Around Texas: The top in-state performances of Signing Day 2017
National Signing Day has come and gone, and the biggest names around the state have signed with their schools of choice. Jason Howell takes a look at each in-state school's class, the biggest wins and toughest hits of recruiting's most important day.
Championship Wrap: Top performances from Texas' state title games
Texas' high school football season came to an end this weekend as teams took home state titles for their respective divisions. With those titles came big performances from some of the state's top players and a host of new names.
Around Texas: A round-up of recruiting news in the Lone Star State
A host of new coaches are scouring Texas with only a couple of months left until Signing Day. What impact are they having, and how are the Aggies and Kevin Sumlin holding up? Jason Howell has all the answers inside.
How about a Class of 2017 screengrab?
Considering how crazy active things have been on the recruiting front the past month or so, let's take a moment to regroup and take stock of where things stand for the Aggies on the 2017 recruiting front, with a position-by-position breakdown including commitments, needs and notes:QB - DONE* Kellen Mond * Connor Blumrick RB - DONE or +1* Travis Etienne Jr Next up? The Ags will continue to pursue Ohio State pledge and multi-purpose back JK Dobbins. In the event that Rakeem Boyd does not make it into school, then the Ags' decision comes down to whether they go all-in with Dobbins and roll the dice that they can keep him close to home or does Clarence McKinney move on Baton Rouge Christian Life's Jacob Kibodi, a satellite camp standout who the Ags are particularly high on, knowing that Kibodi would likely shut things down in favor of the Maroon & White.TE - DONE* Camron Horry * Keynel McZeal Next up? Probably nothing if Horry and McZeal don't take any visits but it is worth mentioned that California standout Josh Falo continues to list the Aggies as one of the primary contenders for his commitment. A longshot, IMO, and Jeff Banks is very happy with the two guys currently in the fold.WR - Ideally +2* Roshauud Paul * Camron Buckley Next up? Former Tennessee commit and DeSoto blazer K.D. Nixon is certainly one to watch and will be in Aggieland next week. No offer yet, but Aaron Moorehead is giving him a very serious look. From there, we're talking about the usual suspects - Hezekiah Jones, CeeDee Lamb and Omar Manning. As of today, I'm still really liking A&M's chances with Hez, am hearing that Oklahoma is beginning to once again trend with the former Sooner commit Lamb and, despite making up ground, the Ags still trail TCU and Texas for Manning. As we've been saying for a while now, Jones is likely to make his choice sometime prior to the start of his senior season. Lamb plans to make a July 25 announcement and it's worth noting that Sumlin, Moorehead and the Aggies are in the midst of a pretty furious push that's at least a couple of weeks in the making. If the Ags can somehow land two of their remaining 'Big Three,' we're talking about an rock-solid haul at the position bordering on an A+.OL - DONE or +1* Grayson Reed * Creed Humphrey * Adrian Wolford * Carson Green Next up? Considering momentum at the position, need in the younger classes and the fact that Jim Turner is as confident as any coach in America when it comes to his own evals at the position, I think the safe money is on the Ags eventually adding one more to what is currently an outstanding four-man haul. The question is whether Turner and the Aggies stick in state and pursue a one-time target like Birdville's Jared Hocker or wait patiently while pursuing the likes of California five-star Alijah Vera-Tucker or a coveted prospect currently committed elsewhere. DL - +4-5Next up? Things are pretty wide open for Terry Price and David Turner when it comes to the Ags' ongoing efforts along the defensive line and get a little more tricky because the Ags are, in fact, recruiting several DE/DT tweeners along the line. As far as the attainable bigger (as in size and perhaps eventual DTs) targets go - names like Tennessee 310-pounder Ben Hutch, Bellaire's Jayden Peevy, Houston Christian's Joshua Rogers and Katy standout Corey Bethley are all guys who the Ags should have an excellent shot to sign. Hutch really likes A&M, Louisville and Nebraska and plans to return to College Station later this summer with his mother. This is one where I believe a hard push by the Ags could result in a pre-season commit. A&M seems to have lost some ground with Bethley (OU is trending) of late but Turner and Jeff Banks and working hard to get the big end on campus later this month with his close friend and Aggie commit Camron Horry. Rogers is still one to watch if you're monitoring pre-season commit possibilities, as is Peevy should the Ags get him on campus again prior to camp. Regardless of how long these guys decide to wait, the expectation here is that A&M will be in the thick of things with all four and will eventually sign at least two members of the bunch. At end, all signs continue to point to Hutto's Ondario Robinson choosing the Ags at halftime of the Hippos' first game this fall. California edge-rusher Addison Gumbs is still working to set up a visit to Aggieland for the 'Who'sNext?' BBQ and Washington, D.C. four-star end Tyree Johnson. The Ags' odds of landing Robinson and one of the OOS rushers look pretty good at this point in time. As for A&M offers like North Shore's K'Lavon Chaisson, Episcopal DT Marvin Wilson and Temple DE Taquon Graham, Kevin Sumlin and Co. are currently on the outside looking in.LB - +1-2* Santino Marchiol * Devodrick Johnson Next up? This one is actually pretty clear-cut. The goal at the position is four, the dire need is probably three (thanks to having so many spin-down candidates on campus and in the incoming Class of '16). With the 6-0.5, 213-pound Johnson joining the fold yesterday, all eyes are now affixed on Kenneth Murray of Elkins. The 6-2, 210-pounder will announce on August 10 and most believe he'll be choosing between A&M, Texas and OU, with sources close to the Houston-area LB still saying the Ags are in a good spot. Murray will, however, trip to Norman before his announcement so that's something A&M must navigate. If the Aggies do land Kenneth in three weeks, then expect to see Sumlin and John Chavis continue a furious push to make up ground on the Sooners with state No. 1 Anthony Hines of Plano East (he's going to make an early decision) before moving on to other targets.CB - DONE or +1* Devin Morris * Myles Jones * Debione Renfro Next up? We probably won't see much happen at cornerback for the Aggies, though they're still very much in the mix for Port Arthur Memorial speedster Kary Vincent. Vincent is considered a pretty heavy LSU lean at this point and plans to announce prior to his senior season. Though the Bayou Bengals are in the driver's seat, if there's one school I wouldn't rule out, it's Texas A&M for the one-time Aggie lean and legacy prospect.S - DONE* Derrick Tucker * Keldrick Carper (ATH)Next up? Because of the fact that Terry Joseph has several defensive backs committed, signed and on the way or already on campus who are physically equipped to play anywhere on the secondary, the Aggies are probably just fine with Tucker and Carper in the fold and essentially out of the 2017 safety market.K/P - NONEIn closing, the Ags currently sit at 18 commitments and probably have room to add at least nine more to the 2017 class. Not taking into account things like de-commits or unexpected roster attrition, things could very well break down like this between now and NSD: 2 WR, 4-5 DL and 1-2 LB, with 'possibles' of one more corner, offensive lineman and/or tailback.
Recruiting Snapshot: Aggies' top targets along the defensive line
Stockpiling the state's best defensive line talent has become a tradition at Texas A&M since Kevin Sumlin's arrival, but trends in the 2017 class have left the question of who the Aggies will add this time around wide open. Who's on the short list, and who reciprocates?