In recruiting Fadil Diggs, Aggies dip into talent-rich...New Jersey?

Jimbo Fisher has proven quite proficient at finding diamonds in the rough. He’s also quite successful at getting gold from a gold mine.

He demonstrated that again this week when Fadil Diggs‍, a powerful defensive end with wide receiver skills from Camden, New Jersey, verbally committed to play for the Aggies. Folks inside the A&M athletic department tell me they can recall only one previous player to make the move from The Garden State to Kyle Field.

So those who don’t follow recruiting closely might think Diggs would qualify as the diamond in the rough because he’s from New Jersey. But the well-schooled college football talent prospectors are well aware that New Jersey is the Sutter’s Mill of the Northeast.

“It’s a sneaky good state,”  247sports.com Director of Scouting Barton Simmons said. “There are a lot of kids there. A lot of pretty good football and good programs. You can get some really talented players and also get players that are well-coached there. It’s not like getting a kid from Brooklyn. There’s a football culture there.”

Though it may come as a surprise, Simmons compares the football talent in New Jersey to that of Louisiana.

“I always look at NFL draft as my guide,” he said. “If you just look at this past draft I think there were nine guys drafted that played high school football in New Jersey. I think only one more — 10 — were from Louisiana. Everyone has a lot of respect for what Louisiana produces. A lot of people would probably be surprised if you told them New Jersey was neck-and neck-with them.”

The biggest difference is “recruitability.” Coaxing a top prospect out of New Jersey is much easier than getting one from Louisiana.

In recent years New Jersey has produced players like Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, Kentucky’s Josh Allen and Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers and Rashan Gary.

Notice none played at Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey.

“A place like New Jersey has a lot more talent than people realize,” Simmons said. “You can beat Rutgers on a kid in New Jersey. You might have a kid with Penn State or Ohio State allegiances, but for the most part those kids are recruitable.”

That’s one reason Diggs’ commitment is so important. If Fisher can make in-roads into New Jersey he can get A&M a foot-hold into one of the nation’s top recruiting areas … an area on which Penn State and Michigan in particular have counted to bolster their rosters.

Of course, another reasons Diggs’ commitment is so important is that Diggs projects to be really good. TexAgs’ Billy Liucci said Diggs would be ranked as the top defensive end in Texas if he lived here.

Indeed, Diggs is nation’s ninth-ranked weak-side defensive end according to 247sports. No one from Texas is ranked ahead of him at the position.

“I think he’s really interesting as a prospect because he’s very versatile,” Simmons said. “He plays offense and plays defensive skill spots. He’s just a guy that does a lot for his team. Consequently, I think he’s still a little bit raw. But he’s a big-bodied kid with a lot of upside who’s not anywhere close to hitting his ceiling. Those type of guys are exciting to get on board.”

No doubt, Aggies are excited. Surely, they’re quite eager to see him wearing his … ahem … new jersey. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Simmons couldn’t resist heaping more praise on Diggs. He went so far as to project that Diggs eventually will play in the NFL.

“He’s a four-star kid for us,” Simmons said. “That means we think he’s an NFL football player. From a raw talent perspective I think he’s a guy that absolutely can line up with anybody in the country. Part of what A&M is trying to do is recruit body types that can compete with Alabama. He’s that type of guy. He checks that box. It’s on them to develop him.”

Fisher's staff has an impressive track record for developing players. Hopefully, they can develop an impressive recruiting pipeline in New Jersey.