KDS
Texas A&M Football
Texas A&M National Signing Day 2017 Press Conference
The following are live, paraphrased notes from
Texas A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin's National Signing Day
press conference. Video will be added to the story when it is available.
• We set out from the beginning to increase not on the profile of our front - to get bigger on the OL, and we achieved that - but to get a better range of bodies and increase the profile of the frong. There were some tough decisions at the end of the recruiting that worked out for us. If you look at these guys, Peevy and Rogers, they are long like Keke. So from that standpoint, and really losing two really elite DEs, to get one of the top JUCO pass rushers in the country and another highly recruited, high motor guy in Tyree. From our standpoint, what we set out to do on the lines, and a complete set of linebackers with two of them already on campus - that was the first priority.
• We treated them (the commits that de-commited from Baylor) individually. We had relationships with all of them. Some of them were committed to other places besides Baylor. You look at Jhamon's recruitment, it was quite different from Kellen's. It didn't hurt that they were together. The things that are important to this class, I think it says a lot about these guys, their families, this coaching staff. These guys trusted us. We built that trust over time. To have 26 guys who were really committed last year, to hold through that amount of time says something about those relationships. It says volumes about these guys and their character and what they really want. And they want to be an Aggie. And nine of them being here already - two weekends ago there were 21 guys here who were already committed, nine of them already enrolled. Their camaraderie was a big deal.
• Devin was one of the first guys we targeted in January last year. He was right down the road, just a really athletic long guy. He was very talented. And with Paul, you always have to look at Texas Mr. Football. He's electric with the ball in his hands. He's got return ability. He's got a lot of upside. I think he'll benefit from being here early.
• We had Kellen in camp two years ago, and our QB situation was a lot different. He had left the state and gone to IMG, but our relationship kind of came back up with him and his Dad. He has great respect for Trevor Knight, and as we talked more and more, he became more interested in playing here and closer to home. He has a real opportunity. Nick Starkel, Connor, and Kellen - all three of those guys are Elite Eleven QBs. We'll start spring and start working it out. Jake and all our other guys are going to be in the mix. I'll say this about Kellen - once he made his decision, he made it. And he did a heck of a job also being a voice for us, particularly among the nine already here.
• I don't know that Johnny being here changed a lot today. He was in my office. I knew that he was in town. He came by, he wanted to work out. I've said before: Johnny is an Aggie and is always going to be an Aggie. We had a conversation that was pointed, direct, and sincere. He's in a good place, and his ability to maintain and be in a good place is not just on him, but on everyone around him to support him. That's where I come in and others. Him being here today and being sincere - we're always going to be here for him.
• These really have been my first few days back in the office since the early guys got here. We'll hit it going forward with our strength staff and such. Some of these guys just got here, and some are further ahead because of where they come from. IMG's training facility is a little different than Bremond. We start spring football a month from today, March 1, so we have another four week cycle of lifting and conditioning (of seven weeks) before that. We'll get a better feel for all of the guys who are here.
• Anthony Hines is a guy - when they start bringing a guy over from the middle school to play football, you better pay attention to who that guy is. We have great relationships in Plano and at East, but John Chavis really solidified that relationship. He kept coming to our games, junior days, and different things. To be honest with you, we sat there the last visit, and I said, "you've been here so many times, you've asked all the questions, your family - I don't know what else to tell you. You've got all the information." He laughed and said, "I sure do. I'll call you in a week, I know what I want to do." That was a relationship built over time, and he's another guy who's here and wanting to be on the field next year.
• None of those guys (who had crazy commitment events) came here, did they? I don't know. I get it. Every year there's something. Because of social media, everyone has an opinion and everyone can be an actor, I guess. I don't really get caught up in that. If it's your school he's committing to, you really don't care. If you're just one of the schools that just fly by on the screen, it probably bugs you. But we really don't get caught up in that.
• My wife saw an Horry picture and said, "How tall is he?" People forget how tall Big Shot Bob is. He and Kiva are terrific. I spent time with him just talking - when you're a champion and have played for great coaches... This is a guy who played meaningful minutes in championship games. It was good for me just to talk to him. I know it probably slighted Camron a little when I was over talking to Dad. Camron is very athletic. It was important in our class with guys who have tight end bodies to give us real options. It's a direction that we want to go - give ourselves more blocking surfaces and receivers. He's a guy people came after hard the last few weeks. He looked to me like he was about 260 the other day. He looks great. He'll come in here and be ready to go.
• These guys have great chemistry. We don't have a class where a bunch of guys decommitted or did something crazy. They have a relationship already that's a championship mindset. They want to work, they want to play for it all. They've communicated with each other that way. I think nine of them being early graduates speaks to that too. You've got to focus to get that done. I think it's our most complete class across the board since we've been here. Our kickers and punters are young, so we had some more room to double-up on some positions and build depth.
• For us, with these guys being committed a long time ago, an early signing day would have been good. But the problem is you can't change the signing date without changing the overall recruiting calendar for official visits, contact periods, and such. I think that's difficult. If you have a contact period in May, you're going to have guys who are juniors being pulled out of class all the time. Eligibility comes into play with whether test scores are where they need to be. There are difficulties in both options, but I can't see an early signing date - with the exception of maybe one that coincides with JUCO signing day. But then again, that leaves you with a short contact period to really get to know a guy for official visits. We have less and less time in recruiting to really get to know guys, families, and character. So more and more mistakes happen that way. And without changing the calendar, I think that would be a real big issue.
• We expect the new strength and conditioning staff to be good. This is a business where you have to make difficult decisions, and that was a very very difficult one for me. As we get back in and look at what's going on - because we've all been out recruiting - but now that we're back and hands-on, the feedback has been really good from the players. But just like anything else, life pays out in results.
• We may have a DB coach announcement next week. Maybe.
• We set out from the beginning to increase not on the profile of our front - to get bigger on the OL, and we achieved that - but to get a better range of bodies and increase the profile of the frong. There were some tough decisions at the end of the recruiting that worked out for us. If you look at these guys, Peevy and Rogers, they are long like Keke. So from that standpoint, and really losing two really elite DEs, to get one of the top JUCO pass rushers in the country and another highly recruited, high motor guy in Tyree. From our standpoint, what we set out to do on the lines, and a complete set of linebackers with two of them already on campus - that was the first priority.
• We treated them (the commits that de-commited from Baylor) individually. We had relationships with all of them. Some of them were committed to other places besides Baylor. You look at Jhamon's recruitment, it was quite different from Kellen's. It didn't hurt that they were together. The things that are important to this class, I think it says a lot about these guys, their families, this coaching staff. These guys trusted us. We built that trust over time. To have 26 guys who were really committed last year, to hold through that amount of time says something about those relationships. It says volumes about these guys and their character and what they really want. And they want to be an Aggie. And nine of them being here already - two weekends ago there were 21 guys here who were already committed, nine of them already enrolled. Their camaraderie was a big deal.
• Devin was one of the first guys we targeted in January last year. He was right down the road, just a really athletic long guy. He was very talented. And with Paul, you always have to look at Texas Mr. Football. He's electric with the ball in his hands. He's got return ability. He's got a lot of upside. I think he'll benefit from being here early.
• We had Kellen in camp two years ago, and our QB situation was a lot different. He had left the state and gone to IMG, but our relationship kind of came back up with him and his Dad. He has great respect for Trevor Knight, and as we talked more and more, he became more interested in playing here and closer to home. He has a real opportunity. Nick Starkel, Connor, and Kellen - all three of those guys are Elite Eleven QBs. We'll start spring and start working it out. Jake and all our other guys are going to be in the mix. I'll say this about Kellen - once he made his decision, he made it. And he did a heck of a job also being a voice for us, particularly among the nine already here.
• I don't know that Johnny being here changed a lot today. He was in my office. I knew that he was in town. He came by, he wanted to work out. I've said before: Johnny is an Aggie and is always going to be an Aggie. We had a conversation that was pointed, direct, and sincere. He's in a good place, and his ability to maintain and be in a good place is not just on him, but on everyone around him to support him. That's where I come in and others. Him being here today and being sincere - we're always going to be here for him.
• These really have been my first few days back in the office since the early guys got here. We'll hit it going forward with our strength staff and such. Some of these guys just got here, and some are further ahead because of where they come from. IMG's training facility is a little different than Bremond. We start spring football a month from today, March 1, so we have another four week cycle of lifting and conditioning (of seven weeks) before that. We'll get a better feel for all of the guys who are here.
• Anthony Hines is a guy - when they start bringing a guy over from the middle school to play football, you better pay attention to who that guy is. We have great relationships in Plano and at East, but John Chavis really solidified that relationship. He kept coming to our games, junior days, and different things. To be honest with you, we sat there the last visit, and I said, "you've been here so many times, you've asked all the questions, your family - I don't know what else to tell you. You've got all the information." He laughed and said, "I sure do. I'll call you in a week, I know what I want to do." That was a relationship built over time, and he's another guy who's here and wanting to be on the field next year.
• None of those guys (who had crazy commitment events) came here, did they? I don't know. I get it. Every year there's something. Because of social media, everyone has an opinion and everyone can be an actor, I guess. I don't really get caught up in that. If it's your school he's committing to, you really don't care. If you're just one of the schools that just fly by on the screen, it probably bugs you. But we really don't get caught up in that.
• My wife saw an Horry picture and said, "How tall is he?" People forget how tall Big Shot Bob is. He and Kiva are terrific. I spent time with him just talking - when you're a champion and have played for great coaches... This is a guy who played meaningful minutes in championship games. It was good for me just to talk to him. I know it probably slighted Camron a little when I was over talking to Dad. Camron is very athletic. It was important in our class with guys who have tight end bodies to give us real options. It's a direction that we want to go - give ourselves more blocking surfaces and receivers. He's a guy people came after hard the last few weeks. He looked to me like he was about 260 the other day. He looks great. He'll come in here and be ready to go.
• These guys have great chemistry. We don't have a class where a bunch of guys decommitted or did something crazy. They have a relationship already that's a championship mindset. They want to work, they want to play for it all. They've communicated with each other that way. I think nine of them being early graduates speaks to that too. You've got to focus to get that done. I think it's our most complete class across the board since we've been here. Our kickers and punters are young, so we had some more room to double-up on some positions and build depth.
• For us, with these guys being committed a long time ago, an early signing day would have been good. But the problem is you can't change the signing date without changing the overall recruiting calendar for official visits, contact periods, and such. I think that's difficult. If you have a contact period in May, you're going to have guys who are juniors being pulled out of class all the time. Eligibility comes into play with whether test scores are where they need to be. There are difficulties in both options, but I can't see an early signing date - with the exception of maybe one that coincides with JUCO signing day. But then again, that leaves you with a short contact period to really get to know a guy for official visits. We have less and less time in recruiting to really get to know guys, families, and character. So more and more mistakes happen that way. And without changing the calendar, I think that would be a real big issue.
• We expect the new strength and conditioning staff to be good. This is a business where you have to make difficult decisions, and that was a very very difficult one for me. As we get back in and look at what's going on - because we've all been out recruiting - but now that we're back and hands-on, the feedback has been really good from the players. But just like anything else, life pays out in results.
• We may have a DB coach announcement next week. Maybe.
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