Kevin Sumlin talks 2017 recruiting class at Beliucci Hour

Key notes from Kevin Sumlin interview

• We set out today to do what we wanted to do which was to hold all of the commitments and add another guy.  We are real happy with this class.  We addressed the needs that we needed to, which were on the front on both sides, defensive and offensive line and the linebacker group.
  
  
• No, we’ve never really had a signing day class ready this far out.  We never have had nine mid-year high school guys.  Our recruiting technique and philosophy changed this year.  We had guys that we targeted.  We knew how many spots to fill, we never wanted to sign too many guys.  The number we projected to fill at every position we were able to do that.  We feel good with where we are at right now.  
  
  
• No, I can’t recall signing an offensive class this big size wise without them being junior college guys.  Elumunor and Avery Gennesy were big, but they were 20-year old guys.  They are big athletic guys.  This league is a physical league and big stays big.  We achieved what we wanted to achieve with size on both sides.
  
  
• The length we added to the defense is a big deal. You look what  Kingsley Keke has been able to accomplish.  Because of his size and length he’s been extremely successful in this league.  We had one or two scholarships pushing the envelope and we had to make decisions on who we really wanted.  All the measurables leaned in favor of Josh Rogers.  Josh Rogers was over 300 pounds on his visit.  He’s right at 6’5” and a 37” reach.  There were other guys out there we recruited, but we were in a position to be pretty selective and fortunately it worked out.
  
  
• Those three linebackers are very athletic, very physical, have a great frame, can play the game and they are smart, too.  Two of the three are already here going through spring football.  Our three mid-year guys last year really helped us win games.  Braden Mann had 75% kickoff rate into the end zone.  Colton Prater started every game at guard.  Trayveon Williams rushed for 1,000 yards.  It didn’t take me long to figure out those mid-year guys helped us so hopefully tripling that number will help us win more games.
  
  
• Jhamon and Kellen are guys we have known for awhile.  The recruitment of both of them was a big deal.  It also helped that Jhamon was Kellen’s roommate at IMG.  He went to work on him which was a big deal. We had to replace our two graduates at wide receiver, Tabuyo and Josh Reynolds and two guys that left early, Speedy and Ricky.  Our talent level and what we have addresses those needs and fills those holes.  A number of guys are already here on campus and will be ready to go this fall.
  
  
• I don’t know if you’re going to get a guy like Trevor Knight this year.  He’s a 23-year old man.  Jake is still here, he’s the old guy in the room.  He’s done a great job as a teammate.  The two young guys coming in here are here on campus right now which helps them.  Nick Starkel has done a great job in the year he’s been here, gaining weight and learning the system.  They are all talented guys.  Nick, Kellen and Connor were all Elite 11 quarterbacks.  From a maturity level right now you can’t really say, there’s only one Trevor Knight.  But from a talent standpoint, we are happy where we are.
  
  
• We brought Dennis Polian on last year for recruiting organization, using more of a pro model and making him the Director of Player Personnel.  He helps me evaluate our current talent level in regards to our opponents and where we need to fill the gap.  That’s how our recruiting has changed a little.  We look for not only good players, but also body type and the ability for those guys to hang in there in the SEC West.
  
  
• It’s more of a well rounded approach.  It’s more like a draft prospect.  Our last signee is a product of that.  Looking for that body type to be successful in this league.  Having a structure to do that as well as the addition of Mark Hocke in the weight room, our players are really feeding off of that right now.  I’m looking forward to this next month to make more strides before we start spring football.
  
  
• We started recruiting the 2018 class months ago. To have this many guys committed and to have nobody leaving the program says a lot about the players and their parents, the coaches and the trust they’ve built and about Texas A&M.