Recruiting Rankings Update: Shaking up the 2018, '19 & '20 Classes
With another month of high school football in the books, the TexAgs recruiting team updates all three of its recruiting lists. New names, big leaps and more highlight the November update to the 2018, 2019 and 2020 pecking orders.
Around Texas: A round-up of recruiting news in the Lone Star State
Pac-12 schools have had success in Texas in recent weeks, and the Aggies got a big pick-up in Arlington Lamar's Bobby Brown. Jason Howell runs down all the latest in-state news from the recruiting front.
Some weekend thoughts - high school, recruiting
Going into the weekend the big thing on my mind was watching Nicholas Bolton. I've been on his bandwagon for quite awhile and when the Aggies picked up interest I have to say I was pretty excited to actually get to write about him a little bit. Coach Chavis did not make the trip for Lone Star/Denton Ryan but coach Ron Cooper did. Bolton has a stout build and plays a smart brand of football. He is also just as capable of delivering a highlight reel hit as he is to drop deep into coverage. The height has been the big knock against him, but he has the makings of a steady contributor wherever he ends up. If the Aggies offer, look for them to be under consideration. Bolton is currently committed to Washington.Sticking with linebacker recruiting, Vanderbilt commitment Alston Orji had a very good night as Rockwall had their best defensive performance of the year. Orji is solidly committed to Vanderbilt, but the Aggies did finish second. It is going to take some things happening for Orji to reconsider his options, but he also still has plenty of good things to say about the Aggies. That's just something to tuck away.Orji's brother Anfernee Orji was at the A&M/Arkansas game yesterday. He had a big night at linebacker for Rockwall on Friday as well. Now, he is a big S and he really wants to play S even though it is likely he ends up rolling down to linebacker with his current size, build, and athleticism. He says he has not heard much from the Aggies lately and that he is currently keeping his options open. I tend to think he'll go with his brother, but we will see.In the hybrid LB/DE category, LSU commit Jarell Cherry out of Carter had the best performance I've seen him have in person. I've been pretty hard on him over the years and have not been impressed with his play when I have seen him. Now his overall athleticism is something else, but on the field has not impressed me much. In a big game against South Oak Cliff he made plays all over the field. We have him lower than most other services, but I'm thinking he deserves a bump after what I saw on Saturday. 2019 Texas Tech commit Steven Parker also showed me a lot on Saturday. He has a lot of length and a quick first step. He's originally from Lubbock and Emmett Jones being at Tech only helps the Red Raiders. If he sticks with his pledge, he'll be a good one in the Big 12.Out of all the defenders I saw this weekend South Oak Cliff 2019 CB Bobby Holmes left the biggest impression. I have been hearing about him since the spring, and he has received some high praise from a few coaches I have learned to listen to over the years. He is not the biggest, but the 5-foot-10 defender is an in the pocket defender who is not afraid of any match-up. His ability to forget the bad and bounce back is also impressive. He got beat deep for a late Carter score, but he shook it off and when he was tried deep the next few times he was right where he should have been. The mindset, the confidence, and the talent all stood out to me. It was not a flawless performance by any means, but this guy is definitely in the discussion for top cover corner in the state for 2019. He just picked up a Michigan State offer, but I have a feeling more will be on the way.On offense Rockwall's Jaxon Smith is a name to remember. He is just outside the 2020 Top 25, but it is going to be hard for me to leave him out when we update the list. He is a smooth route runner who makes crisp cuts and has sure hands. SMU has already offered, and he was at Baylor/Oklahoma this weekend. He will have plenty of attention before it is over with, and he does have an interest in the Aggies. Rockwall's Cameron Crayton is one of several under recruiting 2018 WRs in the state right now. We highlighted Georgetown's Caden Leggett is week in Around Texas, and we have talked about Round Rock Westwood's Cam Thomas already. Go ahead and put North Forney's Jordan Carroll on that list. He had 7 receptions for 221 yards and 2 TDs against Wylie East on Friday. Keller Fossil Ridge's Stefan Cobbs and Wylie's Andrew Nwachukwu are also posting big numbers. Numbers are tight with the area's P5 and FBS programs, but these guys all have the ability to play high level football.Rockwall 2019 QB Jacob Clark is a good looking prospect. He's in his first year as a starter at Rockwall after moving in from Kansas, but he has been impressive so far. He leads 6A DFW area QBs with 1,230 yards passing and has completed 67.5-percent of his passes with 12 TDs and 1 INT. Not that the Aggies need another 2019 QB target with Gunnell putting up ridiculous numbers, but just saying Clark is a good one.Spencer Sanders is my top 2018 QB in the state. He's not always the prettiest but he has the tools to do everything and produces in big moments. If Gabe Douglas did not have academic issues he would be in the discussion for No. 1 WR in the state. He's that good. Lone Star QB MJ Rivers is still more of an ATH than he is a QB. He has a gun, but his accuracy leaves him at times. Lone Star RB Kirby Bennett was impressive but he lacks that extra gear. He's a very good big back/pounder weapon on the high school level.Last but not least, a few quick notes on 2020. Carter DT Branard Wright looks the part of a future big time DT. He played both ways Saturday for Carter. I saw three talented 2020 OL prospects. Rockwall has two in tackles Matt Joyce and Ethan Fossier and South Oak Cliff has one in Anthony Faz. All three have the size. Faz had a tough day but he is light on his feet and has some good bend to him. South Oak Cliff S Jonathan Davis is quick to draw attention due to his size. He just looks like a free safety, and he showed some nice range throughout the day against Carter.
Under the Lights: Aggies bring in Texas talent for home opener
Texas A&M's first home football game will create quite a stir in the recruiting world as many of Texas' top prospects gather in College Station. Jason Howell and Ryan Brauninger have the list of Aggie targets and commits making the trip inside.
Friday Night Thoughts
Tonight did not go the way Arlington Lamar and Bobby Brown hoped. Keller Fossil Ridge handed Lamar a 49-14 loss and they led from beginning to end. The star of the night was Stefan Cobbs. He had almost 200 yards receiving and 3 TDs. He is one sleeper receiver college coaches are going to want to track if they are not already. He has good size and body control and he showed some nice quickness. Bobby Brown moved up and down the d-line, spending most of his time at a 3 or a 5, and he was disruptive all night. I can say he never threw in the towel after things got out of hand, and after the game he was honest about his take on the action. Now, he did get hung up on some blocks and put his head down and bulled his way forward at times, but for the most part he was disruptive. There were a couple of rising sophomores that jumped out to me tonight.One was Arlington Lamar 2020 WR Trevon West. I first saw him in 7on7 and Arlington Lamar people told me he had some Kofi Boateng to him. Boateng is currently at Arkansas. I liked what I saw then but after tonight he's definitely a guy to watch. He's was Lamar's biggest playmaking threat tonight, and I have a feeling he's a guy we'll be talking about over the next few years.The other is 6-1, 185-pound Fossil Ridge 2020 RB Colione Evans. I have to give credit where it's due and Texas Football's Matt Stepp mentioned him in pregame and said he had heard some pretty good things about him. He did not lie. He is a hard charging back with speed to get the corner. He was very impressive tonight picking up chunks of yards at a time. He had over 100 yards and averaged over 7 yards a carry in his debut.*******************a few notes from my interview with Bobby BrownRecruiting-wise it's still pretty much the same. He knows he will take an LSU official visit along with the Florida State and Alabama official visits he already has scheduled. He also said Texas and Oklahoma were two schools he wants to visit this fall, and this weekend he will be at Baylor.He said all of the A&M coaches have been in regular contact, and he would most likely make it back to College Station but he did not have any date set up. He has also been in touch with DaShaun White, who has been talking up the Aggies to him.The family atmosphere at A&M really stands out to him when he thinks about the Aggies.
