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

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 and transfer portal trail surrounding Texas A&M.

Key notes from Recruiting Country

• It was a massive visitor list in terms of number and talent. People just glossed over it because there had been a dead period with not much recruiting going on. With March Madness, baseball, and softball going on around campus, the recruiting list got overlooked. It was insanely talented. There were kids from all over the country and a lot of top targets in Texas. There was a 7-on-7 Tournament in Houston that helped that.

• While those 7-on-7 guys were in the state, many of them made the drive to A&M and even Texas. It’s an opportunity for these kids to see both schools back to back, so there will be immediate comparisons. We haven’t heard a lot of comparisons, but we have heard the same messaging that we’ve been hearing about the visits from Mike Elko. They are organized and structured, and I think that’s appreciated.

• The importance coaching staff has put on unofficial visits for practices. It allows them to see the coaches work 1-on-1 with their position group on their side of the ball. A typical question during recruiting is: “What is the guy that’s recruiting me like on a day-to-day basis?” These position coaches are pushing for their top targets to get them to go to practices to watch them coach and sit in the meeting rooms with them.

• With Elko, there was some level of uncertainty for me but positive uncertainty in recruiting. We didn’t know how much he was held under wraps when he was defensive coordinator. Did we see his full recruiting potential? Was he allowed to bring that forth?

• He is extremely intelligent and organized. I had a positive hunch that he was going to be able to handle this and allocate those resources in a keen manner, and he has. The organizational structure that he’s put together has very good.

• The amount of different contacts that they have on staff, and the messaging is the same no matter who you talk to. That’s key and you better have your messaging 100 percent in line, and you better not be overpromising.

• You need to have a proactive and very clear organizational structure when it comes to NIL. You better have it at the forefront. Some of those old-school recruiting tactics better be there. When it comes to keeping your word and not overpromising, I think it’s even more important now. You better be telling the truth and have your messaging in line, and that is something that A&M has been A+ in so far.

• Landon Rink‍ and DJ Sanders‍ were both here, and I got reports they are doing outstanding. DJ Sanders is so quiet and plays things close to his vest, but if you talk to enough people in Bellville, you just feel good about where A&M is. He’s a special talent.

• Rink is a super interesting case study because his dad played at Texas. He and his dad have both been open that it won’t affect his recruitment. I think Mike Elko has played a huge role in this. One of his first stops after being hired, and he was sort of on his own, was Cy-Fair. It made the Rink family feel that he wanted them, and I like where they’re at in terms of his recruitment.

• The kids that they are recruiting at tight end are so different. They’re all different body styles. Nicholas Townsend‍ from Spring Dekaney is an elite athlete. I think they would use him as they used Ben Sinnott from Kansas State last year, who is blowing up some of the NFL Combine testing. When you turn Nicholas Townsend’s tape on, it’s a freak show athlete at that H-back spot.

• Linkon Cure‍, a kid from Kansas... If Collin Klein isn’t the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, I don't think A&M is in the discussion. Klein was his favorite player growing up, and he has the build of your more traditional tight end.

• Kiotti Armstrong‍ is a physical freak show. There might not be a first off-the-bus prospect in the country. He plays basketball and baseball, and they are all three in different body styles. Kiotti is someone who is certainly athletic enough to play tight end, but what if he gets to be 6-foot-7, 270 pounds and can rush the passer? There are many things that you can do with him that are just not human, so you have to take him and let it figure itself out later.

• Low maintenance still wins. Good culture wins. Bad culture loses, and we’ve seen it. Ideally, you want the 5-star guy that is a 5-star off-the-field. Someone you’re never going to have to worry about going to class, being on time for workouts, or any of that kind of stuff. That’s always the goal.

• You’re living in a fantasy world if you think you’re going to put together a roster of 75 scholarship guys that are exactly like that. You try to do as much homework as you can, and you use as many resources and contacts as you have in terms of the off-field person you’re getting.

• Misery loves company, the people that are unhappy want people to be unhappy with them. That can kill a season just as fast as injuries and lack of development, so culture matters, and culture wins, so you need to do your homework.

• Landon Rink announcing his commitment a week from today appears to be very good news for the Aggies. That would be a massive get. There are a lot of reasons why that would be a massive hit. You could look at him as a player and then him as a kid. If he picks Texas A&M, I don’t think it’s just because it’s close to home. The other schools that he is entertaining are Oklahoma and Ohio State, which aren’t close to Cy-Fair. Those are real programs, so this shouldn’t be taken lightly. If they get him, this is a real recruiting win for the whole group.