TexAgs' recruiting analyst 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.
Key notes from Recruiting Country
- The news of the week is the impending decision of Dominick McKinley. He's a five-star defensive lineman from just outside Lafayette, Louisiana. Not a lot of information was coming out regarding his recruitment, and he has his date set as this Friday. We have very cautious optimism for Texas A&M.
- Similar to Blake Ivy, the information has been kept close to the vest, but in that situation, it was only two schools. For McKinley, there are more than just two schools. Based on everything I've heard, I believe his decision will be west of Lafayette with either A&M, Oklahoma or Texas.
- There has been some real A&M talk for McKinley, and the Aggies have been recruiting him under the radar. Elijah Robinson & Co. have done a great job with this one, but there are reasons for multiple schools to feel good about getting McKinley. A&M is one of those.
- For a kid that has kept things so close to the vest, you have to vet all of the information you're getting to make sure it's correct. We've been pinging stuff off of people in Louisiana and nationally. I'd say A&M is in a good spot for McKinley, but I won't say they're in a great spot.
- McKinley is like all of the top-end defensive linemen A&M will be lining up on Saturday. He can really run. I was told he's like a 4.6 or 4.7 runner at his size. He has a great frame and length to hold more length, and he has positional versatility. He's long and has good levers that allow him to play with good leverage. There is some real pass-rush ability in him.
- We talk about the benefit of having guys like Malick Sylla, Enai White and Rylan Kennedy as a true pass-rusher. What if you got that player in a Shemar Stewart body type? That's what McKinley could grow into. It's a fantastic frame, and he's an elite prospect. You want him to pick A&M because if he doesn't, you're going to be playing against him.
- If McKinley picks A&M on Friday, but the Aggies go 6-6, he's not signing with A&M. You could say that about a lot of kids in this class. You're going to have to go win games. Winning always matters. Just because you build nice, pretty stuff doesn't mean you're going to win stuff, but it raises the expectation level. If you fall on your face on the football field, it will have repercussions in the recruiting class.
- The people across the street know this. There is a tough balancing act between selling the program, the university and the experience of playing at A&M vs. results on the field. If you had great results, that would be the cherry on top. When the on-field results are lacking, you have to push the other stuff.
- Playing time is something that goes into recruiting, and so does relationships with coaches. D.J. Durkin has done a fantastic job on the recruiting trail. Elijah Robinson might be the best recruiter in the country, and that's a weapon you can use. Bryant Gross-Armiento has been great since he got into a full-time role, and TJ Rushing is another one that has been great. I think the staff is in a good spot.
- If they win games this fall, a top-three class is very much within reach. The phone starts ringing the other way if you win games. Being in an SEC West title hunt changes everything. This place sells itself once the kids are on campus.
- Vetting the type of player and human being you're getting is important, and in today's NIL world, feelings can be more volatile. When they started attacking the 2024 class early in the spring, they flipped the recruiting message. Since May, there has been a complete turnaround in recruiting messaging.
- Cameron Coleman is a five-star for a reason. A&M was not talked about much in his recruitment, and Dameyune Craig was working behind the scenes. A&M was the first to offer him. Their early evaluations have been fantastic. He blossomed into a five-star and is playing like a five-star. He checks every box in a major way. The only thing I didn't see in that Week 1 tape was his top-end speed, but how much does that really matter when you combine it with all of his other elite abilities? He does everything else at an elite level.
- Pick some of the best receivers that have come to A&M in the last 10-20 years. Coleman has a Josh Reynolds frame. He's physical like Ricky Seals-Jones. He has the pass-catching ability of Christian Kirk. I've been watching him throw blocks downfield as well.
- Noriel PacMan Dominguez is a really good player. He's in his first year at Fort Bend Marshall, and he started his sophomore year in an awesome way. He isn't coming off the field. He understands the defense. He doesn't have an A&M offer yet, but that could change. If he keeps putting out tape like that, he could end up being one of the most offered kids in the class.
- A&M has been in the mix for some of those kids that end up going to LSU or Alabama. For whatever reason for McKinley, it has never felt like LSU was the main contender. It doesn't surprise me in this particular recruitment, but any time you can take the top-ranked recruit in Louisiana, you do it.
- Running back is interesting. They're taking a wait-and-see approach. Some of these kids in-state committed to other programs. Do they circle back? You don't go anywhere on a Taylor Tatum, and you keep recruiting him. I think they're waiting to see what the in-state crop does on tape in the first couple of weeks.
- I am going to see Fort Bend Elkins vs. Montgomery Lake Creek on Thursday. Elkins had a big win last week. Lake Creek has a kid named Ty Ty Byars. His playstyle is that of a legitimate bowling ball kid, and that’s different from many of the other running backs we’ve seen. They also have Hunter McKinney, the son of Steve McKinney, who had a great camp. An offer could be coming his way. You might have to ask Steve if Hunter will have a choice should A&M offer, and of course, I say that tongue-in-cheek. Hunter is legitimately an intriguing prospect, and he's growing like crazy.
- On Friday, I am going to Huffman Hargrave to cover a game for the first time because Silsbee is coming. It's northeast of Humble. I get to see Drelon Miller, and I'm always excited to see him play. They get him the ball in so many ways, and he always does incredible things.
