Rise to No. 1: Defining moments in a historic cycle - #2, Auburn weekend
TexAgs' recruiting analyst Ryan Brauninger has assembled ten defining moments that led to Texas A&M signing the highest-rated recruiting class of all time. On November 6, Texas A&M added a pair of five-stars before beating Auburn in a top-15 clash at Kyle Field.
Visitor List: December 10-11
There may be a surprise or two, but this is who we are expecting to make their way to College Station on Friday and/or Saturday. CommitsBainbridge (GA) CB Deyon Bouie - OfficialMt Spokane (WA) K Ethan Moczulski - OfficialBridgeland QB Conner Weigman Clear Springs WR Noah Thomas Powell (TN) DT Walter Nolen Seattle (WA) OL Mark Nabou Frisco Liberty WR Evan Stewart Katy DE Malick Sylla Lexington S Jarred Kerr Argyle DT Jadon Scarlett The Woodlands LB Martrell Harris Katy CB Bobby Taylor Haslet Eaton OL Hunter Erb TargetsPhiladelphia (PA) DE Enai White - OfficialBradenton (FL) LB/ATH Jihaad Campbell - OfficialOpa Locka (FL) DE Shemar Stewart CyPark LB Harold Perkins Atascocita OL Kam Dewberry Bridgeland WR Andrew Maleski 2023 Alabaster (AL) CB Tony Mitchell - Bobby Taylor and Malick Sylla have playoff games on Saturday at 2. I've been told they're driving down after, but that's obviously something we'll watch for. - Donovan Green, PJ Williams, and Chris Marshall have basketball tournaments this weekend. Whether they make it to town or not depends on the outcomes and schedules of those games.
Saturday morning recruiting notes
- Mobile (AL) LB Shemar James has moved his visit to next weekend to be in town with the big group of expected visitors. - I've been told by a reputable source that Texas A&M has no plans to pursue transfer QB Quinn Ewers. The two sides have not even spoken. The staff is very happy with Conner Weigman and their future with him. ***See post below. Working on additional confirmation here ***- A few names I think the A&M staff may be interested in as PWO candidates:Bridgeland WR Andrew Maleski - already offered a spot A&M Consolidated LB Tyndall McNamara College Station LB Jaxson Slanker Katy DB Carson Marshall Celina LB Hunter Neely
Recruiting Notes - Recapping the weekend and more
Alright, I've been on the phone with quite a few folks last night and into today, and I've gathered some intel on this weekend's visitors as well as some guys who weren't in town but continue to be top flight targets. - I'll start with reinforcing Howell's update on OL Kiyaunta Goodwin. The source I spoke with also anticipated a return trip to College Station in the next few weeks, and I was told, "A&M could absolutely get this kid after the job they did (on the official visit)." I was told some of the current offensive linemen did a great job selling their experience so far in College Station. - Staying up front, it was imperative that the Aggies get standout Summer Creek OL Kelvin Banks on campus for a visit if they were going to have any sort of chance to ultimately land the highly gifted tackle. I'm hoping to catch up with Kelvin this week, but I heard conversations with the likes of Kenyon Green and Reuben Fatheree were beneficial. He and his family also got to spend time with Jimbo Fisher and Josh Henson which was much needed. Again, this visit had to take place for the Aggies to have any sort of chance. Where do things stand? Based on what I've heard, I'd still call Oregon the leader as of today. However, I think the gap between the Ducks and the Aggies and Longhorns has dwindled significantly, especially considering where things stood shortly after he committed there earlier this year. It wouldn't even surprise me to see Banks back on campus one more time before the early signing period although I don't think anything has been scheduled as of now. - It was a short, somewhat surprise visit for CyPark LB Harold Perkins who arrived at the game in the middle of the first quarter. He got to spend a lot of time with all the A&M commits he knows so well and also various members of the recruiting and coaching staff. My general feel of the situation is that Texas has faded a bit, and it looks like this one will come down to the Aggies and Bayou Bengals. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see Harold in the stands in Tiger Stadium next Saturday considering he's got family in Louisiana, and it's a holiday week. Pay close attention the LSU hire. If the new coach is someone Perk is already familiar with, that would obviously help the Tigers' chances. They'd have to put together a reputable staff that Harold believes in, but the previous relationship with a new coach would help. If it's someone he doesn't know all that well, I think the sales pitch would include Perkins pushing his decision back as long as he could - heck, that may happen even with a guy he already knows. Regardless of what goes on in Baton Rouge though, the Aggies are going to put the pedal down on this one as long as they can and are in the envious position in late November. - Still searching for a bit more intel on North Shore CB Denver Harris, but I was told he and his mother had an extended sit down with Jimbo Fisher on Saturday. I was not made privy to the details of that conversation, but I was told it was productive. LSU, Texas, and Alabama remain the primary players along with A&M. Like I mentioned with Perkins above, I think the hire at LSU will be a pivotal piece to this recruitment. - We continue to keep an eye on Seattle (WA) OL Mark Nabou. It's been widely speculated that he would make a college decision between Michigan, Washington, and Texas A&M shortly after his senior season, and they dropped a tough one on Saturday to conclude their year. If that speculated timeline holds true (and we believe it will), then Nabou could be bolstering someone's offensive line haul very soon. Also, he's got a pretty stout offer list for a kid the services consider a 3 star. Just saying. - There are murmurs across the Sabine River from some sources that star safety Jacoby Mathews could be nearing his recruiting finish line, as well. I was told Mathews remains in close contact with the A&M coaching staff, most notably TJ Rushing and Mike Elko. He's been on the visitor list a few times but has been unable to make it due to transportation issues - and that's not being used as some kind of excuse either. I was told the kid genuinely wanted to come to more games but finding a ride proved difficult at times. He does have family in greater Houston so there's familiarity with Texas and the surrounding area. Even if Mathews does decide to make a commitment soon, I would imagine the new coach at LSU would do all they could to keep him home. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorn staff continue to hang around here, but it'd be hard for me to say they're in front of A&M based on what I've been told about the situation. Current Aggie pledge Bryce Anderson has been working on this one for a while. - One kid who did not make it to the game when we had heard it was a possibility was Atascocita OL Kam Dewberry. Now, I have been told by some folks that Kam will come back to College Station before the early signing period (and I believe he even told Hop that after his game on Friday night) so it's not like he's out of the picture at all. I will say my gut feel is that Texas probably has a slight lead as things stand today, and it seems as if Oklahoma has fallen back just a tad. We'll see what happens with this one going forward both in terms of visits and ultimately a decision because my take is that things are very much up in the air, and Kam hasn't made any sort of decision at all. - Both Billy and I got great reports on the official visit by Theodor Melin Öhrström. He impressed with his overall size and frame while also demonstrating an advanced football knowledge for a kid from Europe. - In case you missed it over the weekend, Bridgeland WR Andrew Maleski told me he's leaning toward taking the PWO offer from Texas A&M. They are still in the playoffs so his focus has been on keeping their run going, but I think he'll probably weigh his options (including potential G5 or FCS offers) then make a decision in December. If he does choose to come to Aggieland with his buddy and QB Conner Weigman, it may not make national recruiting news, but it would be very much a high quality addition from the PWO ranks - much like Blake Bost last year. - Lastly, I continue to hear that December 10th weekend could be big. There's already guys like Deyon Bouie and Shemar Stewart set to come in that weekend, and I suspect the list will be filled with more star studded names as the Aggies will look to kick off the final days to the early signing period with a bang.
Visitor List: Prairie View A&M
An 11 am kick against an FCS opponent, but the Aggies will still have a few interesting names in town headlined by the two official visitors. We will be adding more names throughout the day and tomorrow as we get texts back. For instance, I'm waiting to get confirmation on a pair of prime time targets before adding them to the list, even as maybes. CommitsBeaumont West Brook DB Bryce Anderson Katy DB Bobby Taylor Katy DE Malick Sylla Bridgeland QB Conner Weigman Pilot Point LB Ish Harris Argyle DT Jadon Scarlett Uppsala (SWE) TE Theodor Melin Öhrström (OV)Fort Bend Marshall WR Chris Marshall The Woodlands LB Martrell Harris Baton Rouge (LA) RB LeVeon Moss Dickinson OL PJ Williams PWO Commit Levi Hancock PWO Commit Chance Jackson Targets Charlestown (IN) OL Kiyaunta Goodwin (OV) - Kentucky Bridgeland WR Andrew Maleski North Shore CB Denver Harris Summer Creek OL Kelvin Banks CyPark LB Harold Perkins 2023 Aldine Eisenhower WR Ryan Niblett 2023 Harker Heights OL Jaydon Chatman 2023 Katy S Johnathan Hall 2023 Burien (WA) Micah Banuelos 2024 Hitchcock ATH Damien McDaniel 2025 Idabel (OK) RB Ravian Larry