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The month-long dead period for recruiting began on Monday and Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin and his staff can now concentrate on the Music City Bowl, where the Aggies take on Louisville on Dec. 30, in Nashville, Tenn.
The recruiting trail has been a little rocky for the Aggies’ 2016 class, currently ranked No. 14 in the nation by 247 sports. Uncertainty in the coaching staff and the recent transfer of QB Kyle Allen has added pressure to a class with 19 verbal commits and no five-stars in the bunch.
It is expected that Aggies offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will not be back next season after the offense struggled despite two five-star quarterbacks and outstanding receivers.
The 2016 class is led so far by defensive end Justin Madubuike, who is ranked in the top 10 nationally at his position. The highly-recruited defender also received offers from SEC schools Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt, as well as national powers Baylor, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, TCU, and USC.
Let’s take a look at Texas A&M’s recruiting grades so far.
Offense: B (11 total commits)
Offensively, the Aggies’ class of 2016 is led by wide receiver Quartney Davis. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound four-star recruit can play wide receiver and return kicks. He also played defensive back in his senior year of high school. He chose Texas A&M over SEC schools Arkansas and LSU.
The Aggies recruited hard and heavy along the offensive line and came away with three top talents, including a pair of twins. Tackle Kellen Diesch (6-foot-7, 270) and twins Austin Anderson (6-foot-4, 285-pound guard) and Riley Anderson (6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle) help bolster the class. In addition, the Aggies picked up verbals from running backs Trayveon Williams and Rakeem Boyd.
Defense: B (8 total commits)
There aren’t as many commits just yet on the defensive side of the ball as would be expected, but those who have committed are very good.
Bookends at defensive end, Madubuike (6-foot-3, 255) and Mark Jackson, Jr. (6-foot-2, 225) are highly regarded as are a pair of corners, Travon Fuller and Charles Oliver. Inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson (6-foot-2, 235) is another in the solid recruits on defense as Aggies defensive coordinator John Chavis enters his second season and continues to build another outstanding group.
Recruiting needs
Over the course of a very physical and demanding SEC season, having depth along the offensive line is critical. Texas A&M went out and got three top prospects and five overall commits to fit into an offensive line that received some criticism over the course of the 2015 season.
Of course in Sumlin’s offense, skilled players are essential as well. The Aggies added a pair of receivers who are regarded as among the best in the state of Texas and are bringing in two solid running backs. But with Allen set to transfer, quarterback has suddenly become a need, although the Aggies have already wrapped up 2017 five-star commit Tate Martell out of Las Vegas, so it will be interesting to see what they do there.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
