On Marcus Stripling...
Just spoke with Katy Mayde Creek DE Marcus Stripling who is wrapping up a 3 day trip to College Station. Without going into too much detail, not much has changed in terms of where he stands with Texas A&M. The bond he's formed with the current players and commits is carrying a lot of weight. We all knew he was tight with Braedon Mowry, but he's also starting to form some strong bonds with Jeffery Carter, Bobby Wolfe, and Kenyon Green, as well as guys on the team like Jordan Moore and Max Wright.The most relevant piece of news is that Stripling still believes he'll take some official visits. He said A&M would get one for sure, and he also mentioned LSU and Alabama. Outside of those three, he said he was unsure if he would take the other two, and if he did, where they would be. Still no definitive timetable here. I remain rather comfortable calling the Aggies the leaders though.
Saturday running recruiting thread
With so many kids headed into town, I figured I'd start this and post updates from throughout the day. I know Christian Harris and Nakobe Dean got into town yesterday. Marcus Stripling spent a lot of time talking with Max Wright about playing football at A&M.Word I got on Javonne Shepherd was that he had not communicated either way whether he was coming or not.Things still trending in the right direction for recent OL offer Layden Robinson.Adrian Medley and Hunter Rayburn both made it in for their officials. David Ugwoegbu told me earlier this week that he probably wasn't going to be able to make it. While I still don't expect it, a Katy source said yesterday to not rule it out.Clear Lake QB Shae Suiaunoa threw for the A&M coaches this week and apparently threw well enough that the staff wants a follow up. That was before Zach Calzada came in yesterday so, like I said, let's see where QB stands on the other side of the weekend.RJ Orebo and Josh Bankhead have both tweeted that they've made it in. 2020 Newton DE James Sylvester tweeted that he was coming up today. Still trying to run down whether his teammate and WR offer Tamauzia Brown will be with him, but last night, it sounded like it was just going to be Sylvester.
My Three Things
1. The 2018 Class is on its way to College Station - Things have been moving at such a rapid pace on the recruiting front that this one honestly snuck up on me. But it is here all the same, and signees are moving in. In the last week I saw two future A&M DLs and it quickly reminded me just how much talent is in the class. The DL group of Tyree Wilson, Bobby Brown, Jeremiah Martin, Max Wright, and Mohamed Diallo is an SEC bunch. They may not all be ready to play from Day 1, but there is length, athleticism, and big time potential in all of those guys. It is hard not to smile when you think what those guys can do in the trenches. I know I am looking forward to watching them develop. And one last thing. To steal from the Dan Patrick Show, Stat of the day: Jeremiah Martin had 30.5 sacks and 47 TFLs in 16 games last fall. That's just ridiculous. https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell/status/9983093166786396172. Miami assistant Todd Hartley sit down - First here's Hartley's tweethttps://twitter.com/coach_thartley/status/998893294871547909Now that I know we've all seen it I'll just say he should have kept his mouth shut. I do agree that things can and often do get out of control with the recruiting process and top schools and favorite lists and all of that, but we all have to take some ownership of this thing especially the adults. The media, the college coaches, even the fans have some responsibility when it comes to this. But just for the sake of brevity let's stick with the college coaches and why Hartley just needs to take his seat. College coaches continue to recruit prospects committed to other programs all the time, and they certainly do not quit if they are left off a list of top schools. If they want a prospect they are going to pursue to the end, and they are going to do as much as possible to stay in the fight. So I cannot fault a prospect for flipping, switching, and shaking up his list. Even if he does it multiple times. It is also why I love how Jimbo Fisher's staff recruits the A&M commitments as hard as they do any other prospect on their board. It is why I love seeing how they doggedly pursue committed and uncommitted prospects. You have to in today's recruiting climate. It is part of the game especially with the most highly coveted prospects. If you do not like it then change the rules, but know change is only going to happen when the adults in the game start making the changes. 3. The Opening Finals in Frisco - I am sad to see the Opening Finals leave Nike headquarters in Oregon. It was always a fun trip and an incredibly unique experience for the prospects and reporters lucky enough to have the opportunity to go. That said, the star-studded event is now being held at the Star in Frisco June 30-July 3 and it should be amazing. The rosters are out and there are going to be plenty of reasons A&M fans are going to want to pay attention. The Aggies will be represented by commitments Brian Williams and Demani Richardson at the event, and there are several other targets. In the secondary alone Erick Young, Bobby Wolfe, Marcus Banks, Jeffery Carter, and Jaydon Hill will be in attendance. Others of note include RB Eric Gray who just took an unofficial visit, RB Isaiah Spiller, LB Nakobe Dean, DE Marcus Stripling, DT Ishmael Sopsher, OLs Kenyon Green and Javonne Shepherd, and underclassmen Jase McClellan, Zach Evans, and Bryan Bresee. There are others I'm sure I'm leaving off, but I'm trying to keep this post short. Just know this is one event I have circled on my calendar.
Spring Game visitor list
Here's what we have. As always, we will update throughout the week with additions/subtractions as we get more info.A&M signeesMax Wright Leon O'Neal Jordan Moore Caleb Chapman Jalen Preston James Foster Tank Jenkins Official visitorsSt Pius WR Chase Lane Bishop Dunne S Brian Williams Colleyville Heritage WR Kameron Brown A&M Consolidated DT Josh Ellison Waxahachie S Demani Richardson Converse Judson DL DeMarvin Leal Houston Madison CB Bobby Wolfe Ft Bend Bush CB Erick Young Brooklyn (NY) Adisa Isaac Aledo CB Jeffery Carter UnofficialsCoppell K Caden Davis Katy Taylor DE Braedon Mowry Dayton OLB RJ OreboKaty Seven Lakes DE David Ugwoegbu Katy Mayde Creek DE Marcus Stripling Atascocita OL Kenyon Green Katy Cinco Ranch LB David Gbenda Gilbert (AZ) DE Ty RobinsonCrandall OL Branson Bragg Amarillo Tascosa RB King Doerue Brock TE Baylor Cupp Spring Dekaney CB Marcus Banks Dickinson TE Jalen Wydermyer Klein Collins RB Isaiah Spiller (maybe)Baton Rouge (LA) ATH Christian Harris Austin Bowie WR Elijah Higgins Lake Travis S Hunter Henry Newton RB Darwin Barlow Franklin S/LB Jared Pedraza College Station S Brandon JosephMidlothian Heritage WR Langston Anderson Pearland DE Gilbert Ibeneme 2020Navasota OL Jordan Jefferson Ft Bend Kempner OL Akinola Ogunbiyi Ft Bend Austin OL Kendal Septs Ft Bend Austin WR Troy Omeire Southlake Carroll DB RJ Mickens Duncanville S Chris Thompson Haynesville (LA) DT Camron Jackson Lewisville Hebron S Darius Snow Newton DE James Sylvester Alexandria (LA) DT Jacobian Guillory A&M Consolidated WR Brian Darby A&M Consolidated WR Devin Price A&M Consolidated CB Nate Floyd New Caney DB Dwight McGlothern Cibolo Steele CB Jaylon Jones 2021Katy Taylor OL Bryce Foster Katy Taylor OL Hayden Conner (maybe)
Saturday practice visitors
This is off the top of my head so Jason may come along and add to it...Official VisitWellington OL Trevor Roberson Unofficial St Pius WR Chase Lane ***Dayton OLB RJ Orebo***Atascocita OL Kenyon Green 2021 Katy Taylor OL Bryce Foster A&M signees Brian Johnson Max Wright Jalen Preston (maybe)There's also going to be at least one surprise visitor that we'll reveal later today. We are keeping it quiet at the kid's request.