A few Wednesday afternoon recruiting notes
This morning I was able to get out to Denton Guyer to check in on Texas A&M commits Eli Stowers and Deuce Harmon. Both looked great going through drills and the new coaches were singing their praise. Stowers continues his road to recovery and he is making great progress as he makes his way back to 100-percent. Today, he did all the drill work, and he is even doing weighted squats now. He has also added some great weight. He typically moved from football straight into basketball and then to track, so he was always on the go. The rehab workouts have allowed him to add some nice bulk to his lean frame, and he currently checks in right around the 220-pound mark. https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell/status/1275835221758410754?s=20Harmon has also added some weight to his frame. He is now up to 200 pounds and the important thing is he remains as fast, quick, and fluid as ever. He has always been noted for his work ethic and I'm pretty certain he has not missed a training session even while he quarantined this spring. https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell/status/1275833089940430848?s=20Guyer is going to be loaded with talent and in the 2021 class the Wildcats also have LB Jordan Eubanks (Florida State) and DE Cooper Lanz (Baylor) headed to Power 5 programs. A guy I have brought up before is OL Gabe Blair. He has been a starter for Guyer at tackle the last few years but due to his size he projects to the interior. Blair is a gritty, strong, stout, smart, powerful ball player in the trenches and if he was just two inches taller he would have everyone in the country on him. As it is he holds a P5 offer from Virginia Tech as well as Group of 5 offers from Tulsa, Tulane, Arkansas State, ULM, UNLV, and North Texas. We have mentioned him before as a potential OC/OG prospect for Texas A&M.CB Darious Goodloe, OL Knox Boyd, and S Jaden Fugett are also drawing plenty of college attention in Guyer's 2021 class.In the 2022 class BJ Phillips and Jace Wilson are a couple to watch. Wilson just picked up an offer from Kansas. He is the younger brother of Kansas basketball player Jalen Wilson who was a top national basketball recruit out of Guyer in 2019. Jace stands in at 6-5, 195, and he is one lean, fluid athlete. I expect him to end up being a big target for Stowers this fall. Phillips is a stout back who brings plenty of power to the field at 5-11, 220. His uncle is NFL CB Adrian Phillips who starred at Garland before heading to Texas and the pros. Another name to tuck away is WR Jason Carter. The 6-4, 185 receiver transferred in last fall and adds some nice size to the Guyer receiving corp.In the 2023 class I give you Jackson Arnold, Si Stovall, and Jacob Fritz. Arnold is the next in line at QB, and is most remembered for having to step into the State Championship game after Stowers went down with his knee injury. He checks in at 6-1, 190 and he can flat out spin it. Today he showed a big arm and also has the accuracy to go with it. Stovall is a TE/H-back who currently checks in at 6-2, 230. He is a versatile weapon capable of lining up in the backfield, on the wing, in-line, or in the slot. He is the son of Guyer OC/OL coach Mitch Stovall. Fritz is a raw 6-4, 270, but he has some tools to work with and it sounds like he is not done growing. He moves well for a big man and he is a guy I will have my eye on as he continues to grow and add strength. ************Philadelphia (PA) Northeast CB Tyreek Chappell tweeted out his top nine as he approaches his July 4 commitment decision.https://twitter.com/chappell_tyreek/status/1275583619994718215?s=20After talking to several sources, the Aggies have put themselves in a great position thanks in large part to the efforts of Elijah Robinson, TJ Rushing, and Mike Elko. In early May he released a top five of Texas A&M, Tennessee, Michigan, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh, and in talking to a few different sources Tennessee and Michigan seem like the main competition. I have also been told he is intrigued with the idea of playing in the SEC. Sticking with the cornerback position, Fort Smith (AR) Northside CB Dreyden Norwood continues to keep in close contact with the A&M coaching staff and I am told by a few sources Texas A&M is one of the top contenders right now with Coach Rushing is leading the Aggies' efforts. In addition to the Aggies, Arkansas and Georgia are also schools generating a buzz in Norwood's recruiting process.
Visitor list - UAB
Here's what we've got. We'll add/subtract all the way up until gametime as we get more info on kids headed this way.Official VisitorsEastern Arizona College CB Dreshun Miller (LSU)Horn Lake (MS) LB Nakobe Dean CommitsAtascocita OL Kenyon Green Brock TE Baylor Cupp Mansfield Legacy ATH Jeffery Carter Navasota OL Jordan Jefferson The Woodlands College Park OL Josh Bankhead North Forest WR Demond Demas (maybe)2019'sSpring Dekaney CB Marcus Banks Pearland LB Mason Cook2020'sCedar Hill Trinity Christian DB Dwight McGlothern - maybeNacogdoches OL Riley Birdwell A&M Consolidated WR Devin Price 2021'sFt Bend Willowridge WR Latrell Neville Denton Guyer OL Knox Boyd Virginia Beach (VA) CB Antonio Grimes
Tuesday recruiting scattershot
-Let's start with yesterday's visitors Javonne Shepherd and Demond Demas from North Forest. The two came into town with Rischad Whitfield (Footwork King) and spent the day with the entire A&M coaching and recruiting staff. They toured various parts of campus and even got to speak with Scott Woodward. I've been told Shepherd has become much more open to the Aggies in recent weeks, and that was only pushed further along by his visit yesterday. He met with Jimbo Fisher, Jim Turner, and Lee Grimes extensively, and, from what I know, discussed at length the real possibility of him playing football at Texas A&M. I think you'll see Shep back on campus for either Ole Miss or LSU, but I'm told it's likely that the official visit won't happen until December and will likely coincide with a Kenyon Green visit.As for Demas, he'll visit Ohio State this coming weekend. This recruitment is going to have its twists and turns. There's no reason to get too worked up over one visit to any school - A&M or otherwise. It's worth noting too that Demas has been to more practices than games at A&M. Whitfield tweeted last week about the importance of watching practice for recruits compared to only seeing games. Seems like he's making sure Demas sees as many practices in College Station as possible. -After doing some more digging early this week, I remain confident in saying that if 2020 North Shore RB Zach Evans were to pick a school today, it'd be Texas A&M. However, I don't expect to see Evans make a decision any time soon. He and his family met with Coach Fisher for over an hour this past Saturday. -Spoke to two sources about Ft Myers (FL) DE Derick Hunter's official visit last weekend. Simply put, Hunter, his father, and cousin were blown away by what they saw currently in College Station and what the vision is for the future. A Florida source told me that the Aggies are now a legitimate threat to flip Hunter from his pledge to Florida St, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him back on campus before NSD. The Aggies are recruiting Hunter to play that strong side end position. Coming into the weekend, I wasn't sure what to make of the legitimacy of the interest from both parties. Coming out of the weekend, it sounds to me like there's a real chance that Hunter finds his way into this class. -If there's one 2021 name I could see making a commitment to A&M at any point in the near future, it'd be either Katy Tompkins DE Tunmise Adeleye or Katy Taylor OL Bryce Foster. Both kids have been completely blown away by their visits to College Station and have expressed to numerous folks how much they feel A&M is the right fit. I'll be out to see Adeleye on Thursday when Tompkins plays Mayde Creek. -If I were a betting man, I'd put money on 2020 Clear Creek OL Chad Lindberg landing at Texas. His brother goes to school there, and the family seems comfortable having both their boys in Austin. So, who becomes remaining target number one in that in state class? From what I hear from my southeast Texas people, PNG's Jaylen Garth has made a huge move up the A&M priority list. I've also been told recently that folks close to Garth would love to see him in Aggieland. Bama and Texas remain the biggest competitors. -Two new names to get familiar with if you're an A&M recruiting fan in an increasingly impressive 2021 OL class are Waller's Augustus Rice and Denton Guyer's Knox Boyd. Both kids are getting early evals by the heavy hitters in the region, including A&M. -A Houston area source tells me that A&M will be in town next week to see top rush edge target David Ugwoegbu take on Katy. However, Ugwoegbu won't be the only guy the Aggies watch. They'll also be keeping tabs on 2020 Seven Lakes DT Tiago Sumbo, a powerful kid who impressed a lot of the defensive staff this summer when he camped at A&M. Sumbo feels like a kid that could get hot in terms of offers as soon as one school makes that first move. The Aggies would have an excellent chance at landing him should they offer, and the remain in the cat bird's seat with Ugwoegbu. Oklahoma will use their pass rushing issues as a way to indicate Ugwoegbu could come in and contribute immediately.
