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

Key notes from Recruiting Country

• After A&M had that run of four commitments in just over a week, everyone's eyes start shifting to some of the names that we've been talking about for a long time. Deuce Harmon‍, Reuben Fatheree‍, Tyreek Chappell‍ , and Taleeq Robbins‍ are all guys nearing decisions. I don't think it would be wise to predict the next guy up because, other than Chappell who has set a July 4th deadline, nobody has made an announcement about a timeline.
   
• If June and July are lopped off the table as far as kids not being allowed to come to campus, I think you'll see another run of commitments like what we just saw. A lot of kids don't want to wait through another one of these spells. A lot of them don’t want to be on the phone constantly with coaches.
   
• The NCAA just made a ridiculous ruling, and they're going to allowed the coaches to call these 2021 kids nonstop. What was the point of that? You think that if these coaches wanted to talk to the kids, they wouldn't just do it? They should've made that change for the 2022 kids because they're the ones that college coaches are having trouble getting in touch with due to the straight line recruiting in Texas and a lot of states. If they had changed it for 2022, then it would’ve made sense. This was a dumb ruling.
   
• The NCAA is trying to keep up this fairness thing. If kids can't visit California campuses, then nobody will be allowed to have kids visit. A further ban on recruiting travel could be coming up, and that is the next thing we're watching for from the NCAA. A&M could see some more commitments if kids aren't allowed to come to campus.
   
• Harmon and Fatheree are the guys to watch. They're both critical guys for this class and in the state. One in Houston and one in Dallas. Getting them would be huge for building this class even further.
   
• At corner, when you start looking ahead to the depth chart, that's where they lack some depth. Next year, A&M could have a huge question mark in the secondary. That's why Jadarrius Perkins‍ out of a Mississippi JUCO is becoming just a key target. They're going to need another older body to fill in before they can start playing these younger guys when the guys like Elijah Blades leaves. You might see Brian George step in, and Jaylon Jones could be a key contributor in his second year. I think you could see this staff take four corners in 2021 if it's the right four. What if Tony Grimes‍ or Ishmael Ibraheem‍ or MJ Daniels‍ want to join the class? That's a position of need that needs an upgrade in quality. I wouldn't be surprised if they took four if it's the right four. They're also going to have to take two at safety.
   
• I would say, in-state for sure, it's hard to get a read on some of these guys. LJ Johnson Jr‍ (pictured above), Fatheree, and Matthew Wykoff‍ aren't big talkers. They're subtle and subdued personalities. I think you feel pretty good about what A&M is going to do with some of these guys.
   
• Landon Jackson‍ going to LSU turns it into a wait-and-see thing with Marcus Burris‍, but I think A&M is making strides.
   
• If you haven't seen the interview that Howell did with Eli Stowers‍, you need to. He's extremely well-spoken. He's everything you want in a leader. We're starting to hear that he's getting more and more involved behind the scenes. It sounds like he's making a push for LJ Johnson. A&M will have to battle Georgia for him. Camar Wheaton‍ is extremely talented, but Johnson fits what Jimbo wants to do perfectly. He's an elite running back that I would compare to Cam Akers. If A&M got LJ Johnson, it would be one of the bigger wins of this cycle.
   
• If A&M signs LJ and Amari Daniels‍ in this class and you combine that with what they did last class and Isaiah Spiller, running back goes from a position of concern to an area of strength.
   
• Brenen Thompson‍ is a class of 2022. He's one of the fastest kids in the country. He's got a lot of Devon Achane‍ in him. Oklahoma does really good with these Panhandle kids. I think Spearman is closer to Laramie, Wyoming than it is to College Station. I'm not sure we've covered a kid that far north in the Panhandle. He's definitely the 2022 version of Devon Achane and wants to run track at the collegiate level.
   
• Bryce Foster and Reuben Fatheree are huge answers to A&M's offensive line questions. I don't think there's any doubt that they are starters in the SEC. They have exactly what you want. Matthew Wycoff would also be a considerable win in-state. He’s a very smart kid. Along with Trey Zuhn‍, that's four. From there, Savion Byrd‍ is a kid you could go after, but a lot of people think he'll end up sticking with SMU. They could go after Connor Tollison‍, but he’s a Missouri kid committed to Missouri.
   
• If Javonne Shepherd‍ does the same stuff at junior college, he will be a highly recruited kid, and Texas A&M will have as good of a shot as any.
   
• Zach Evans‍' recruitment has come to a close. This recruitment cycled through so many schools, and never once did TCU come up. That's where he ended up, and it's kind of fitting. It's the wildest recruitment I've ever covered. Maybe he'll fit in Fort Worth, but I don't know anything about his visits up there or the relationships he has there. If he reaches his ceiling and reaches his potential, he's going to be a problem in the Big 12.
   
• MJ Daniels is from Lucedale and the same high school as McKinnley Jackson‍. He's committed to Ole Miss as a wide receiver, but A&M is recruiting him as a defensive back. He's very capable at both positions. I think Ole Miss is going to be able to keep him in the boat, but there's some smoke that he could decommit. This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint.

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