And the TCU coaches do it for a cheaper salary with less summer camp revenue. Sounds like a good deal to me. Better recruits, better transfers, better results, more professionals and fringe national team players. We can probably argue it's less turnover than A&M considering the transfer signed to replace outgoing players at TCU are generally better than those at A&M.
That's an interesting way to interpret his post. It doesn't look like results the last 2 years are much different (same ncaa results and 1-1 against each other). They certainly were able to keep some of their better freshmen recruits this year and took a couple of our better girls in the transfer portal. They also lost a ton in the portal with high turnover, including the starting cb for ucla this year.
I've heard tcu has good nil money (with one of the transfers getting mid 5 digits there) and A&M soccer has very little. Anyone know the facts on nil at either school for soccer?
I've heard tcu has good nil money (with one of the transfers getting mid 5 digits there) and A&M soccer has very little. Anyone know the facts on nil at either school for soccer?
When we think about it, there's probably no reason for TCU to be on the same level as A&M in a non-revenue sport. The cost of tuition puts TCU in a different stratosphere than A&M for a partial scholarship sport, so NIL should be higher at TCU to compensate for the difference. SEC money trickling down from football has got to be bigger than Big 12 money. The summer camp revenue is a HUGE deal, IMO. Higgy started back in the college game at TCU and still coached a few youth teams. Now he's all-in on college. Players taking summer school and helping with camps also puts some extra money out there on top of NIL. Big public school (IMO) is a better option than a tiny private school if I'm a recruit/transfer.
I think there are so many pros than cons to A&M over TCU. It shouldn't be a question for a recruit or transfer to go to TCU over A&M. Or to leave A&M and go to TCU. How a player is treated by the coaching staff might make a difference, but our coaching staff blames the players for losses all the time. And its pretty well known that Lori was the glue to it all.
I don't know, I'm rambling now. I just hate to see a small private school like TCU being better, or on a similar level as A&M in anything. It's not about TCU either, It could be Tulsa, Temple, or Rice, or whoever, Lemme stop and get another cup of coffee.
I think there are so many pros than cons to A&M over TCU. It shouldn't be a question for a recruit or transfer to go to TCU over A&M. Or to leave A&M and go to TCU. How a player is treated by the coaching staff might make a difference, but our coaching staff blames the players for losses all the time. And its pretty well known that Lori was the glue to it all.
I don't know, I'm rambling now. I just hate to see a small private school like TCU being better, or on a similar level as A&M in anything. It's not about TCU either, It could be Tulsa, Temple, or Rice, or whoever, Lemme stop and get another cup of coffee.
G just tweeted re: adding a commitment.
Hidden, or anyone else--any clue who it is?
Hidden, or anyone else--any clue who it is?
I have not seen all mentioned and hopefully a new one came on board current commits
2027
Michelle Minor MF (IMG)
Ana Sexton D/F (Dallas Sting)
Bella Silvestri F (Slammers FC)
Rylee Struyk D (Albion Hurricanes FC)
Bella Youssef F (Dallas Sting)
Recently they hosted Ryan Reynolds F (Legends FC) is considering several top programs, but supposedly had a very good visit to College Station.
2027
Michelle Minor MF (IMG)
Ana Sexton D/F (Dallas Sting)
Bella Silvestri F (Slammers FC)
Rylee Struyk D (Albion Hurricanes FC)
Bella Youssef F (Dallas Sting)
Recently they hosted Ryan Reynolds F (Legends FC) is considering several top programs, but supposedly had a very good visit to College Station.
The player that coach is referring to has committed to coaches but I don't believe she has officially posted her commitment. She should be announcing publically soon. It is not a player that is listed on this thread but is a top national player with national team experience for age level. From what I am hearing.
ColoradoMooseHerd said:
The player that coach is referring to has committed to coaches but I don't believe she has officially posted her commitment. She should be announcing publically soon. It is not a player that is listed on this thread but is a top national player with national team experience for age level. From what I am hearing.
This seems....GOOD
Felicity Nguyen from San Diego Surf. Forward, national team and ranked 21 nationally by top drawer. Great pick up.
Hope she still comes if there is a coaching change..
I wouldn't place too much focus on player rankings from Top Drawer or Prep. They essentially give you a ranking if you've been selected for the USYNT, but that is hardly independent and it certainly isn't working well for us from a YNT standpoint.
Univ of Texas landed those "top ranked" players--There is a connection between Solar and Texas. Ange K and Derek Missimo are connected through UNC (both Kelly and Missimo played at UNC). Essentially Missimo (Southlake/Solar) is the recruiter for Ange. However, as UT has shown, you can have all the "top ranked" players and still perform terribly.
FC Dallas & Sting [Royal] are the other top 2 clubs in North Texas and actually both in the TOP 10 in the nation amongst 09 elite club national teams. So A&M is appropriately focused on those clubs.
By the way, UT places most of their $ and their recruiting focus on the attackers and mids. They don't value defense as much (which was quite evident and will likely persist for the next few years (beyond the 2027 recruit class) since A&M won that recruiting battle. ;-)
FC Dallas & Sting [Royal] are the other top 2 clubs in North Texas and actually both in the TOP 10 in the nation amongst 09 elite club national teams. So A&M is appropriately focused on those clubs.
By the way, UT places most of their $ and their recruiting focus on the attackers and mids. They don't value defense as much (which was quite evident and will likely persist for the next few years (beyond the 2027 recruit class) since A&M won that recruiting battle. ;-)
Offside said:
I don't want to point out any specific kids as that's a crappy thing to do. Some of them may turn out to be more than squad depth, but it's undeniable we aren't getting any of the top talent out of Dallas and have not for several years now. Our coaching search this winter needs to focus on getting somebody who can pull genuine difference-makers out of Dallas.
Though not widely publicized, 2027 commit Ava Sexton was recruited by more than 65 D1 Programs mostly ACC, Big 12 and SEC teams. Stanford, TCU, LSU, West Virginia, Kansas, Baylor, Arkansas, Miss St., Santa Clara, SMU, and yes, so did Texas just to name a few...seems like pretty decent North Texas talent to me.
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