Around Texas: A round-up of recruiting news in the Lone Star State
Around the state of Texas, decisions are being made, visits are being taken, and offers are being extended as the regular season has now kicked off. It is time to take a look at the latest happenings on the Lone Star state recruiting front.
Around Texas: A round-up of recruiting news in the Lone Star State
Around the state of Texas, decisions are being made, visits are being taken, and offers are being extended as the regular season has now kicked off. It is time to take a look at the latest happenings on the Lone Star state recruiting front.
Monday night recruiting round up - recapping the weekend
The running recruiting thread we started last Thursday got plenty of traction through Sunday evening (100k views), but we wanted to consolidate a lot of the info we were given into one spot as well as add on some additional information we have received in the last 24 hours or so. Therefore, let's recap exactly which prospects made their way to College Station at the end of last week. A&M commitsThe Woodlands College Park OL Josh Bankhead Tomball WR Demond Demas Cibolo Steele CB Jaylon Jones (official)Ft Bend Hightower OL Smart Chibuzo - I spoke with the Bankhead crew on Saturday evening. They're all-in, but always appreciate the time spent with Josh Henson and Lee Grimes. They were optimistic about Josh getting some future teammates in the coming weeks or so. - I did an extensive interview with Demas on Friday before the Spring Game. Go check that out if you haven't already. Demond is becoming the focal point for this class both in terms of talent and leadership. He promised me he had been working behind the scenes. I heard he spent a lot of time with Jaylon Jones on Friday as well as a few of the official visitors talking about their future in Aggieland. - I'm working on getting an extensive report from Jaylon Jones about his visit, but I was able to catch up with a member of his inner circle. It was nothing but upbeat encouragement and positivity about Jaylon's decision to become an Aggie. Jaylon and his family have spent a lot of time with the A&M staff. My source said the family knows the genuine and authentic love the coaching staff has for their student athletes. They also said, "A&M is truly a world class program." - I got word over the weekend that Smart Chibuzo came to campus in better physical condition than he's been in this spring. By all accounts (including Smart's), the visit went very well. Smart said every trip to College Station reinforces why he chose the Aggies. Now, there has been some back and forth about whether or not he'll take his officials. I reported yesterday that I believed he would, but after making a few calls/texts today, I'm less certain of that. Something to keep an eye on with the long time pledge out of Missouri City. Other Official VisitorsCharlotte (NC) WR Muhsin Muhammad III Oak Park (MI) TE/WR Maliq Carr - Jason caught up with Muhammad post visit, and the quotes he got from the talented wideout matched what I had heard at the conclusion of his trip to Aggieland. It sounded like over the course of the weekend, Muhammad became more comfortable in College Station and fed off the vibe of the coaching staff and recruits present. Muhsin's father and Dameyune Craig played together for the Carolina Panthers, and the two spent some time reminiscing about their glory days. If you haven't read Jason's article, you really should. All indications are that Muhammad will likely return to College Station at some point. - Maliq Carr was a new name for a lot of you that follow A&M recruiting. The jumbo WR checked in at 235 pounds, but he has the potential to hold 250 without question. From what Jason and I have been able to gather, the majority of schools are still recruiting Carr as an either/or type player. In other words, his position will depend on how his body matures and changes. We are working to touch base with Carr, but a couple of sources indicated that, similar to Muhammad, College Station began growing on Carr as the weekend progressed. Personally, I think Carr views himself as a wide receiver, but he does remind me of Jalen Wydermyer in last year's class. 2020 Unofficial VisitorsBlinn CB Marco Domio Ft Bend Austin WR Troy Omeire CyRidge DE Vernon Broughton Aldine MacArthur CB Josh Eaton Shadow Creek S Xavion Alford Atascocita OL Jermarques Bailey Katy Seven Lakes DT Tiago Sumbo Camden (NJ) DE Fadil Diggs Richland (NJ) DT Isaiah Raikes Seffner (FL) DT Clyde Pinder - The Aggies may not be in a better position now with any in-state prospect than they are with Blinn corner Marco Domio. Originally out of Houston Heights, Domio has really come into his own as a player while at Blinn, and the offer list reflects that. Domio called walking onto Kyle Field "a dream come true" and said he grew up watching and pulling for the Ags. Check out his profile if you missed the sit down I did with him on Saturday. I'm still leaning toward an early summer decision here, but it definitely could be earlier. - Ft Bend Austin WR Troy Omeire may be the biggest dogfight left in terms of skill positions in the state. Here's what I know: certain members of Omeire's inner circle favor A&M and would like to see Troy in Aggieland. However, recent momentum has been with Texas, and Troy went to Austin the day after leaving College Station. While at A&M, he spent extensive time with Dameyune Craig, Jimbo Fisher, and even got the full pitch from Leon O'Neal. Omeire's family was also able to sit down with some of the A&M commits' families, as well. Prognosticating this one has been difficult for analysts on both sides of the Lone Star ledger, but based on what I've been told by sources in the know, I'd give the ever so slight edge to the Longhorns as things stand today. - Vernon Broughton is another interesting case. In fact, he may be the hardest prospect for me to get a read on at this point. He showed up a little late to A&M's spring game on Friday night from what I've been told so I don't think he was able to spend much one-on-one time with the coaching staff. A source near Broughton even told me recently that it was tough to gauge exactly who was taking the reigns in his recruitment. Recent A&M momentum was short lived, and now it sounds like this one is back on level terms with Texas. Broughton did visit Austin on Saturday. - Josh Eaton was in a great mood when I spoke with him on Friday night before he left town. Being a Fast Houston member, Josh is drawn to watching the way Leon O'Neal plays and leads. He said he likes the thought of playing SEC football in his home state. Texas was once way out in front here, and from what I heard, was on the verge of getting his commitment. It seems like things have swung back toward the middle now with both sides laying out there plans for him to see. Eaton said he was unsure of all of his official visit plans but did say the Aggies would be getting one. - Another Fast Houston member and A&M offer that was in attendance on Friday was Shadow Creek S Xavion Alford. Alford told me he had to leave the game early due to a family commitment in Houston. He did say he was looking forward to calling Coach Elko and Leon after the game. He's making return visit plans, as well. He's also adding some good weight to his frame. He's nearing 190 pounds as he heads into his final HS summer. - Both Jermarques Bailey and Tiago Sumbo would probably be considered "on the radar" prospects. Bailey is a giant who has had a solid camp circuit in 2019. Sumbo is a powerful, low center of gravity interior DL prospect. I think both guys could find their way to College Station this summer for camp. - If you need any info on Diggs and Raikes, check out the update I had on them earlier this evening. It's got the most up to date info we've got on both prospects. The Ags could be on the verge of grabbing two highly regarded east coast defenders. - We are working on getting more intel on the visit of Clyde Pinder. He's an under the radar kid out of Florida, but I did speak with one analyst in the Sunshine State that believes he could be on the verge of racking up some big time offers in the region. He may return to College Station for camp. 2021 Unofficial VisitorsNorth Shore QB Dematrius Davis North Shore WR Shadrach Banks CyRanch TE Ben Postma Lubbock Coronado QB Sawyer RobertsonPleasant Grove DE Landon Jackson Pleasant Grove DE Marcus Burris Richmond Foster OL Reuben Fatheree Prosper LB Aidan Siano - It's still very early in the decision making process for the vast majority of the 2021 class. Therefore, without breaking down each individual visit, I'll just hit the highlights. To start, getting the North Shore duo of Banks and Davis on campus on Saturday was big. Those are two kids that Demond Demas is really pitching hard. Davis, while not the tallest kid, has an unbelievable track record for a sophomore QB. Banks is a super quiet kid, but we've gotten word he's been open with the A&M staff about his affinity for the Aggies. Both decided to come Saturday so that they could have more of the day to themselves. - Reuben Fatheree had some good quotes following his visit. He said it was important that his family got to sit down and speak with Josh Henson. Long, long way to go in that one, but I think the Aggies will stick around for the majority of his recruitment. He said Jimbo and Lee Grimes told him that as long as he's uncommitted, they will be recruiting him as hard as anyone else in the class. - I did a sit down interview with Landon Jackson that you can find on his page. He came with his dad who played basketball at A&M. He said he finished up his career in 1998 and said he can't believe how much the town and university had changed. It was important for A&M to get Landon to campus because, even though it's early, he had really started to like what programs like Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas were saying. In my opinion, I think this weekend re-solidified the Aggies as primary contender for one of the state's best in 2021. His teammate, Marcus Burris, is nothing to sneeze at either. He earned an offer from the Aggies over the weekend. Jason spoke with him at the conclusion of his visit. That article is linked on his profile page. He likes the idea of playing SEC ball in Texas early on. - Postma, Robertson, and Siano do not have A&M offers, but I'd expect to see at least two, if not all, of them back on campus this summer at camp. That's about it. I'm sure I missed something in there. Maybe Jason can come in behind me and fill in if I left anything out.