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.
Notes from the ETSN.fm/APEC East Texas Combine
The ETSN.fm/APEC East Texas Combine is one of my favorite events of the year and this year did not disappoint.When it comes to A&M recruiting two names jump to the front of the list. One is Nacodoches 2020 OL Riley Birdwell. The other is Diboll 2020 ATH Herbert Gums. Birdwell checked in at 6-4, 340 pounds. He visited Texas A&M last weekend and is on the Aggie's radar. He grew up a fan of the Aggies because of the culture, and he plans to attend camp this summer. He keeps in touch with offensive line coach Jim Turner on a regular basis and he is also hearing from Louisiana Tech, SMU, and Baylor. Birdwell is known for his strength. He boasts a deadlift of 580, a squat of 655, and a bench of 325. He is a powerlifter in the offseason and his heavy hands were easy to spot in one-on-one drills. I would like to see him keep those hands inside with more consistency, but his feet were more impressive than I anticipated. He has yet to receive his first offer.https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell/status/998309307937673217Gums checked in at 6-2, 240 pounds and he will remind people of Vernon Jackson with his build and position projections. He worked at RB today, but he is being recruited on both offense and defense. He's a guy I could see as a FB/H-back type and Texas A&M is a program he says is showing heavy interest. Look for him to attend camp this summer. He holds offers from Houston (RB), SFA (LB), and Tulsa. LSU is a childhood favorite. -Another Texas A&M note, West Rusk standout and Texas A&M signee Tyree Wilson was in Tyler watching the action today. He turned 18 today and checks in at 6-6, 235. He reports to College Station next week.https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell/status/998309316678639617A few guys who caught my attention-OL Devon King, Gilmer (2020) - The 6-3, 300-pound offensive lineman projects to OG, but he will also work on the defensive side of the ball and could emerge as a DT prospect. He has a build reminiscent of Marshall OL Chasen Hines. He's a barrel chested prospect with a powerful base. There were times he stopped moving his feet but he consistently stopped defenders dead in their tracks with great hand position. He is the son of former Daingerfield standout and Kansas State LB David King and he is related to Kendall Hunter and Keontae Burns. He is a high academic kid and he wants to be a physical therapist. He already bench presses 400 pounds and he holds an offer from Texas State. SMU, Texas, and a few others are showing early interest. Look for his stock to rise.https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell/status/998309009340993536-DE/TE Allen Horace, Crockett (2020) - Baylor and Oklahoma State have already offered the 6-5, 225-pound prospect. Both have also offered at different positions. Baylor offered at DE, while Oklahoma State offered at TE. He is also a standout on the basketball court. He did not mention Texas A&M but he is hearing from Houston, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma about camps. He worked at DE during the camp and his length jumps out immediately. He clocked around a 4.8 40 and had a vertical over 30-inches. He's a guy I could see popping up on radars with a strong summer camp season.-RB/ATH TK Hamilton, Waskom (2019) - he took home RB MVP honors and may have been the fastest prospect there with a 4.47 electronic 40. He has the look of a slot WR or a CB right now and there is no doubt he brings some twitch to the table. He checks in at 6-foot, 160-pounds.-S Jerrin Thompson, Lufkin (2020) - Thompson is a rangy S with several offers on the table. Today he just missed DB MVP honors. He currently plans to camp at A&M this summer as well as Houston and Texas Tech.-WR TQ Jackson, Jefferson (2019) - Jackson was the highest ranked and most highly recruited prospect at the event today and he took home overall offensive MVP honors. -QB Jake Smith, Nacogdoches (2020) - Smith was a pleasant surprise. He spun the ball very well and threw with accuracy. He also checked in around 6-3 with a solid build. Look out for this guy, he'll attract some FBS attention his way. https://twitter.com/Jason_Howell/status/998308630549159936
Scattershooting the 2018 Texas A&M Football Signing Class: Part 2
With Jimbo Fisher's first recruiting class mostly in the books at Texas A&M, it's time to take a wide view of how the Aggies fared on National Signing Day. Billy Liucci breaks down the class Fisher's staff inked on a short schedule in the final piece of this two-part series.
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A 2018 signing class three-pack with Billy Liucci
During Friday's edition of TexAgs Radio, Billy Liucci joined TexAgs Radio to discuss three topics pertaining to the 2018 Texas A&M football signing class including thoughts on his favorite signees in the class, the most likely instant impact players from the class and more.
Around Texas: The Lone Star State's Signing Day winners
Teams across the Lone Star State put together solid finishes to their recruiting classes as many prospects chose to stay home. Jason Howell takes a look at the biggest winners from yesterday inside.