Some Saturday notes
I spent all morning between A&M Consolidated and College Station High for the big 7on7 tourney here in town. There were some big time programs competing and a bunch of quality football players on display. Here are some notes I gathered today. I'll post some short videos here in a minute as well. -Let's start with stud Manvel S and Aggie commit Derrick Tucker. Tuck had a big morning. In the first half of the 9 o'clock game, he had 3 interceptions. The second one he was playing centerfield, read the QBs eyes, jumped the route and went pick six. He's incredibly rangy and has such a good feel for the game. Football is something that just happens for him. It comes natural. In our new rankings, we have him as a Top 25 player in the state, and I'm starting to think that may even be a disservice. Manvel head coach Kirk Martin even said Tucker was the best he's ever had. Total stud.-Sticking with Manvel, 2018 ATH Jalen Preston needs to be a name you recruiting followers get to know and get to know fast. He's a big, physical kid that could project at a number of spots at the next level. For now, Manvel has got him at outside receiver, and he can flat go get the football. He'll be visiting A&M today with Tucker once they finish up their games. Talking to folks around the field today, it seems like the Aggies have made a big resurgence into Preston's recruitment and a big part of that is Clarence McKinney and his ability to connect with people and kids. -Magnolia West DB Myles Jones was in attendance today but didn't play as he recovers from an ankle that sidelined him much of the spring. Good news is the cast and brace are off, and he's close to getting back on the field. He and Tucker chatted for a minute and went back and forth about who would win in a 1-on-1 basketball game. -2018 Consol S Kolby Peel is a TexAgs Top 50 prospect in the state, and he was rocking some A&M gear today at the tournament. The best way to describe Peel's game is just solid. He does everything well. He's got a nose for the football and the Consol coaches love his instincts and play making ability. I'm a big fan of his demeanor as well...never too high, never too low, just steady. Peel has seen his stock rise this spring as evaluations conclude. The Ags were by the school to see him last month as well. -Bryan High didn't have anyone out there on the Aggie radar, but I came away impressed with more than a couple of their kids. 2017 QB Mason Ray is a big kid with a good arm. He's being recruited by a lot of mid majors. 2017 WR Joseph Hedge was an animal in the game I watched against MagWest. He's got a solid list of FCS offers. And finally, 2018 S Gus Hancock continues to look like a player both on the track and the football field. A Bryan High coach said, "Whoever takes a chance on that kid is going to look real smart one day." -I was a little surprised to see Cy Ranch wide receiver and TCU commit RJ Sneed playing QB for the Mustangs 7on7 squad. Sneed generated a lot of buzz early this year but has since been rock solid to the Horned Frogs. He actually showed a nice arm at QB today, but there's no question the Horned Frogs want him at wideout. -2018 Stratford QB Mark Murdock is a name we mentioned to keep an eye on last fall. Murdock told me he's been hearing primarily from Rice and Purdue right now but would love to hear from A&M. He said he plans on camping in Aggieland sometime this summer. -College Station QB Ty Brock had an outstanding second half to lead his team to a comeback win. Ty does a solid job taking care of the football. He was on time and on the money in the action I watched. Ty continues to hear from some big time programs. The fact that he's got no game tape is probably the biggest thing holding him back because he's been fantastic in the camp and 7on7 circuits. Ty will be attending the Texas A&M QB camp coming up this month. - Quandree White remains the best 2018 slot receiver that I've seen in the state. Ty Brock's big half I watched was mostly connecting with White. He can stop/start so quick and get to top speed so fast that he's a nightmare for defenders, especially when they have to play off him at the line of scrimmage. I bet Quandree had 10 catches in the action I saw. He's camped at Rice already this summer and would like to get in front of the A&M coaches again. -Lastly at College Station, CB Timarcus Davis has picked up a couple of SEC offers in the recent months - most recently from the Arkansas Razorbacks. Davis possesses elite athleticism that's highlighted by a 40+ inch vertical and an advanced ability to change direction and break on the football. He's not that tall (a shade under 6 foot), but he's got some length. With 1 (maybe 2) spots left in the 2017 A&M secondary class, it'll be tough for Timarcus to find his way in, but the more I watch him, the more I think he's going to be a quality college football player. -One more QB note: 2019 St Pius signal caller Grant Gunnell will be at Noel Mazzone's QB camp this month. He's very high on the Aggies at this point. It's super early for that class too, but he looks like he may be the state's best. Alright, that's all I got...now back to the Regionals.