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Texas A&M dropped a bit in the recruiting standings on National Signing Day, but the Aggies had a solid finish to the recruiting cycle. The Aggies picked up several commitments in the final week, including bringing a five-star back into the fold.
For the first time in three years, Kevin Sumlin’s Aggies will finish outside of the top 10 in recruiting rankings. The 247sports industry composite ranks A&M 12th in the country and sixth in the SEC.
Man in the Middle
John Chavis will have a nice anchor to build his defense around. Five-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack, who decommitted from the Aggies during the search for a defensive coordinator, decided to come back to Texas A&M on NSD. The 6-foot-1, 330-pound wrecking ball will immediately help shore up the middle of the defense and should be a nice pairing with Myles Garrett.
Chavis has a history of building defenses around excellent defensive tackles; LSU had a defensive tackle picked in the NFL draft in every year Chavis was coordinator there. It’s likely the defensive coordinator played a role in Mack’s decision; the Gladewater, Texas native listed LSU as one of his top two choices after decommitting from Texas A&M, only to drop the Tigers after Chavis joined the Aggies.
Adding artillery
The Aggies get a nice boost on offense with the 2015 class. Kyler Murray, a five-star dual-threat quarterback from Allen, Texas, is the key piece. Texas A&M will have to compete with the MLB draft in spring, and getting him in practice come fall will be crucial. After Kenny Hill’s decision to transfer, the Aggies are thin at quarterback behind Kyle Allen.
Texas A&M’s skill positions picked up some strong players; five-star receiver Christian Kirk is a top-five player at his position, while running backs Jay Bradford (four-star) and Kendall Bussey (three-star) both have potential.
Perhaps most importantly, the Aggies brought in four offensive linemen, including three four-stars. Texas A&M’s offensive line was inconsistent in 2014, and it loses one of its top players in Cedric Ogbuehi.
Shoring up the back line
Texas A&M’s secondary was a major weak point in 2014, but four-star safeties Justin Dunning and Larry Pryor should help that. Both were among the top-10 players at the position in this recruiting class and could have an opportunity to play early. Rony Elam, a four-star cornerback, joins the group as well.
Signees
- Daylon Mack, DT, five-star
- Kyler Murray, QB, five-star
- Justin Dunning, S, four-star
- James Lockhart, DE, four-star
- Larry Pryor, S, four-star
- Connor Lanfear, OT, four-star
- Rony Elam, CB, four-star
- Trevor Elbert, OT, four-star
- Jay Bradford, RB, four-star
- Kemah Simerand, WR, four-star
- Kingsley KeKe, DT, three-star
- Kendall Bussey, RB, three-star
- DeShawn Capers-Smith, ATH, three-star
- Landis Durham, LB, three-star
- Erik McCoy, C, three-star
- Riley Garner, LB, three-star
- Dwaine Thomas, LB, three-star
- Daniel LaCamera, K, three-star
Early enrollees
- Christian Kirk, WR, five-star
- Keaton Sutherland, OT, four-star
- Jordan Davis, TE, four-star
- Richard Moore, LB, three-star
- Justin Evans, S, three-star (JUCO)
- Damion Ratley, WR, three-star (JUCO)
- Claude George, LB, three-star (JUCO)
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
