I think I saw 6 recruits at the Drake game. G said they had some recruits there. Does anybody know who they are? Some were wearing Aggie gear so I assume they are pretty firm commitments.

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anything on there jumping out to anybody

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not particularly, doesn't say anything we didn't already know

Noticed that teams like Stanford, UNC, UCLA, as well as a few others, continue to stock up with elite players.

Right now the difference between A&M and those elite programs you mentioned above is that while A&M signs a stellar class every 3 years or so, those teams sign them every year. That's where the gap in talent exists between A&M and UNC, UCLA, Stanford, etc. and why it's been difficult for us to make the College Cup. Unfortunately or us, we'll have to make the Final Four before we can recruit at that level.

Updated with a couple of new commitments for 2013.

a 5'1" midfielder? I hope we stop depending on winning headers so much

I'm a bit concerned about her height as well as we've seen how difficult it's been for Katie Perry this year with her short stature. I'm hoping she will grow a few more inches before she gets to A&M.

Good to see us getting some players from Sting.

Eclipse Ag:

I seemed to recall from previous posts that you are familiar with the 95 ('13's):

BB ('12 recruit) plays for Sting 95 (now their ECNL team).

SS ('13 recruit) plays for Sting West.

So A&M staff are looking thru-out Sting program to find good fits for the A&M program.

Yes, I have a relative who is a 95 (playing Premier League) so I follow them quite a bit.

My daughter is a 96 and her current trainer was formerly with Sting.

My daughter is not an elite player but we've played some Sting teams in the past in tournaments. I am always impressed with the Dallas clubs when I see them play. North Texas is light years ahead of South Texas.

Another big pickup for Coach G from California. We need quality midfielders in a big way. My only concern is that she is only 5'2", the second small midfielder in the 2013 class.

I sorta like that. We rely on winning headers too much, now we'll have to learn not to do that.

I just read the assessment of the class of 2011 again and it was pretty accurate. All of them were at the track meet last Saturday to watch Annie Kunz throw the shot.

Seems like we have a very tight freshman (sophomore-to-be) class.

Thanks as always HiddenAg for your great work!

Coach G lands a hometown prospect for the 2013 class. We're almost full for 2013 and it has been a solid but not spectacular (2011 level) group. Needs have been addressed but we really need to be adding at least 3 elite level prospects in each class to stay at a Top 10 level nationally. So far this class has one (Elizabeth Keester).

Elite players want to play for championsips. Disappointments in post-season play leave lasting impressons. Signing exceptional talent only periodically won't get us where we want to be.

I agree. Coach G has hit a wall when it comes to consistently signing elite players. Until he breaks through and makes it to a College Cup, we're stuck in the same 3-year recruiting pattern. 1 great class (like '11), 1 solid class (like '12 and '13), and 1 average class with no real difference makers. That won't get us to where we want to be.

[This message has been edited by HiddenAg2 (edited 1/25/2012 11:07a).]

So you're saying that until we get to where we want to be, we won't be able to get to where we want to be?

I am shocked that HiddenAg has taken this recruiting update as another opportunity to take a shot at Coach G.

You are really so transparent, and your act has gotten so old.

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3-year recruiting pattern. 1 great class (like '11), 1 solid class (like '12 and '13), and 1 average class

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I heard we had some real ballers in '13 that wanted to play for us but they were all like, "Oh noez, it doesn't fit the pattern!" so they committed elsewhere.

Nice try guys. I'm only stating what I perceive as a pattern in our recruiting classes over the last 7-8 years. It's this pattern of inconsistent recruiting of elite players that is one of the key factors why A&M cannot get over the hump and advance to the College Cup. There are other factors as well, including coaching. I've made my opinion known about Coach G several times over the last few years. I like him personally and he's a good but not great coach. His coaching wasn't at the level it should have been the last few years. My biggest problem with him right now is that he seems okay with 2nd round exits in the NCAA tourney, as evidenced by his latest blog on his site. We should have a higher minimum standard of what constitutes a "great season" at A&M.

The bottom line is that A&M is going to be a good team over the next 3 years because of the great '11 class that should only get better. But will they have enough talent around them to make it to the promised land? That's the big question and the '12 and '13 classes give us some insight into the answer. Right now I'd say it's a 50/50 because on paper these classes look above average but not great.

Question to those in the know. How critical is ODP participation to a girls ability on getting signed? My exposure with ODP has been less than favorable with my U14 daughter. Seemed like more of a cash grab and trainers chose players off the name of their club not skill of the player.

Not critical but it certainly helps. Coaches usually see players at national events, including ODP camps and competitions. Being on a good club league team is the best way to get exposed to the most coaches.

STX ODP is one of the worst.

In some parts of the country, ODP is still one of the primary ways girls can be seen by college coaches, especially if they don't play for a top club.

So just curiious Eclipse Ag You have ties to the Eclipse club here in Houston ?

So just curiious Eclipse Ag You have ties to the Eclipse club here in Houston ?

I was a team manager for several years and a board member for three. My daughter switched clubs this year so I don't have much to do with Eclipse any more, although I still know a lot of folks there.

A&M picks up another defender for the 2013 class. Coach G is clearly not targeting a lot of top national kids for this class, instead looking for specific prospects that will fill needs to complement the '11 and '12 classes. The only problem with this strategy is that 1) you can't have many misses or you'll hurt depth, and 2) once the '11 class graduates you will not have a lot of stars on your team. That is a concern going forward.

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once the '11 class graduates you will not have a lot of stars on your team.

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nooooooooooooooo!

if only we had another recruiting class coming in before that happens

Southlake kids are winners. #thatisall

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nooooooooooooooo!

if only we had another recruiting class coming in before that happens

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What it does is put a lot of pressure on the coaches to land a stellar class in either '14 or '15. The odds are good that they will, however, it would be better to spread out your elite talent so you don't have a situation where you are basically conceding a season to rebuild after the previous elite class leaves, in this case in '15.

Coach G picks up a huge commitment to kick-off the 2014 class. He needs an elite class to offset the so-so '12 and '13 classes. This is certainly a good start.

'14? geez.....

Class of 2014: It is my understanding that Mikaela Harvey, a midfielder from Liberty Hill, Texas, who is also on the U-15 national team, committed to Texas A&M over the weekend to join her U-15 national teammate, Haley Pounds.