Instant Impact: Tyrel Dodson ready to get on the field for the Aggies

Above: Watch a one-on-one video interview with Tyrel Dodson following his signing ceremony.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As was learned the hard way in 2013, the prowess of Texas A&M’s football recruiting class really won’t be known for a year or two.

Some prospects will disappoint. Some will surprise. Projecting who does what is an inexact science. In fact, it’s more like a gamble.

But go ahead and bet on Tyrel Dodson, a high-character, high-quality Tennessean who already looks the part of a Southeastern Conference linebacker.

He’s 6-2 and weighs 235 muscular pounds. Give him a year with Larry Jackson and he may resemble Godzilla in shoulder pads.

The Aggies might not wait a year for him, though. Don’t be surprised if he finds his way into A&M’s starting lineup sometime in 2016.

Why not? The Aggies have started at least one true freshman at linebacker in each of the past three seasons. Dodson is right now bigger than Darian Claiborne, Josh Walker, Otaro Alaka or Richard Moore were as freshmen. Some would say he’s just as athletic.

A look at Dodson’s highlight film reveals a gifted athlete capable of playing running back and quarterback and excelling as an inside linebacker.

He has the speed to patrol sideline to sideline. He demonstrates ability to read plays, fill holes and stop running backs in their tracks.

“They (A&M coaches) told me to expect some playing time,” Dodson said on Wednesday after a signing ceremony in his high school’s auditorium. “I could possibly start as a true freshman or play special teams. My mentality is: ‘Coach, wherever you need me at, that’s where I’m going to play.’ The team excels the most when you have unselfish players, you have selfless players.

“I think I could come to A&M and be that selfless player for them and do whatever they need me to do and do it at the best of my ability.”

That attitude is a breath of fresh air for an A&M program that has been suffocating in the selfishness of last year’s quarterback exodus and defensive dismissals of recent seasons.

The fact that Dodson is immensely talented is almost a bonus.

Sure, you can question the caliber of competition he faced at Centennial High School in Franklin, Tenn., but at least he shows a willingness to aggressively take on ball-carriers.

Besides, A&M wasn’t the only program that coveted him.

Even though Dodson committed to A&M last June, former Alabama defensive backs coach and current Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker tried to pry him away from the Ags.

“He was like, ‘I’m still going to recruit you and all that.’ I’m not a rude guy, so I was like, ‘Yes sir’ and all that,” Dodson said. “But I’ve been 110 percent committed since June 5 and it’s going to stay that way. I’m an Aggie now and I cannot wait to get to Aggieland and play.”

No doubt, A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis can’t wait either.

Chavis desperately needs to upgrade the linebacker position. He liked Dodson so much he was willing to leave Texas, travel through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to recruit Dodson.

OK, technically Chavis took a flight, but it doesn’t change the fact that one of the best judges of defensive talent in the nation was willing to leave one of the most talent-laded states to get Dodson.

That alone should provide Aggies with optimism for this year’s recruiting class.

Yes, there is weeping and gnashing of teeth that Nacogdoches safety Brandon Jones and Manvel running back D’Vaughn Pennamon did not choose the Aggies, but they may not have made a major impact at A&M in 2016.

Sure, Jones is projected to be special, but is it absolutely assured he would come right out of high school and take a starting job away from Armani Watts or Justin Evans? I’d be skeptical.

Pennamon would have been a welcome addition, but isn’t Keith Ford projected as A&M’s starting running back?

Those guys probably would’ve made a bigger contribution in 2017 and beyond.

The Aggies can’t wait.

They need to prove this year they’re legitimate contenders in the Southeastern Conference Western Division. Perhaps the first step is fortifying a run defense that was ranked 108th in the nation last season.

A&M’s defense has made strides under Chavis, but unless the Aggies find a way to contain Leonard Fournette, Jovon Robinson, Bo Scarbrough and Jalen Hurd, they don’t figure to be a major factor in the West Division race.

Dodson thinks he can help.

“I think I can do a lot on the field, but it’s the big league now,” Dodson said. “It’s the big boys. I think I have to adjust to it, facing bigger linemen than me, staying low and getting my good leverage. I think that’s what I need to work on. That’s what I need to do to get better.”

He indicated that it’s almost surreal that next fall he could be taking on heralded SEC running backs that he’s previously watched on television.

“That’s pretty crazy because Jalen Hurd was a big, big player in Tennessee not too long ago,” Dodson said. “Leonard Fournette … he is one of the best running backs in the country. It’s crazy that I will be able – or get the opportunity – to hit him next year. And Bo Scarbrough … everyone freaks out about Bo because he’s so big.

“It’s just crazy that I get to go against them and I’m considered as good as them because I’ll be on the field. It’s a crazy, humbling experience that I’ve been honored to have.”

If Dodson proves to be close to as good at his position as those running backs, A&M’s recruiting class eventually could look a lot better.

We’ll find out in a year or two — if not much sooner.