Beating rivals in February (or late December) typically leads to beating rivals in the fall. That’s a fact of college football. Recruiting victories usually result in on-field victories.
Of course, there are exceptions.
There are more than a few examples — some at A&M — in which highly-ranked recruiting classes were over-valued (2013) or squandered (2015).
Still, as a rule: Better recruits lead to better players, which lead to better teams.
That’s why the Texas A&M faithful can be encouraged that better fortunes await. It’s also why some Aggies can ease up the scrutiny on an occasionally-maligned position coach.
First-year offensive line coach Josh Henson was in a tough spot last season. He took over a unit that was replacing two three-year starters — including star center Erik McCoy. Complicating matters, McCoy’s projected successor Ryan McCollum suffered a back injury and played only sporadically in 2019.
Facing a gauntlet of stout defensive fronts, the line underperformed. So Henson still must prove himself at A&M, but at least he’s getting better material with which to work. The Aggies have added — and is adding — offensive linemen that have been coveted by the nation’s most powerful programs.
Tyler Zander, TexAgs
Reuben Fatheree’s commitment on Monday continues the momentum A&M has built on the recruiting trail.
LSU, Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame were among the suitors for Kenyon Green in 2019. In 2020, Chris Morris was offered a scholarship by Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, USC and LSU, among others. Akinola Ogunbiyi flipped to A&M from Georgia.
The Aggies are again on the verge of a bumper crop of offensive linemen.
On Monday, A&M secured a commitment from Richmond Foster four-star rated tackle Reuben Fatheree, whose offer list included LSU, Oklahoma, Auburn and Georgia.
A&M also has 2021 commitments from Colorado native Trey Zuhn and Magnolia’s Matthew Wykoff. Zuhn’s offer sheet includes Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State, while Wycoff has been offered by Auburn, Notre Dame, Penn State and USC.
The Aggies also are in strong contention for Katy Taylor guard Bryce Foster, who also has offers from LSU, Oklahoma, Auburn and Georgia, among others.
If the Aggies land Foster, they would close out their best group of line prospects since their 2010 class that included Luke Joeckel, Jake Matthews and Cedric Ogbuehi.
Since that 2010 class, A&M has signed just a handful of nationally coveted offensive linemen. Indeed, the Aggies signed only five linemen in the recruiting classes from 2011 to 2018 who had offers from Alabama — Jermaine Eleumunor (2014), Koda Martin (2014), Trevor Elbert (2015), Grayson Reed (2017) and Colten Blanton (2018).
None of A&M’s returning offensive line starters received offers from the Aggies’ chief SEC rivals: Alabama, LSU and Auburn.
Jared Hocker’s top offers aside from A&M were Kansas State and Texas Tech. Dan Moore’s were from Oklahoma State and Mississippi State, and Carson Green’s was from SMU.
That doesn’t mean they’re not capable linemen. Don’t forget: They did block for SEC leading rusher Trayveon Williams in 2018. Also, Erik McCoy’s best options were Oklahoma State and Arkansas State. He left A&M as perhaps the best center in school history and more than proved he belongs in the NFL as a rookie.
The fact remains that A&M is now consistently attracting elite-level offensive linemen. That’s a massive step toward consistently defeating elite-level opponents.
