Marquez Perez

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.

From what I hear, the A&M staff remains highly interested in 2019 A&M Consolidated DT Josh Ellison and 2020 Consol WR Brian Darby. Ellison (6-3, 290) is expected to be evaluated again soon by both Terry Price and David Turner. He's been added as a maybe on the visitor list this weekend. If he's unable to get across town this Saturday, I'd think you'd see him on campus in the near future. Ellison was offered by Kansas this week but is drawing big interest from the Power 5 programs across the region. Darby already looks like a top 10-20 prospect in the state, and I had one insider tell me it won't be long before he's pulling in big time offers. He's been in contact with the prestigious Fast Houston 7 on 7 team and has had a really solid first half of the season. If you'll remember, A&M commits such as Leon O'Neal, Jordan Moore, and Caleb Chapman played for Fast Houston. In other words, they don't take guys that can't ball. Could the Aggies be the first to move on the local playmaker? We'll see.Staying at Consol, 2019 OL Reid Francis was invited to the A&M-Bama game this weekend but had already made plans to visit Washington. He'll visit Oklahoma later this month and TCU to begin November. He's working to fit in an A&M visit. I was told Francis was the most dominant player on the field last week in Consol's win over Waco. The 6-5, 310 pounder projects as an interior offensive linemen.Lastly, across town, College Station ATH Marquez Perez and his blazing speed continue to draw attention. The Tulsa commit is one of the fastest kids I've seen in the last two recruiting cycles. The Aggies have prioritized other targets, but he is on the Maroon & White radar.

Let's just start with this: 2019 Texas A&M commit Grant Gunnell is the most advanced quarterback I've ever seen at the high school level. We have him ranked as the number one overall player in Texas in 2019, and it was going to be tough to outdo Jordan Whittington's (number 2 overall) performance from last week. All Gunnell did was go 40-60 for 449 yards and 6 passing touchdowns. He also added a score on the ground...and he did all that in front of Noel Mazzone. Here's how I would grade his skill set:Arm - A-Touch - AFunctional mobility - AFeel - A+Leadership - A+Mannerisms/Demeanor - A+I'm not kidding when I say that he could be a college quarterback right now. He was that good tonight. After the game, Gunnell told me he was "110% committed" to his "dream school". 2019 A&M WR commit Chase Lane got nicked up at practice this week when he rolled his ankle. He gave it a go but clearly wasn't 100% from the start. He re aggravated it in the first quarter when he planted on an out route. He was disappointed he didn't get to impact the game as much as he would have liked, but he's going to have a big year with Gunnell tossing him the rock. Florida St commit Jalen Curry had an exceptional night. He and Gunnell really got clicking in the second half. I don't have his final numbers, but he had to be over 10 grabs and 100 yards. Curry is just so physical. He runs through arm tackles with little issue. I wouldn't call him a burner, but he's definitely not slow. He ran good routes and catches everything. Very sharp performance from him tonight. He told me it was good to get back to Kyle Field last weekend and see all of his buddies at A&M. He remains committed to Florida St, but he did wear Aggie gloves tonight. There was also some buzz around St Pius that would indicate this recruitment isn't over. Two 2018 names from St Pius that really impressed me were slot WR Jacob Jefferson (Northwestern) and OL Tyler Vrabel. Jefferson is small, but he's a playmaker. The Aggies are in the market for an inside slot guy and are behind for Jaylen Waddle. Vrabel (son of former NFL LB Mike Vrabel) was scouted by the A&M staff last spring, and he's an intriguing specimen. He's a natural knee bender with plus athleticism and a frame that will hold more weight. Noel Mazzone spent some time examining him in warmups. Keep an eye on this one. It's possible the Aggies take a fourth OL, and Vrabel fits the bill of Jim Turner type of guy. He told me after the game that he's currently solid to Boston College. I've heard an A&M offer could change that. For College Station, I think Tulsa commit Marquez Perez will be hearing from some big time programs soon. He's one of the fastest kids I've seen this calendar year. He plays QB for College Station, but he'll be a slot/punt return guy in college. He broke loose for a long TD run in the second half and hit a gear not many people have. Jeff Banks evaluated him last spring and was intrigued by that speed according to sources at College Station. Again, just something to watch as the Aggies continue to evaluate inside receivers if they choose to take someone not named Jaylen Waddle.