Signing Day 2012: Did A&M make the grade?

I figured I’d provide a scale this year to give you an idea of how I’m grading the Texas A&M recruiting class, position-by-position: A: Excellent; B: Good; C: Average; D: Poor; F: Fail.

Quarterback (1): A+

For the second consecutive year, Texas A&M landed the state’s best player at the position and one of the nation’s most coveted dual-threat signal-callers. Matt Davis was talented enough to garner early offers from most of the country’s elite programs, ultimately choosing the Aggies over the then-defending national champion Auburn Tigers. He then proceeded to play a key role in luring several other blue-chip prospects to College Station and helped hold the class together during the coaching transition. In other words, the Ags landed a terrific talent and added a true leader under center in one fell swoop.
    
Blessed with 4.4 speed and a strong right arm, Davis is the most highly-regarded quarterback that the Ags have signed since landing Reggie McNeal and then Stephen McGee several years ago. A&M inked a quarterback with All-Conference potential and someone who could have played ball virtually wherever he wanted.

When it comes to recruiting the most important position on the field, that makes two Februarys in a row that the Ags have scored an A+.

Next Year?  Don’t be surprised to see the Aggies make it three “A+” efforts in a row at quarterback. Sumlin and Kliff Kingsbury already hold a big-time early commitment from St. Pius standout Kohl Stewart and sit at or near the top of Southlake Carroll state champion Kenny Hill’s list. While the need would seem to be for the Aggies to ink one quarterback next February, both Stewart and Hill could go very high in next year’s MLB Draft (particularly Stewart), so taking two is likely if either or both players are ultimately to sign with A&M.

Running Back (1): A+

Trey Williams — coming off of the greatest season by a running back in Texas 5A history — has program-changing potential and will be an instant-impact player in maroon and white. He’s that good, as evidenced by offers from the likes of Auburn, USC, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Oregon and Arkansas and just about everyone else in college football. In fact,Trey’s might have been the single-most important LOI that Sumlin and the Aggies received on Wednesday.  
 
In addition to landing a five-star running back and one of the top-30 overall prospects in the country, the Aggies also managed to get Oklahoma transfer Brandon Williams on campus and enrolled in classes this spring.

So while the Ags inked only one back on Wednesday, the guy they got is as gifted a runner as the state of Texas has produced since Palestine High sent Adrian Peterson to OU after the 2002 season. Add Trey to Brandon and the Aggies will soon (again) field a 1-2 backfield punch that is as good as any in college football. After all, at this time last year, it was Brandon who was considered one of the nation’s top five tailbacks.

The Ags absolutely struck out on backs last year (I graded the class a “D”), so welcoming a pair of runners ranked among the national top five at the position in successive classes was as necessary as it is impressive or exciting.

Next Year?  Trey and Brandon plus Ben Malena and Will Randolph. That’s what the Aggies will have on campus entering the 2013 season … along with whoever they sign next February. Thus, despite the fact that A&M added two elite-level ball-carriers to the roster this time around, the need for the Class of ’13 is certain to be two. It’s not an incredibly deep year in state, but guys like DeSoto’s Dontre Wilson and Cypress Ranch stud Keith Ford stand out in the very early going and both hold very early Aggie offers.

Tight End (0): INC

I’ll give the Aggies an incomplete on this one. Nehemiah Hicks and Hutson Prioleau still have two years left each and the Ags will make the immediate transition to more four-wide sets. In the future, I’ll probably begin listing the tight end position along with the inside receivers (IR/TE), as you’ll see Sumlin and his offensive assistants begin signing more players like 2013 standouts Derrick Griffin and Ricky Seals-Jones — do-it-all hybrids who are essentially oversized wideouts — than the conventional tight ends you’ve been used to seeing the Aggies sign in recent seasons. Think Jermichael Finley, Jermaine Gresham and Jimmy Graham moving forward.

Next Year?  I mentioned Griffin — who recently committed to the Aggies — and Seals-Jones. The pair will both be state top-5 prospects in 2013 and both are being recruited by A&M as big receivers. Again, we’ll change the phrasing next year to something that more accurately describes what the Ags are recruiting at the position but landing one or of Griffin (6-6, 215) and Seals-Jones (6-4, 215) would give the A&M offense dynamic receiving threats who are absolute nightmares in coverage. Holding on to Griffin and/or landing RS-J would be a monster coup for Sumlin and the Aggies next February. The need is to add at least one and perhaps two big, matchup problem types at the inside receiver spot.

Wide Receiver (3+): A-

The Aggies essentially gained one state top-10 talent and lost one on Signing Day, as Skyline’s Thomas Johnson chose A&M over Oregon, Cal, TCU and Texas while longtime Aggie commit Bralon Addison bailed out for Oregon at the finish line.

While losing Addison was probably the toughest pill for Sumlin and the A&M coaches to swallow, Johnson is the best pure receiver that the state of Texas produced this year and a national top-30 talent.

In addition, the Aggies were able to pry Southlake speedster and state champion Sabian Holmes away from Baylor in mid-January and grabbed Carthage ATH Ed Pope (a longtime TCU pledge) on the final weekend before Signing Day. Throw in Derel Walker — a JUCO signee who is already turning heads with his speed, strength and work ethic during the off-season — and you have what turned out to be a strong wide receiver haul.

Pope, an all-state defensive back, could end up playing on either side of the ball but will get his initial look at wide receiver, where he caught 76 passes for over 1,200 yards and 17 TDs as a senior.
    
At the end of the day, the Aggies added an instant-impact game-changer in Tee Johnson, another immediate contributor and perhaps the most underrated player in this year’s class in Walker, one of state’s fastest wideouts in Holmes — a guy who is the perfect fit for what the Aggies are about to do offensively — and perhaps the state’s No. 1 offense/defense athlete in Pope. A rock-solid NSD haul at the position.

Next year?  Considering the Ags will trot four wide receivers onto the field on most snaps, you can expect Sumlin, Kliff Kingsbury, David Beaty and Co. to consistently load up the position on the first week in February. Because of that, the Aggies are entering next year’s race expected to ink four pass-catchers in 2013. Grabbing four outstanding players at the position shouldn’t be too much of a problem for what should be one of the nation’s most attractive offenses to wideouts … especially when you consider that the state of Texas is absolutely loaded with junior talent. 

The Ags already have Terry sensation Derrick Griffin on board and have extended early offers to the likes of Cedar Hill’s LaQuivionte Gonzalez, Skyline’s RaShaad Samples and Jake Oliver of Dallas Jesuit. One-time Aggie commit Jamar Gibson of Baytown Sterling, John Tyler’s Fred Ross, Wylie East’s Marcel Ateman, Sealy 6-4 athlete Ricky Seals-Jones and Cy-Falls speedster Jacoby Warrick are other wide receivers from a deep talent pool already drawing looks from the Aggie coaches.
   

Offensive Line (3): B+

The Ags signed three rock-solid blockers in Mike Matthews, Germain Ifedi and Kimo Tipoti. While all three are definitely what you’d consider prototypical SEC road-graders, the Aggies were hoping to ink four offensive linemen and probably needed to sign a pure tackle as well.

It didn’t help matters that Coach Sumlin and B.J. Anderson inherited a qualification risk in Brenham’s Adrian Bellard, who did not sign with A&M and could very well end up in the Junior College ranks. The B ranking has more to do with what the Ags didn’t get than what they did get, however. If you were strictly focused on Ifedi, Matthews and Tipoti, A&M would score much higher.

Germain probably saw his stock rise quicker than any senior lineman in the state of Texas; his film and physical makeup are every bit as good as guys like Texas commits Kennedy Estelle, Curtis Riser and Camhron Hughes. Matthews — a technician who has also really begun to fill out his 6-3 frame quite nicely — might be better than every member of the aforementioned group when all is said and done. Tipoti has conditioning issues to address, but the 6-3, 330-pounder has the size, strength and mean streak to excel in the trenches after a year in Larry Jackson’s weight room.

Next Year?  Because of the late defection, the Aggies need to sign four blockers next year. It won’t be an easy task, as a thin 2013 Lone Star crop looks like it’s going to leave plenty to be desired. Nevertheless, Luke Joeckel, Jake Matthews and Shep Klinke will be seniors when the ’13 class arrives on campus, with Cedric Ogbuehi and Jarvis Harrison entering their junior seasons.

Kent Perkins (for whom A&M and Texas lead) of Lake Highlands and Dallas Jesuit tackle J.J. Gustafson — an A&M lean — hold early Aggie offers, while F.W. Arlington Heights giant A’Shawn Robinson is one of the nation’s best two-way recruits on the line.  Each of the three aforementioned prospects will be recruited by all of the national powers so it’s up to B.J. Anderson and the Aggies to find a way to fight through a ‘who’s who’ of college football to land a few blue-chip blockers along the way.

Defensive Line (5): A-

A much better group than most internet recruiting fans seem to believe. The Ags pulled Polo Manukainiu — a 6-6, 265-pounder and longtime OU commit — late in the game and also added a Signing Day coup by stealing 6-3, 285-pound tackle Edmund Ray from Missouri. Alonzo Williams is a 6-4, 250-pounder who enjoyed a monster senior season at Long Beach Poly and chose A&M over Washington and UCLA.

Then there’s longtime Aggie pledge Julien Obioha and DeSoto standout Michael Richardson, a 6-3, 235-pounder who chose the Ags over Oklahoma and OSU and will play rush end in Mark Snyder’s 4-3 scheme.
    
That’s a five-man haul featuring two Texas top-40 talents (and probably top-30 types), one of California’s fastest-rising defensive line prospects and the St. Louis area Defensive Player of the Year. Ray was an important late addition because he addresses the very specific need of a run-stuffing, disruptive, soon-to-be 300-pounder on the inside.

Beyond that, this class offers plenty of flexibility for Snyder and the Aggie defensive staff.  Polo’s size could lead to his quickly growing into a 6-6, 285-290 pounder capable of playing inside or as a strongside end while Williams could soon be an extremely quick and agile, 6-4, 275-pounder capable of doing the same. Even the 6-3, 255-pound Obioha has a legitimate chance to grow into an interior defender. If two of the three quickly grow into the defensive tackle spot (and, remember, the Ags are no longer looking for 3-4 nose guards but rather 4-3 DTs), then the Ags will have addressed both the defensive tackle and end spots quite nicely.
    
A fivesome that addresses needs, sits full of rock-solid, SEC-caliber prospects and will allow Snyder and his defensive staff to explore several different combinations up front ... something the Aggies were extremely pleased with on National Signing Day.
    
Forget big-name signings — it’s what the fans want, but guys like Polo, Ray and Williams were considered every bit as good as more talked-about Texans like Hassan Ridgeway (Texas) and Javonte Magee (Baylor). What the Ags’ 2012 D-line class really lacks is instant-impact players. And by instant, I mean guys capable of stepping in and starting on the defensive line from day and playing at an SEC level. The new staff had no chance to land guys like Malcom Brown and Mario Edwards — two nationally-ranked interior defenders who were long gone by the time Sumlin and Co. arrived in Aggieland.

In addition, Sumlin had all of about seven days to try and convince JUCO standouts Darrington Sentimore (Tennessee) and Damien Jacobs (Florida) to sign with A&M. Without a DC the Ags finished second for both players and you know what they say about horseshoes and hand grenades. Chalk the lack of instant-impact help to bad timing but this is an area that the new Aggie coaches absolutely must succeed in at this time next year.

Next Year?  Speaking of next year, adding a true SEC-style difference-maker or two has to be one of the top priorities for the A&M coaching staff. The Aggies are actually off to a tremendous start, holding a longtime pledge from Consolidated DE Christian Lacouture (a future state top-30 talent) and, most recently, Elysian Fields stud Isaiah Golden. The 6-2, 310-pound Golden might just be one of Texas’ top ten recruits in 2013 and should be a contender for national top-100 honors.
    
With Golden and Lacouture already in the fold and the Ags inking five D-linemen on Wednesday, the need next year is probably going to end up being around four. A&M is already halfway home but there are a few in-state studs that the Aggies are already pursuing (along with everyone else in college football). That list includes 330-pound giants like A’Shawn Robinson of F.W. Arlington Heights and Harker Heights DT Darius James. Robinson and James will be two of the Ags’ top overall targets and expect A&M to also mine Louisiana in search of rounding out a very high-quality three- or four-man haul at the position. Another state top-30 junior likely to give a strong look in A&M’s direction is S.A. Madison’s Vincent Taylor.

Linebacker (2): C-

The Ags landed a state top-25 talent in Jordan Richmond and the Denton Ryan standout may very well prove to be as good as any linebacker produced in the state of Texas this year. In addition, A&M welcomes another uber-athletic Taylor — this time it's Tyrell’s twin brother Tyrone — to the fold. Like his brother, Tyrone is an extremely long and rangy edge pass-rusher blessed with tremendous closing speed and explosion and a tremendous frame to build on. He’s also nearly as skinny as Tyrell was when he joined the A&M program a year ago. That said, Taylor stands just under 6-4 and carries a very skinny 210 pounds.  Adjusting to playing as a stand-up linebacker might be tough, but if Tyrone can pull it off, he’s a 6-4, 240-pound linebacker oozing potential in no time flat.

The problem for the Aggies was that they needed a third linebacker and probably could have even justified taking a fourth. At this time a year ago, several talented linebackers looked like pretty strong Aggie leans, including Texas signees Tim Cole and Peter Jinkens, one-time Aggie commit Lorenzo Phillips (LSU), Denzel Devall (Alabama) and Jeremiah Tshimanga (OSU). Whether the old staff was overly picky, simply missed on several prospects or a combination of both, Sumlin and Co. stepped into a bleak situation without much time to make it better.

Quite frankly, had 6-2, 205-pound Elkins safety Corey Thompson signed with the Aggies, I may have considered bumping the linebacker grade all the way up to a B-. Thompson is a gifted athlete who could certainly play safety at LSU but he has the look of a young man who will quickly grow into the 225-pound range and fit better playing closer to the line of scrimmage.

Next Year?  The Aggies will look add three or four players at the position next February and the Lone Star State looks like it will feature plenty of linebacking talent. Expect to see Snyder and new position coach Matt Wallerstadt play host to several blue-chips at the position at the Ags’ February Junior Day. Some of the bigger names at the position include Sharpstown’s Reggie Chevis, Brett Wade of Kennedale, Kahlee Woods of Sherman, Mansfield’s Chad Whitener, Rockwall Heath’s Raaquan Davis and Paul Whitmill of Bastrop.
   

Secondary (3+): B

This grade was an A+ prior to last-minute defections by Thompson and Darion Monroe, who chose Tulane because an apparent fear of playing big-time college football, being an SEC corner and the misguided belief that he’ll be a successful, 5-10 college quarterback or some combination of all three. At one point in the process, the Ags actually had six defensive backs committed (Colin Blake was still hanging on after Sumlin was hired but already had one foot out the door), so inking just three true DBs has to qualify as a disappointment for the staff. After inking four defensive backs a year ago, the real need this time around was probably around that same number but it’s “what might have been” that stings on Wednesday.

DeVante Harris stands out as one of the Ags’ most significant 2012 signings. He’s a potential difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball — something that A&M desperately needs moving forward. There isn’t a better pure cover man in the state of Texas and few prospects in the country who can lock down opposing wideouts like the Aggie legacy and longtime Oklahoma commit.

Kenneth Marshall is a mid-term addition and considered one of the state’s top safety prospects. He’s also a state top-25-40 talent per most recruiting services. Finally, adding JUCO corner Otis Jacobs in December was pretty important at the time ... but pulling him away from Tennessee on a Signing Day switch now stands out as one of the most significant coups of this year. Jacobs is already on campus, working out with the team and should compete for a starting job at corner next season.

The Aggies got an A+, lockdown corner in Harris and the immediate JUCO help they needed from Jacobs. However, they also came up lighter than they would have preferred in terms of total numbers and lost a potential impact guy (Thompson) to LSU 48 hours before Signing Day.

The wild card who could change the equation in the secondary is Carthage athlete Edward Pope. He’s going to get his first shot at wide receiver and could very well stick there. If he doesn’t and we were grading the secondary class with Pope as part of a four-man haul, then the Ags’ group would rate as a solid B+. The 6-3, 180-pounder and longtime TCU commit spent the year ranked as one of Texas top-30 prospects and earned U.S. Army All-American honors as a safety and is both a ballhawk (12 career INTs) an headhunter in the defensive backfield.

The Ags’ 2012 secondary haul gets a B- if you’re not including Pope and a B+ if you are, so let’s compromise and give A&M a solid “B” at the position.

Next Year?  For a while there, it looked as if the Aggies would only be in the market for a couple of defensive backs in 2013. The late defections have changed the equation quite a bit and, as a result, A&M will probably look to sign four defensive backs next February. 

Suddenly, the secondary stands out as one of next year’s priorities for Snyder and DB coach Marcel Yates. Not a dire need but simply an area in which the Ags will look to upgrade the corner and safety spots while also addressing a slight numbers issue.

Specialists (0): INC

A year after signing both a kicker and punter, the Aggies passed in the special teams department this around. Nevertheless, new coordinator Brian Polian has been scouring the state and nation for field goal help (and competition for second-year kicker Taylor Bertolet). If you’re looking for potential return specialists in this year’s class, guys like Thomas Johnson, Sabian Holmes and DeVante Harris have the necessary tools to make an impact.

Next Year?  The Aggies will closely monitor the progress of both Bertolet and freshman punter Drew Kaser and then determine whether or not they need to sign a kicker, a punter or both next February.

Overall Grade: A

You grade recruiting classes on the letters of intent that roll across the fax machine on National Signing Day and Kevin Sumlin’s first haul as head coach of the Fightin’ Texas Aggies was a great one. When the dust settles, this year’s group will rank among the national top-15 and come in somewhere around third or fourth in the SEC standings.

Beyond the rankings, the Aggies added difference-makers at several positions — including guys like Trey Williams, Matt Davis, Mike Matthews and Thomas Johnson, who rank among the very best in the nation at their respective positions. A&M got instant JUCO help at corner and wideout and managed to win several high-profile head-to-head battles down the stretch. The Aggies also took major strides defensively, adding potential impact players at corner and linebacker while inking an extremely impressive five-man haul on the defensive line.

I’m not sure I can describe how successful Kevin Sumlin and Texas A&M were on Signing Day 2012 any better than this: All told, the Aggies signed a class that is as good or better than any class in the SEC save Alabama and LSU. A rock solid “A” for the Aggies as they make the move into the League of Champions.