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.
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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.
Signing Day Superlatives: Analyzing Texas A&M's 2018 class
With the 2018 Texas A&M Football signing class in the books, it's time to take a look at the biggest, fastest and most athletic players the Aggies inked. Inside, Ryan Brauninger and Jason Howell give their opinions on the biggest hitters, sleepers, personalities and more.
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WATCH HERE: 2018 National Signing Day Show
Featuring interviews with 2018 signees and high school coaches and analysis from Billy Liucci, Seth McKinney, Stephen McGee, Ryan Brauninger and others, TexAgs presents its four-hour Signing Day special in video form.
Christmas Eve recruiting notes
About a week ago, one source close to Oak Ridge DE Joseph Ossai mentioned the possibility of a Christmas Day decision. While my source wasn't definitive, he did believe it was a legitimate option for the Ossai family. Now, another separate source in Conroe told me tonight he doesn't expect any movement until late January/early February. At this point, I don't believe we'll see anything happen tomorrow, but if the chance has been completely ruled out, it has not been relayed to me as of 9:30 tonight. Just something to keep an eye on...Speaking of Ossai, you're all very aware by now how tied he is to Terry Price. I was told twice this weekend that competing schools are coming at A&M defensive commits and prospects with the premise of, "A&M isn't being honest about Price, and they don't have a coordinator. There's no way they can definitively say they're going to keep him without a defensive coordinator in place. What happens if the new DC has his own guys?" Well, when the Dead Period ends, those arguments will be moot. By that time, Jimbo Fisher will have his DC in place, and Terry Price will be retained on staff and that comes straight from Looch. Staying on the defensive line, more momentum continues to the Maroon & White's way with Katy DL Moro Ojomo. Folks near the Katy program certainly believe the 16 year old senior has a great shot at landing in Aggieland. Make no mistake about it either, this is a kid that is coveted by the Aggie staff. His monster senior year coupled with his age and great length and motor make him an attractive commodity. Where would you rank a defensive line class that looked like this:Max Wright Mohamed Diallo Tyree Wilson Joseph Ossai Moro Ojomo Jeremiah Martin Keondre Coburn or Bobby Brown ...that'd be a pretty stinkin good haul, and it's not totally out of the realm of happening. Looking at all those names, two are inked in Max and Diallo. Ossai leaning very heavily A&M, and Ojomo appears to be trending that way as well. I'd call Martin a 50-50 coin flip. Getting Coburn on campus as an official visitor will probably be one of the top priorities in January, and his response to a weekend in College Station will be interesting. If you're asking me personally, it looks like Brown is the furthest one away in the list above. Jason may feel otherwise, and if he does, I'll always cede to him in terms of DFW guys. Lastly, I suspect we'll see quite a few underclass offers go out during the Dead Period. Here are some names I saw at the state championships that I'm waiting to see get one from the Aggies...Lake Travis WR Garrett Wilson Allen WR Theo Wease Manvel DL Kori Roberson Newton DB Tamauzia Brown 2020 Lake Travis ATH Hudson Card