Chris Herron

7-on-7 season kicked off today in Bedford, Texas and there were some key Texas A&M targets involved in the action Fort Worth Nolan Catholic defensive end/linebacker NaNa Osafo-Mensah was playing linebacker for TrueBuzz, and the Aggies have been one of his top programs. Notre Dame has been too, and Mike Elko played a big part in his recruiting to Texas A&M. After hearing of coach Elko's move to Notre Dame, Osafo-Mensah made it clear the hire was a big deal for him. Today, he reiterated those thoughts."It was just really shocking to me because a few weeks before I heard Elko might be leaving Notre Dame and I didn't believe it at first," Osafo-Mensah said. "Then when I heard the news in Orlando it was just really big to me because Elko was one of my favorite coaches at Notre Dame. He's been recruiting me hard and we have a good relationship. Then seeing him come to A&M, that's a really big deal to me because I've been a big fan of his 3-4 defense up there. So, if he's going to bring that defense down to A&M, that would be a huge deal."Osafo-Mensah has also built a strong bond with A&M assistant Terry Price, and the idea of them both being in College Station is a very good thing."It means a lot to me," he said. "It means a lot to me having two elite coaches like that on one team like that, and also those are two or my favorite coaches personally. So having those two there means a lot."Where do the Aggies stand now? Here's what Osafo-Mensah had to say "It puts A&M close to the top. I'm not going to lie about that because that's going to have a big impact on me."Notre Dame and LSU are also still high on his list and the only trip on his schedule right now is a trip to Notre Dame in January.*********Fort Bend Bush cornerback Erick Young has established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the country, and the Aggies have made a big push up his list since the arrival of Jimbo Fisher. A certain assistant coach has played a big role in A&M's recent momentum."Coach Brewster from FSU, I like him a lot," Young said. "I like how as soon as he got to A&M, he re-offered me. I like him as a coach and I want to play for him."He does not know much about new defensive coordinator Mike Elko, but he expects to learn more about him in the near future. Young says the Aggies are a standout program. He also lists the Aggies along with LSU, Oregon, Georgia, and TCU as standout programs.Houston Madison defensive back Bobby Wolfe has also planted himself firmly on the radar of college coaches. He has not heard from the Aggies at this time, but he is interested."I like the Aggies. It's a pretty nice program," Wolfe said. "Coach Fisher is down there now. He just left Florida State and I think they'll be successful over the next couple of years."He plans to visit A&M this spring along with Ole Miss, Alabama, and LSU. Wolfe grew up a fan of Ole Miss, and was originally committed to the Rebels before re-opening his recruiting process.Young and Wolfe were lockdown, physical corners for Air Assault today, and are two of the top DBs in the state. ************RJ Mickens was putting in some work today. He has been taking things slow with recruiting and the Aggies are very much in the mix. However, today, he was wearing some Stanford gloves. Now, I definitely see the Cardinal playing a big role in his recruiting process, but this is not something to freak out about right now. Another 2020 prospect with Texas A&M ties is Reggie Brown. He's a 6-2.5, 230-pound h-back/tight end out of Houston Lamar and he is the son of the former Texas A&M linebacker and first round NFL draft pick. He showed some big, soft hands today, and he seems to have embraced the h-back/tight end role. Ty Warren has a group out of the Bryan/College Station area called X-factor. They are young, but they got out there and competed today in their first 7-on-7 competition. It looks like they'll be a group to watch in the future.********A few standouts and names to watch-QB Chris Herron, Houston Langham Creek (2019) he was throwing ropes on a cold day. His receivers did not do him many favors with a few passes ricocheting off hands for INTs. The dual-threat was the class of the QBs today.-RB Qualan Jones, Cedar Hill Trinity Christian (2019) he was a versatile weapon on offense, showing speed and good hands. He also has a solid build with room for growth.-WR Jaxon Smith, Rockwall (2020) this guy is just a smooth operator, one of the biggest playmakers in the 2020 class-CB Deshawn Gaddie, Arlington Lamar (2019) lots of length, and he makes plays.-WR Dylan Wright, West Mesquite (2019) he had a few drops early, but he also had two huge gains deep down the field. In jump ball situations he is about as good as it gets. Big, physical wide out.-RB Ty Jordon, West Mesquite (2020) He's a stout all-purpose back with some big time quickness. Showed some good hands today.-S Jonathan McGill, Coppell (2019) one of the smartest, most physical players in the state. He's a shorter safety, but he plays bigger than his listed size.-DE Z'Core Brooks, Dallas Wilson (2019) the 6-6, 220-pound defender is not a 7-on-7 defender, but he manned the middle and closed down passing lanes with his huge wingspan. Very raw, but there's a lot to like. His father Grady Brooks played at Michigan.-LB Darius Snow, Hebron (2020) Snow already has linebacker size and he has tremendous tools in coverage. He has played DB, but looks like he is headed for LB.