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

Billy Liucci and Ryan Brauninger joined TexAgs Radio on Wednesday morning for another edition of Recruiting Country, highlighting the latest news and notes from the recruiting trail surrounding Texas A&M ahead of this weekend's pool party.

Key notes from Billy Liucci

• I would have laughed at the idea of 18 commits six months ago. With the pool party, there will be an immediate impact and a long-term impact. It's their big event of the summer. Last year, not quite the splash they intended. The guest list this year looks incredible.
   
• There are guys that you feel are close to making a decision. Guys like Blake Ivy‍, Terry Bussey‍ and Nigel Smith II‍. I also look at some of the 2025s.
   
• Kevin Mashack took another job outside of the Power 5. There was a moment when there could have been confusion with the recruiting staff. They had to work together as a team to recover quickly. The results speak for themselves.
   
• This weekend, they will have parents, siblings and girlfriends there. We don't hear kids saying that they don't get attention. That's a big deal. On these massive home game weekends, you can lose ground with guys because the recruit feels like they didn't get enough attention. The staff has been good about that.
   
• Y'all know how I feel about Terrence Kiel as a player and human. He was a born football player and born competitor. His son, Terrence Kiel Jr,‍ ‍is a good-looking athlete, swinging a bat or on tape.
   
• Who A&M lands at running back is a good question. Nate Frazier‍ is the kind of guy that has the feeling that when he first came, people ignored it. Then the next thing you know, you could look up, and they have got him. There is a list of guys who have done that. Keep going at him.

Key notes from Ryan Brauninger

• I think Jordan Anthony committed in June, and it started to roll from there. There were 12 commitments in a month.
   
• When you look at the pool party, it has been the biggest return on investment that they get. It is bigger than the home game weekends and junior days. I think they will see some immediate return, but like in the past, they will see a lot of long-term returns. There are guys like Shemar Stewart and Walter Nolen that committed after the pool party, and A&M’s name started popping up more after they visited for the pool party. There are some names this year that are highly rated but haven’t been talked about with A&M a lot.
   
• I would start looking at some of the 2025 guys too. Even with 18 guys committed in 2024, there is a good chance to get some of their top targets. Blake Ivy‍ is one of the tougher guys to get a read on in this class. It feels getting him back to campus is a really good sign.
   
• After we get off the TexAgs Radio today, Jason Howell and I are going to film an In-Home Visit to preview the pool party. The running thread will go out on Friday. That is our most visited and viewed thread every year. I think the 12th Man really starts getting fired up about football this weekend.
   
• The pool party is less structured than a typical visiting weekend would be. There are people arriving at different times. They will do campus tours in the afternoon and then go to the pool and hang out and leave when they want to. I think it is more about the overall vibes of the weekend.
   
• I can only remember one person complaining about the pool party. I don’t even remember who it was. It was about his position coach not giving him enough attention. It is rare for that to happen.
   
• Terrence Kiel Jr‍ actually met with the football staff and the baseball staff. He has been very adamant with me that if he doesn’t go in the MLB Draft, he will come to A&M to play both sports. He would be at the pool party if he didn’t have a baseball tournament. I am hoping to talk to him today. This guy is a top two-three round pick in baseball and creeping up on a four-star in football.
   
• Caden Durham‍ ‍is a maybe to show up this weekend. I like A&M’s chances there. I also would like them to go all out on Nate Frazier‍ out of California.