Around Texas: A round-up of recruiting news in the Lone Star State
Texas' head-coaching landscape in the college ranks has undergone some significant shifts in the last few weeks, and it's having a large impact on recruiting. Jason Howell has all of the biggest developments inside.
Late night recruiting quick hitters
With the Ags playing in state this weekend, expect to see some of the coaching staff hit some games to see their top prospects play the next couple of nights. I'm hearing from a couple of Houston area sources that Kevin Sumlin could make an appearance at some games starting tomorrow night. If that does happen, it's a good bet that Katy vs Katy Taylor ( Corey Bethley, Connor Galvin, Max Wright, Camron Horry, Ean Beek) and CyRanch vs. CyFair ( RJ Sneed, Amaud Willis-Dalton, Colten Blanton, Brock Wright, Austin Deculus) will be on the docket. It also wouldn't surprise me to see Jeff Banks and Clarence McKinney make the rounds the next couple nights either. Got a quick update on Hutto DE Ondario Robinson tonight as well. The central Texas source I spoke with says Ondario is getting close to decision time (he's hearing 7-10 days), and my contact continued on to say things are trending heavily A&M's way. Not much in terms of ground breaking info, but it does mesh with what we've been hearing and putting out. Also, don't sleep on a pair of Arizona pass rushers in Odua Isibor and My-King Johnson. While they may not have been getting much run, I don't believe the Ags have completely closed the book in the desert.
Changing Course: Texas A&M's 2017 recruiting efforts at LB and OL
With two decommitments at the LB and OL spots over the past week, the Texas A&M staff may need to look to new faces to fill out the 2017 recruiting class. TexAgs recruiting analyst Jason Howell has composed a list of the most likely candidates, complete with highlights.
Recruiting notes from the road
Whew, what a day...for a lot of reasons. Anyway, I started my trek today with a stop in at Magnolia West to see A&M DB commit Myles Jones. Myles is finally get back to form after an ankle injury sidelined him much of the spring and summer. He looks like he's adding a little weight each time I see him. He's solid to the Aggies and is making plans for his official visit. Myles and his team will play in Navasota and Brenham this fall, so folks around the area will have a chance to see him play. From Magnolia, I headed down to Katy Taylor to catch up with their growing list of prospects - which is obviously now highlighted by A&M TE commit Camron Horry. Horry visited LSU this summer, but he assured me it was just a "look and see" visit. He then followed that with, "For me, it doesn't compare to Aggieland." Horry says he's solid to the Aggies. Meanwhile, perhaps the best DL in the 2018 Texas class is Max Wright who looks refreshed and rejuvenated after battling through offseason knee rehab. Max dropped some weight he had added during the rehab process and flashed good explosiveness and quickness. While he's in no hurry to shut down his recruitment, there are certain factors he's looking for in a school. The Aggies are, and have been, in a good spot for Max for some time. Lastly at Taylor, there's 2019 mammoth OL Andrew Coker who stands nearly 6-7 and weighs in right at 300 lbs. Coker's bend and mobility have noticeably improved since the spring. He's grabbing a ton of early attention from schools across the region, including Texas A&M. Coker grew up a Florida fan, but he's going to listen to all comers at this point. I ended my day with a late evening run to CyRanch. I've never seen so many kids dressed for a single football practice. It was amazing to see that many players at a practice. The main attraction there though is top 2018 OL Colten Blanton -- a kid who openly told us that he nearly committed to A&M during last month's BBQ. He told me tonight though that after thinking about it, he's going to wait to make a decision until next summer. Colten has struck a great relationship with Jim Turner and is looking forward to continuing that. Remember, Blanton has family that attended A&M.Other prospects at Ranch include TCU WR commit RJ Sneed (who I thought looked pretty good today) and OLB Amaud Willis-Dalton. Amaud is a little light right now, but he can sure run to the football. With the Ags back in the market for OLB, Willis-Dalton could be a name to track. He says he hasn't heard from A&M recently though. I'm back at it again at 7 tomorrow morning with the A&M Consolidated Tigers who have some really talented underclassmen. I'll do radio at 9 then head to the south side of town tomorrow evening to check in with the guys at College Station High.
Recruiting Snapshot: Aggies' top targets at linebacker
If there is one area that Kevin Sumlin and Texas A&M have struggled to recruit defensively over the last few years, it's linebacker. The class of 2017 shows promising signs, however — and Texas boasts some talented prospects. Which ones are looking at the Aggies?