Recruiting Country: The latest recruiting news surrounding the Maroon & White

Key notes from Recruiting Country

• It won’t be long until Jason Howell, and I start the Recruiting feature back up- On the Trail- It’ll get going here in a couple of weeks as that first Signing Day gets closer.
   
• Daniyel Ngata‍ is one of those that is upcoming and is a big deal. A&M is keeping an eye on that. There was some chatter on some of the message boards that he was going to not be going to Arizona State. If that’s the case, and it is Texas A&M, that decision has not been communicated to the staff here. I’m not saying it’s not the Aggies, not saying it is Oklahoma State either. He’s a low key kid, and he may call them the day of and say, “Hey, it’s y’all.”
   
• Running back recruiting is really interesting. Daniyel Ngata, Devon Achane‍, Zach Evans‍, and EJ Smith‍— those four are all big-time recruits. I think with Jay Graham and Jimbo Fisher recruiting, they’ll get two of those. They’re all outstanding players who fit what you need. EJ Smith of that group, while this sounds really bad— he’s the slowest of the group. But he’s just a little bit different skill set.
   
• Zach Evans is just rounding into form. You’ve got some competition because you’ve got Achane who LSU wants or LSU and Georgia who want to get Evans. I think somehow, and someway they’ll figure it out and land a couple of the guys they want.
   
• The recent momentum of LSU with Achane is concerning. He has been on their campus and has an official visit on November 2nd. A&M has to get him on campus. Devon sill plans to take an official visit after the season to Aggieland, and A&M will get an in-home visit with him and his mother.
   
• LSU has a guy name Bennie Brazel who is a track coach. But he’s from Houston and is heading up that part of the recruiting. Who recruited him to LSU? Jimbo Fisher. It’s a tough deal. You’ve got A&M and LSU competing for Achane. You’ve got A&M, Georgia, and LSU all wanting Evans. Ngata is looking at Oklahoma State, and A&M, and you have EJ Smith who A&M, Florida, and Stanford all want.
   
• Defensive end Donell Harris‍ has some good news. It sounds more positive early this week. I haven’t come off that. We’ll put out the visitor list tonight or tomorrow for this weekend. If I’m putting it out now, he’s on there. It’s challenging to get a kid in from Miami here, especially for an 11:00 a.m. kickoff. It’ll be a big deal.
   
• I don’t think Noah Sewell‍ is coming here officially this weekend. Utah is already starting their playoff run. He’s got a playoff game on Friday night. A&M has to try to get him out here next week or during the bye week.

Ask Brauny
 

How many of current commits are spring enrollees?

We have the number up on the site. I think it is 6 or 7.

Do you see Dontae Manning‍ or Brian George‍ in this class?

Josh Eaton‍ to Oklahoma might happen but hasn’t happened yet. It’s been floating around for the better part of 3-4 weeks. I haven’t reached out to find out what’s happening. A&M ends up with one more corner in the class. They’re looking also looking Ronald Williams‍, who is out of a junior college. 

What does Oklahoma State sell Ngata on?

They can sell that Chuba Hubbard is the leading rusher in the country. They have some really talented offensive players. Oklahoma State has done a great job in that they are getting some of the next tiers of recruits and turning them into stars. Wallace goes to OSU and has become one of the best receivers in the country. Gundy puts up points. He has the leading rusher. They are really good at developing players.

Did Antonio Doyle‍ (pictured above) cancel his visit to LSU?

Yes. He told A&M this week. He’s coming off an official to Illinois where he watched them beat Wisconsin. Illinois gets one or two big ones a year, not enough to turn around the program. But they have some Texas ties on that staff. Antonio Doyle, I think still has A&M as the leader

Will we see a higher priority put on certain positions due to the team’s performance?

I don’t think the staff is going to do that. They know they need offensive lineman, so they’re going out and look at those. That’s going to be a road that’s examined on both ends.

Who got it done this week?

Fadil Diggs‍ had a big week this week. He had nine catches 150 yards and a touchdown. His athleticism is crazy.  Florida and Penn State are not backing off, so A&M has to keep the pressure up because you have to keep him. He’s a must get because he’s such a huge difference-maker.

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