Fisher's stellar 2022 recruiting class should come as no surprise

In the media room of an Atlanta hotel during Southeastern Conference Media Days, I was approached by a reporter from a major newspaper.

A few months had passed since Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher had compiled a recruiting class that was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation.

The reporter, a well-known proponent of the Big 12 Conference, was incredulous. He could not understand how Fisher could recruit so many elite prospects like DeMarvin Leal and Kenyon Green.

He questioned A&M’s recruiting. He spouted infantile theories. A&M’s success made no sense to him. He finally paused to breathe. I took the opportunity to offer a counterpoint.

My retort?

Texas A&M is one of the largest universities in the country. It is an AAU institution. It has a diverse student body.

Athletically, its facilities are amazing. None in the country are better. Also, playing at Texas A&M meant playing in the rugged SEC West Division. There’s no question the best talent and most NFL drafted players come from the SEC.

A&M also has tremendous fan support and an incredible game day atmosphere. Further, A&M provides the chance to develop under a national championship head coach.

In summation: Elite prospects could play under Fisher. In the SEC. In those facilities. In front of those fans. Earn a prestigious degree. And, in many cases, do it all within two or three hours from mama.

That’s still the case. Yet, since then Fisher has guided A&M to a 9-1 finish, No. 4 national ranking and Orange Bowl victory in 2020.

This year the Aggies defeated No. 1 Alabama before a delirious Kyle Field crowd of more than 100,000. That included a stable of four- and five-star stud prospects in attendance on recruiting trips.

A&M also has been at the forefront of helping its athletes with NIL opportunities.

Therefore, it’s no wonder Texas A&M’s recruiting class is now ranked even higher than the 2019 group that had so perplexed that reporter.

Fisher has always succeeded in recruiting. He hasn’t always had the best facilities to sell. The combination of Fisher’s recruiting prowess and A&M’s selling points likely ensure top ten classes to become the norm.

But there is nothing normal about the class that Fisher is assembling this year.

Recruiting site 247sports has A&M’s class currently ranked No. 2. Most observers feel the Aggies will eventually surpass Georgia into No. 1 on the list.

The class Fisher and his staff are putting together really is dazzling.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Fisher recently added Walter Nolen, one of the top two prospects in the country, to the 2022 haul.

Committed defensive lineman Walter Nolen, receiver Evan Stewart and defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, who flipped from Oklahoma to A&M on Monday night, are ranked among the nation’s top ten prospects.

The Aggies also have strong shots to add linebacker Harold Perkins (No. 11), cornerback Denver Harris (No. 13), offensive tackle Kelvin Banks (No. 14), safety Jacoby Mathews (No. 30), offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin (No. 31) and defensive end Enai White (No. 38).

It goes on and on. Indeed, A&M has commitments from nine other players ranked among the nation’s top 154 prospects.

Detractors, like that reporter, are incredulous. They point to A&M’s 8-4 finish in the regular season and wonder why so many talented prospects are sold on A&M.

The fact is these highly-recruited kids are not uninformed. They know A&M lost starting quarterback Haynes King in the second game of the season. They know what is possible here.

Indeed, many of them saw what A&M is capable of with stellar quarterback play. Zach Calzada was brilliant in the victory over Alabama. He was just too inconsistent.

Still, the Aggies had the football or the lead in the final minutes of all four of its losses. That’s how close A&M is to seriously contending for a national title.

Fisher is building a roster overflowing with elite talent. Consistently elite quarterback play appears to be the last piece to A&M’s championship puzzle.

Five-star quarterback Conner Weigman (No. 21) is also part of A&M’s stellar class.

Somewhere that reporter must be sitting in a room trying to make it all make sense.