Jimbo 2019: The Only Tail Getting Busted is Candi's

[Tommy Nobis 905]

I'm glad you're up for a serious discussion.  The stiffness is potentially a major issue.  Check the pad level on Robinson's run blocking.  His weight is very high and he basically pushes DL into the ground on a lot of plays by dropping his weight on them.  It could be this is just poor technique which can be resolved through better coaching.  But with other indicators out there it seems more likely he isn't very flexible and can't get much drive with his pad level down.  That would be a serious liability in an interior lineman.  Also the lack of ability in space is a big issue for an OG if his team pulls linemen at all or when blocking for screen passes.

The fucking marine will coach his ass up

[Radical Larry 28,566]

7 minutes ago, Tommy Nobis said:

The fucking marine will coach his ass up

Marine bolted to the Bengals. Sheep out front shoulda told you. 

[Shaggy3.0 1,695]

Why does that shit stain looch always talk like he wants to fight a sip?? I bet the faget has never been in a fight. He’d get fucking trucked. I bet one ass-whipping would shut him the fuck up.
For real.

[Vertigo 20,276]

1 hour ago, Shaggy3.0 said:

Why does that shit stain looch always talk like he wants to fight a sip?? I bet the faget has never been in a fight. He’d get fucking trucked. I bet one ass-whipping would shut him the fuck up.
For real.

The previous ten haven’t.

[pacman 7,355]

I love how espn is now the recruiting authority, since they ranked aggy at 3, given that espn spends about tree fiddy on its recruiting analysis.

Edited February 8, 2019 by pacman

[Bob Lives! 900]

Fun factoid from this year’s recruiting rankings: of the Top 10 ranked teams in the composite, only one does not have a conference championship in this millennium. And that one team has not even appeared in a conference championship game this millennium. Guess who?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bill Lumbergh 7,171]

4 hours ago, pacman said:

I love how espn is now the recruiting authority, since they ranked aggy at 3, given that espn spends about tree fiddy on its recruiting analysis.

The best part is how many of them are claiming they don't care that we're ranked just one spot ahead of them, and yet how many of them are suddenly deferring to ESPNs rankings. 

Oh, you care aggy.  You care very very much. 

[campcrunk 2,438]

16 hours ago, bizzle said:

he's going to be playing center or guard at the next level. you are correct he does not have elite feet. i think he compares favorably to erik mccoy at this stage, albeit a bit stiffer. 

 . . . thats the joke . . .

I was curious, so I watched the film as well. Obvious disclaimer: it's a highlight reel, so my ability to make conclusions is very limited. But...

Center, guard, or otherwise, he looks stiff, plays high, and has heavy feet. That's problematic. He does do some good things.  I like the way he finishes blocks and he's a big, strong dude. But let's not pretend that he doesn't need quite a bit of work to not be a liability at the next level. I'll wait to see who y'all hire to replace Turner, but even if it's a home run hire, the feet and stiffness are going to be problems - especially if he plays guard, where he'll have to pull sometimes.  There's a reason one of the most important things Saban looks for in OL is flexibility. Good coaching can certainly help him overcome some of these issues, like pad level - but how often do you see guys without much flexibility suddenly develop it at the next level? Even highly ranked ones. He also seems to have some issues reaching the next level, which looks related the above.

Basically, right now, he looks like a depth guy to me who will either get trapdoored or take up a roster slot for 4 or 5 years without much production (although a lot of that will probably depend on what kind of coaching he gets).   If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. And I will have no trouble fessing up if that's the case, so feel free to bookmark this if you want. If that happens, I'll happily eat my words.

[tejas60 3,532]

11 hours ago, Shaggy3.0 said:

Why does that shit stain looch always talk like he wants to fight a sip?? I bet the faget has never been in a fight. He’d get fucking trucked. I bet one ass-whipping would shut him the fuck up.
For real.

paging @Homesickhorn

[ajax 2,607]

19 hours ago, TexasMan said:

22:00-25:30 Looch and Brauninger still belly aching and conspiracy theorizing so hard against Texas' 247's rankings, says WE'RE the ones that are celebrating a moral victory over UGA when aggy beat the team that beat Georgia by 3 touchdowns(?!?!) 

https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/texags.blob.core.windows.net/audio/0111808-kahk.mp3

Did Looch completely forget aggy beating their chest about the Sugar Bowl before it was played?

Quote

A&M would be in a very winnable bowl game against a Big 10 or Big 12 opponent, finish 9-4, and likely ahead of Texas in the final rankings after they get smashed by Georgia. What a sweet day that will be.

https://gigemgazette.com/2018/11/30/aggies-finish-ahead-longhorns-rankings/amp/

Edited February 8, 2019 by ajax

[golfclap 6,903]

Tarp with the 2018/2019 - rolling two class analysis :: 

 

People grade recruiting classes as stand alone entities as a potential 22 man starting lineup but usually those classes combine with the one either ahead or behind them to form the basis of your football team. That’s because you need depth in which to compile a two deep roster that can compete when the classes are juniors and seniors

Thus, I always go back near the end of every signing and analyze both the most recently signed class and the one before it in terms of quality and filling needs. Here’s a look at the 2018 and 2019 classes on the defensive side of the ball.

Defensive line

2018 – Bobby Brown, Mohamed Diallo, Max Wright,

2019 – DeMarvin Leal, Derick Hunter, Adarious Jones

Most colleges now use three bigger down linemen including a big five technique to set the edge to the field versus the run. Thus, you’re beginning to see players who can play inside or outside with their size/speed combination and it’s gotten harder to figure out what they are at the high school level or where they are going to play in college. For example, Brown was projected as a tackle but wound up playing that big end spot as a freshman at A&M. Leal is listed as a tackle and Hunter as an end but at this point they could be flipped when they both arrive on campus.

Jones appears to be somewhat undersized on film and would have been projected as a three tech. He may still be a fit there but what do you do with Hunter who has just as much explosion in a bigger frame? Is he a nose? 

Going forward: In all likelihood, the guys who can move best laterally will wind up being tried at the big five tech and that’s Leal, Jones, and Brown. Even so, any of them could line up at any of the three spots because they offer so much versatility.

Diallo is the closest thing to a true nosetackle in either of the two classes that have been signed and he’s still learning the game. The trick is what to do with Wright who lacks the size of the bigger guys but can move and make plays (he was valuable on special teams in 2018) and so may be a better fit as an edge rusher.

Edge player

2018 – Jeremiah Martin, Tyree Wilson

2019 – RJ Orebo

Orebo probably has a redshirt year coming since he needs to add size. Martin played in 2018 but found himself dropping into coverage more than he rushed the passer and never really displayed the get off we saw in high school. Wilson has a lot of tools but like Orebo is still growing into his body and comes from a small school which hindered his development.

Going forward: There’s a lot of length in the group and they can all run which gives them versatility as hybrid players but there’s not a lot of burst out of a stance in terms of being pass rushers. Katy Taylor's Braedon Mowry could change all of that if he signs in at some point this spring as he has really good get off and length  (although he needs to add some bulk before he can contribute). Either way, Martin or Wilson need to make an impact in 2019 in the two deep. Orebo could figure as a Rover but he’s probably going to grow out of the position.

Linebacker

2018 – Brian Johnson

2019 – Andre White Jr., Ke'Shun Brown, Tarian Lee, Christopher Russell

A&M didn’t sign a true linebacker in the 2018 class for various reasons with Johnson being moved to Rover after playing safety in high school. Nonetheless, theoretically A&M got four players who can play inside in 2019. White and Russell are the biggest players of the group and can make plays between the tackles and shed blocks while Brown and Lee are explosive players who close distances quickly, impact people with velocity, and can drop into coverage. It’s a nice foursome that will add size and covers all of your bases…for one class.

Going forward: You see 11 personnel on a weekly basis in college football which means that teams use two linebackers more often than not. A&M needed one more true inside backer after the early signing period and got their man in Russell who has very good film and should remind you of former A&M backer Tyrel Dodson. As a result, the position is not quite the concern that it would have been in the past even after the position was decimated by injury in 2018. Not only that, injured 2017 signees Anthony Hines and Ikenna Okeke will get a year back so it’s like they redshirted. Overall, A&M should be able to field a two deep at the position unless injuries overwhelm them again.

Cornerback

2018 - None

2019 – Erick Young, Elijah Blades

By the end of the 2018 season, A&M needed an upgrade at corner worse than it needed help at any other position. The numbers are still lacking here after years of not signing enough people and then signing players rated as safeties.

Going forward: Blades represents an upgrade because he has ball skills and athleticism (just watch him return kicks on film) and Young looks like a safety from a physical standpoint. At least one of them will be needed immediately in 2019 to push the returnees at the position if A&M is to continue to make strides at the position.

Safety

2018 – Leon O'Neal

2019 – Brian Williams, Demani Richardson

Theoretically, the Aggies should be set in 2019 and after with Derrick Tucker from the 2017 class and O’Neal. In particular, O’Neal had a very good bowl game versus North Carolina State and Tucker seemed to rebound in the post season from a lack of productivity prior to missing most of the last half of the regular season due to injury.  2018 signee Jordan Moore transferred out but Williams and Richardson offer NFL size and skills at the position and in particular Williams has great vision and ability to process information (he had an interception in the Under Armour game). They’re the best pair of safeties that A&M has signed in a long time in terms of both their ratings out of high school and also what you see on film.

Going forward:For all of the complaints about the corners in 2018, the safeties had their own issues as well. The bowl game appeared to indicate that things are getting better on that front and Williams and Richardson should add depth in the short run behind or with some of the veteran backups.

Summary

From an evaluation standpoint, coaches talk about bringing in people who can run but what you really want is people who have get off and closing speed because those attributes negatively impact an offense moreso than anything else. A&M has brought more and more players who can close and hit and get offenses off schedule. To that end, things are very much on the upswing.

Also, while you can fill numbers, it’s more important to fill spots with quality. Again, A&M has done that at most positions and especially up front where games are won and lost in the SEC.

 

My favorite section - CB. 

my favorite line :: 

Quote

Orebo probably has a redshirt year coming since he needs to add size.

Probably. Unless he's gonna play SG ... oh wait, this is football? 

Jimbo personally recruited SEC-ready LB in a hand-in-the-dirt LOS league, sip. 

 

[texifornia 56,869]

Quote

By the end of the 2018 season, A&M needed an upgrade at corner worse than it needed help at any other position. The numbers are still lacking here after years of not signing enough people and then signing players rated as safeties.

Going forward: Blades represents an upgrade because he has ball skills and athleticism (just watch him return kicks on film) and Young looks like a safety from a physical standpoint. At least one of them will be needed immediately in 2019 to push the returnees at the position if A&M is to continue to make strides at the position. 

So aggy needed numbers at corner, so they recruiting a JUCO and a guy who even Tarp says is physically a safety. Good luck with that.

[Pato del Muerto 52,487]

This is to alleviate concerns when all of the 2017 class transfers in the next 15 months. 

[bizzle 1,153]

1 hour ago, campcrunk said:

I was curious, so I watched the film as well. Obvious disclaimer: it's a highlight reel, so my ability to make conclusions is very limited. But...

Center, guard, or otherwise, he looks stiff, plays high, and has heavy feet. That's problematic. He does do some good things.  I like the way he finishes blocks and he's a big, strong dude. But let's not pretend that he doesn't need quite a bit of work to not be a liability at the next level. I'll wait to see who y'all hire to replace Turner, but even if it's a home run hire, the feet and stiffness are going to be problems - especially if he plays guard, where he'll have to pull sometimes.  There's a reason one of the most important things Saban looks for in OL is flexibility. Good coaching can certainly help him overcome some of these issues, like pad level - but how often do you see guys without much flexibility suddenly develop it at the next level? Even highly ranked ones. He also seems to have some issues reaching the next level, which looks related the above.

Basically, right now, he looks like a depth guy to me who will either get trapdoored or take up a roster slot for 4 or 5 years without much production (although a lot of that will probably depend on what kind of coaching he gets).   If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. And I will have no trouble fessing up if that's the case, so feel free to bookmark this if you want. If that happens, I'll happily eat my words.

i think this is a totally valid take - i personally like the guy's potential at center after a year but turner definitely had his own opinion when it comes to evaluations.

and liucci's paper-thin skin over literally everything after 20 years in the business is kind of amazing.

[Neonmoon 38,129]

9 minutes ago, golfclap said:

The trick is what to do with Wright who lacks the size of the bigger guys but can move and make plays (he was valuable on special teams in 2018) and so may be a better fit as an edge rusher.

 

I had forgotten about old glass knees. 

He isn’t starting yet?

[Burt Macklin 19,020]

2 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

I had forgotten about old glass knees. 

He isn’t starting yet?

Wright as an edge rusher? Yeeesh. I guess they did play 4 DTs this past year and until teams in the SEC can threaten with a credible passing offense they can get away with it to an extent, but Wright doesn’t have the skills you would want in a 4-3 end at all.

[golfclap 6,903]

3 minutes ago, texifornia said:

So aggy needed numbers at corner, so they recruiting a JUCO and a guy who even Tarp says is physically a safety. Good luck with that.

OG, DT, CB, OT

 

I think Young can and will play CB for them and as a CB he'll be an upgrade over spares like Renfro (who also should've been a S). As a CB he's passable as a S he could be REALLY fucking good. 

[Scholz 11,938]

9 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

I had forgotten about old glass knees. 

He isn’t starting yet?

[Scholz 11,938]

20 minutes ago, golfclap said:

Tarp with the 2018/2019 - rolling two class analysis :: 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

People grade recruiting classes as stand alone entities as a potential 22 man starting lineup but usually those classes combine with the one either ahead or behind them to form the basis of your football team. That’s because you need depth in which to compile a two deep roster that can compete when the classes are juniors and seniors

Thus, I always go back near the end of every signing and analyze both the most recently signed class and the one before it in terms of quality and filling needs. Here’s a look at the 2018 and 2019 classes on the defensive side of the ball.

Defensive line

2018 – Bobby Brown, Mohamed Diallo, Max Wright,

2019 – DeMarvin Leal, Derick Hunter, Adarious Jones

Most colleges now use three bigger down linemen including a big five technique to set the edge to the field versus the run. Thus, you’re beginning to see players who can play inside or outside with their size/speed combination and it’s gotten harder to figure out what they are at the high school level or where they are going to play in college. For example, Brown was projected as a tackle but wound up playing that big end spot as a freshman at A&M. Leal is listed as a tackle and Hunter as an end but at this point they could be flipped when they both arrive on campus.

Jones appears to be somewhat undersized on film and would have been projected as a three tech. He may still be a fit there but what do you do with Hunter who has just as much explosion in a bigger frame? Is he a nose? 

Going forward: In all likelihood, the guys who can move best laterally will wind up being tried at the big five tech and that’s Leal, Jones, and Brown. Even so, any of them could line up at any of the three spots because they offer so much versatility.

Diallo is the closest thing to a true nosetackle in either of the two classes that have been signed and he’s still learning the game. The trick is what to do with Wright who lacks the size of the bigger guys but can move and make plays (he was valuable on special teams in 2018) and so may be a better fit as an edge rusher.

Edge player

2018 – Jeremiah Martin, Tyree Wilson

2019 – RJ Orebo

Orebo probably has a redshirt year coming since he needs to add size. Martin played in 2018 but found himself dropping into coverage more than he rushed the passer and never really displayed the get off we saw in high school. Wilson has a lot of tools but like Orebo is still growing into his body and comes from a small school which hindered his development.

Going forward: There’s a lot of length in the group and they can all run which gives them versatility as hybrid players but there’s not a lot of burst out of a stance in terms of being pass rushers. Katy Taylor's Braedon Mowry could change all of that if he signs in at some point this spring as he has really good get off and length  (although he needs to add some bulk before he can contribute). Either way, Martin or Wilson need to make an impact in 2019 in the two deep. Orebo could figure as a Rover but he’s probably going to grow out of the position.

Linebacker

2018 – Brian Johnson

2019 – Andre White Jr., Ke'Shun Brown, Tarian Lee, Christopher Russell

A&M didn’t sign a true linebacker in the 2018 class for various reasons with Johnson being moved to Rover after playing safety in high school. Nonetheless, theoretically A&M got four players who can play inside in 2019. White and Russell are the biggest players of the group and can make plays between the tackles and shed blocks while Brown and Lee are explosive players who close distances quickly, impact people with velocity, and can drop into coverage. It’s a nice foursome that will add size and covers all of your bases…for one class.

Going forward: You see 11 personnel on a weekly basis in college football which means that teams use two linebackers more often than not. A&M needed one more true inside backer after the early signing period and got their man in Russell who has very good film and should remind you of former A&M backer Tyrel Dodson. As a result, the position is not quite the concern that it would have been in the past even after the position was decimated by injury in 2018. Not only that, injured 2017 signees Anthony Hines and Ikenna Okeke will get a year back so it’s like they redshirted. Overall, A&M should be able to field a two deep at the position unless injuries overwhelm them again.

Cornerback

2018 - None

2019 – Erick Young, Elijah Blades

By the end of the 2018 season, A&M needed an upgrade at corner worse than it needed help at any other position. The numbers are still lacking here after years of not signing enough people and then signing players rated as safeties.

Going forward: Blades represents an upgrade because he has ball skills and athleticism (just watch him return kicks on film) and Young looks like a safety from a physical standpoint. At least one of them will be needed immediately in 2019 to push the returnees at the position if A&M is to continue to make strides at the position.

Safety

2018 – Leon O'Neal

2019 – Brian Williams, Demani Richardson

Theoretically, the Aggies should be set in 2019 and after with Derrick Tucker from the 2017 class and O’Neal. In particular, O’Neal had a very good bowl game versus North Carolina State and Tucker seemed to rebound in the post season from a lack of productivity prior to missing most of the last half of the regular season due to injury.  2018 signee Jordan Moore transferred out but Williams and Richardson offer NFL size and skills at the position and in particular Williams has great vision and ability to process information (he had an interception in the Under Armour game). They’re the best pair of safeties that A&M has signed in a long time in terms of both their ratings out of high school and also what you see on film.

Going forward:For all of the complaints about the corners in 2018, the safeties had their own issues as well. The bowl game appeared to indicate that things are getting better on that front and Williams and Richardson should add depth in the short run behind or with some of the veteran backups.

Summary

From an evaluation standpoint, coaches talk about bringing in people who can run but what you really want is people who have get off and closing speed because those attributes negatively impact an offense moreso than anything else. A&M has brought more and more players who can close and hit and get offenses off schedule. To that end, things are very much on the upswing.

Also, while you can fill numbers, it’s more important to fill spots with quality. Again, A&M has done that at most positions and especially up front where games are won and lost in the SEC.

 

My favorite section - CB. 

my favorite line :: 

Probably. Unless he's gonna play SG ... oh wait, this is football? 

Jimbo personally recruited SEC-ready LB in a hand-in-the-dirt LOS league, sip. 

 

He could've just typed his inevitable conclusion, "...things are very much on the upswing" and saved himself the time.  It was the ultimate destination of all those words regardless of reality anyway.

[ajax 2,607]

aggy is building the ideal team...

 

to beat Kentucky

[satyanash 14,478]

Brian Perroni: Behind-the-scenes of the 2019 Texas A&M recruiting class

 

Texas A&M has pretty much wrapped up its class of 2019. The only question left is whether longtime commit Braedon Mowry will sign with the Aggies at some point. With the process being over for the rest, we take a look at some of the behind-the-scenes stories that may not have been well-known before.

-Top-100 cornerback Jeffery Carter was committed to Oklahoma and A&M before eventually signing with Alabama. During the time, the 247Sports network also had commitment stories with quotes to Oregon, Alabama (prior to his A&M commitment), A&M a couple times and Oklahoma (again). Those obviously never ended up happening.

While he was saying all the right things about having fun on visits, and that was the case when he planned his LSU one, he was always still a bit enamored with the Tide even after committing to A&M.

The Aggie commits were all a really close group and, the day of Carter’s official visit to Tuscaloosa, he removed himself from the group text. That was pretty much when it was obvious he was gone. He publicly switched the next night. A&M knew it was very likely coming.

-At quarterback, as soon as Kevin Sumlin was fired, Grant Gunnell was basically gone. Fisher and Co. still recruited him and wanted him but they also knew that there were other players that could have been a better fit.

Gunnell really liked Oklahoma State when he decommitted from A&M and there were a couple other schools that also piqued his interest. But, he had really developed a bond with Noel Mazzone, so it became pretty clear that’s where he was headed.

Again, A&M did not cut him loose and both Fisher and Dickey worked on him but, once it became clear that Gunnell was not going to stick, it was not seen as the biggest loss in the world.

-It became public eventually but, at the time, he managed to do it under the radar. After quarterback Zach Calzada came and threw in person at A&M, cementing his offer from the Aggies, he went home and was supposed to make a couple other trips before making a decision. While he did go camp at Tennessee and earn an offer, that was the only visit he made.

Well, except for one other. Calzada managed to sneak down to College Station for the second time in a week. So, him committing the day after that did not come as a surprise.

Also, Georgia worked REALLY hard to get Calzada to flip before the Early Signing Period. He managed to make his way to Athens for an unofficial visit that Sunday right before the dead period. The Bulldogs came close to convincing him to stay in state but he had become very comfortable with the idea of playing at A&M and loved Fisher and Dickey’s offense.

-West Mesquite wide receiver Dylan Wright pretty much let A&M know he was coming when he was in town over the summer and caught passes from Calzada. I am not sure why Texas still felt so confident after that, but the Aggies definitely felt they had him wrapped up, and they were right. I don't know if I would go so far as to call him a 'silent commit,' but it was about as close to that as possible.

He had originally planned to wait until the Under Armour Game to announce but both he and A&M wanted the Aggies to get some momentum out of his pledge. He decided to announce in early August instead. It completely caught Texas off-guard but, again, it was something that had been in the works for a while.

-Another Aggie commitment that caught Texas off-guard was national top-100 safety Brian Williams. To this day, Williams has never been to a game at Kyle Field. However, he was very high on Notre Dame with Mike Elko being a big reason why. When Elko made his way to A&M, it gave the Aggies a huge ‘in’ as Williams could play for him and stay close to home.

I made a Crystal Ball prediction for the Aggies not too long after Elko arrived. Williams then made his way to A&M for an unofficial visit with Team Texas and committed then before announcing the next day.

If you look at the Crystal Ball predictions, most of them were in favor of Texas. They did not expect him to shut things down and, even when he did, did not think it would last. However, he became the vocal leaders of the class and absolutely never wavered.

The thing is, if Elko had remained at Notre Dame, there was a good chance Williams ended up in South Bend instead of Austin. Obviously, distance was a factor, but Texas was by no means a lock. The Longhorns definitely underestimated both A&M and Elko in this one, though.

A&M’s other safety commit in Demani Richardson was another player the Longhorns felt very good about. Williams helped a ton with him and he ended up committing about a month later. That was another one that caught those in Austin off-guard. There were still a couple Longhorn Crystal Ball predictions for him when he pledge d to the Aggies.

-Tennessee linebacker Christopher Russell was pretty much secured to A&M after his in-home with Jimbo Fisher last week. The next night, he had the Vols assistants in home as well. I have no idea what happened there, to be honest, but I talked to him right after and he told me he canceled the visit there. He wanted to announce that himself so I had to write an article with only quotes on A&M and Arkansas despite the fact that he was supposedly going to Knoxville that coming weekend.

This past Monday, Russell texted me out of the blue that it was going to be A&M. He did so by sending me the picture of him in Aggie gear along with the simple message, “I’m going to A&M.” He was happy with the fact that we did not previously share anything about his canceled Tennessee visit. I agreed to only change my Crystal Ball and not say anything else as to my reasoning.

Russell actually signed early in the morning but asked A&M to hold off on announcing it until he did so during his ceremony. That’s likely why Fisher’s press conference was set for 4:30 p.m. instead of earlier in the day.

-Though Erick Young was pretty solid throughout the process, he did at least look at Ohio State after his Aggie commitment. When people noticed he was following all the tOSU coaches on Twitter, there was definitely a little bit to that. I believe he still would have stuck, but the Buckeyes did not have room left as it was a little later in the cycle.

Speaking of Young, he wanted to have a little bit of fun with his commitment when he released his list of top schools the day before that did not include A&M. He got a few people as at least one outlet reported he was USC-bound.

Luckily, he had given a couple of us a heads up at The Opening Finals, which is why I told you guys I was sticking with my Crystal Ball despite his ‘final’ schools.

-A&M really wanted Devonta Lee of Amite, La., at outside linebacker. Though LSU was still the leader, the Aggies had made up ground and were set to get him on campus. LSU definitely saw A&M as a legit threat.

It just so happened that, the Friday his visit was supposed to begin, the Tigers sent multiple coaches to his school. They then stayed for his basketball game that night. They definitely did everything they could to keep him from making it to A&M and it worked.

-Why do I never buy into ‘silent commits?’ Because Texas A&M had several in this class.

Both David Ugwoegbu and Marcus Stripling had let the staff know multiple times that they would be Aggies. Both wanted to wait a little bit to go public and potentially take other visits but they were pretty much marked down as commits.

Well, when pressed, neither was ready to actually go public. A&M needed more of a commitment, as to not be left holding the bag. They wanted both but that’s when they moved on from Stripling. Ugwoegbu had one last chance on his official but he still wasn’t ready, so that was it for his shot as well.

There was one ‘silent’ that did end up signing, though. Tight end Jalen Wydermyer gave his pledge back before the season started. He REALLY wanted to visit Miami, though, and he already had it set up for Dickinson’s bye week, which was not until Week 10. Though they likely would have preferred he go public, A&M had more faith in him actually signing. His plan was to wait until Dec. 19 to announce but, after his official, he wanted to get it over with.

-Speaking of silent commits, Derick Hunter was a big get for the Aggies in December. But, despite reports the couple weeks prior that he had made a silent pledge to A&M, it was definitely not a done deal and the Aggies did not consider it to be so.

At the same time he had silently committed to A&M, he had also done so with Florida. He simply had trouble telling people no. Though I don’t know if he ever gave them a commitment per se, Miami was under the impression that he would end up a Cane as well.

Even after the reports came out of the silent to the Aggies, all three schools still felt good and had been reassured. He really just did not like confrontation, apparently.

A&M kept working on him and felt pretty good but, again, the Aggies were aware of all the developments with the other schools.

Keep in mind that Hunter was still publicly committed to Florida State through all of this as well.

This also followed a time earlier in his recruitment when he had committed to Georgia on an unofficial visit. He was supposed to go public that next week and gave an interview with a local newspaper about it. Well, when they ran it, he backed off and said it wasn’t true.

His recruitment was a wild ride and it was not until the night before the Early Signing Period that the two Florida schools were completely ruled out.

-Though Texas, for some reason, continued to think there was a chance that they would flip DeMarvin Leal, he was pretty solid to the Aggies throughout, even when officially visiting both Alabama and Texas right after making his pledge.

If there was one team that came the closest to flipping him, though, it was Alabama. Leal admitted as much at the All-American Bowl, saying the Tide finished second for him.

He actually told the 247 network after his Alabama visit that the Aggies and Tide were tied at the top. However, prior to the publication of the story, he called the reporter and said that was not actually the case. He wanted to make it clear that A&M, where he was committed, was still at the top.

After that point, Leal was locked in to A&M. He never made any other visits and only barely kept communication with those two other schools, as he admitted at the time as well. He wanted to have a plan just in case something crazy happened with Jimbo Fisher, like he up and quit or something.

-To be honest, I don’t know all the details on the Christian Harris flip. I know that, at one point, he was not being pushed too hard by Alabama. However, right before committing to A&M, that changed. He unofficially visited Tuscaloosa where he got the hard sell. However, he then came back and committed to the Aggies.

Again, Alabama went a bit quiet on him. But, they ramped up the pressure again late, right before his official visit. A few days before that trip, A&M started getting a lot more nervous about him. They felt good prior to that about holding on to him but they began sweating it quite a bit, and apparently for good reason.

-Two other ‘decommits’ in the class were not quite the same as the others.

Houston Madison cornerback Bobby Wolfe was someone the Aggies really liked as a player. However, there were other concerns with him and A&M let him know it had moved on. Obviously, the Aggies cannot talk about a prospect so they couldn’t say that. Wolfe ‘decommitted’ in a tactful manner as both sides went their separate ways. Wolfe signed with Arizona and hopefully he makes it to Tucson.

While it was not quite the same with Pensacola, Fla., offensive lineman Adrian Medley, the out-of-state prospect saw the writing on the wall as well. He did not have a great senior season and A&M was running into a number’s crunch. He was not getting the same amount of attention as he had been receiving. So, a flip to UCF was not a surprise. While the Knights are a very good program, it is somewhat telling that Clemson and Florida State, two teams previously hard after him, did not push a ton around the time of his decommitment.

-A lot of people have asked about why the Aggies did not go in home with Javonne Shepherd in the final week. His recruitment was full of more twists and turns than almost anybody else’s in the past few years and I never got any concrete answer there.

I do know that A&M continued to recruit him, though. The Aggies were in communication up to Signing Day. Also, after his official visit to A&M, the talk among all the schools recruiting him was that he was likely an Aggie. Even Texas expected a flip and did not think he would take the official visit to Austin. Things obviously changed late there.

-Though he was never seriously considering A&M, a bit of a funny situation happened with Baton Rouge four-star RB and longtime LSU commit Tyrion Davis. This past summer, a number of prospects from Baton Rouge all came down to camp together at Texas A&M. All but one were going through the camp. I happened to recognize the other one that was not, and it was Davis.

He did not want it reported that he was there, for obvious reasons, and we respected that, especially since it was clear he was just watching his friends and not actually camping.

But, 247 did not have a great profile pic of him at the time. So, if you look at the one that was added over the summer, it might look a lot like the indoor facility in Aggieland. We had to line it up so there were no A&M markings in the background.

-Who knows what would have happened had the Aggies pursued but A&M did indeed back off four-star Katy Cinco Ranch linebacker David Gbenda. He had a top three of A&M, TCU and Texas but, while still uncommitted, only the Longhorns sent him a written offer when those could go out on Aug. 1.

Gbenda had planned to visit TCU a couple times and never made it, so the Frogs decided to go in a different direction. A&M was not sure he was a great fit in its defense.

He did have a big senior season, though, being named Defensive MVP in a loaded Katy ISD district. While I think he could have played in the SEC, he probably is a better fit in the Big 12.

-At one point, it seemed like only a matter of time before Allen five-star wide receiver Theo Wease and Fort Bend Travis four-star wideout Arjei Henderson announced for the Aggies. They had long planned to play together.

However, they both began to want to push things back a bit. It was at the same time that the Aggies were starting to feel confident in Kenyon Jackson as well.

While A&M still would have likely taken them, they liked Jackson and were even higher on Dylan Wright. They felt that combo was as good or better than one of Wease-Henderson. The recruitment of Wease and Henderson slowed a bit at that point. The duo ended up committing to Oklahoma, though Henderson signed with Florida in the end.

-Nothing ever ended up coming out of it but five-star linebacker Marcel Brooks at least showed a little bit of interest in A&M late in the season. He also did so with Oklahoma over the summer and many people expected him to switch to the Sooners.

That flirtation with Oklahoma that never went anywhere, as well as off-the-field concerns, were likely reasons A&M did not think Brooks was incredibly serious about the Aggies. He had also tentatively set up a couple unofficial visits to Aggieland in the past that never ended up happening.

Edited February 8, 2019 by satyanash

[Tex Pete 20,339]

14 minutes ago, Scholz said:

He could've just typed his inevitable conclusion, "...things are very much on the upswing" and saved himself the time.  It was the ultimate destination of all those words regardless of reality anyway.

I prefer "the worm is turning," personally.

What ever happened to them saying "hold the rope?"

[Valmy77 13,225]

3 minutes ago, ajax said:

aggy is building the ideal team...

 

to beat Kentucky

Well they are not going to play Kentucky again for eight years. God I hate that conference's schedule so much. I mean surely you should get to play the other conference members more often than that? No offense SEC posters.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Valmy77

[texifornia 56,869]

Quote

A&M’s other safety commit in Demani Richardson was another player the Longhorns felt very good about. Williams helped a ton with him and he ended up committing about a month later. That was another one that caught those in Austin off-guard. There were still a couple Longhorn Crystal Ball predictions for him when he pledge d to the Aggies.

Huh, Perroni didn't mention his dad at all. Funny, that.

[Valmy77 13,225]

Lots of weird projection on what the Texas coaches were thinking in that article.

[Tex Pete 20,339]

9 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Brian Perroni: Behind-the-scenes of the 2019 Texas A&M recruiting class

  Hide contents

-At quarterback, as soon as Kevin Sumlin was fired, Grant Gunnell was basically gone. Fisher and Co. still recruited him and wanted him but they also knew that there were other players that could have been a better fit.

 

...such as Zach Calzada, who is used to sucking.

[Neonmoon 38,129]

A lot of “A&M backed off” in that article. 

jlaw gif

[Chuckie Finster 22,694]

A neutral observer would probably find it curious that the class is filled with so many recruitments that turned on a dime and caught all of the other schools off guard, but I'm just spitballing here.

[Scholz 11,938]

Pepperoni giving the short man syndrome aggys what they want.  Rent.  Fucking.  Free.

" I am not sure why Texas still felt so confident after that...It completely caught Texas off-guard...Another Aggie commitment that caught Texas off-guard...an unofficial visit with Team Texas... the Crystal Ball predictions, most of them were in favor of Texas...distance was a factor, but Texas was by no means a lock...Though Texas, for some reason, continued to think there was a chance...even when officially visiting Texas...Even Texas expected a flip and did not think he would take the official visit to Austin...The Longhorns definitely underestimated both A&M and Elko...was another player the Longhorns felt very good about...There were still a couple Longhorn Crystal Ball predictions for him ...only the Longhorns sent him a written offer ...if Elko had remained at Notre Dame, there was a good chance Williams ended up in South Bend instead of Austin...hat was another one that caught those in Austin off-guard...

[Bevo14 8,303]

so our staff completely fucked everything up, was clueless and got caught off guard, yet still did better than the 75 million dollar midget

Edited February 8, 2019 by Bevo14

[Machinator 32,099]

6 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

Lots of weird projection on what the Texas coaches were thinking in that article.

It's so typical that 50% of Perroni's look-back was about beating Texas.

[Valmy77 13,225]

I like how the Texas staff "definitely underestimated both A&M and Elko". How does he know that at all much less definitely?

[Tex Pete 20,339]

4 minutes ago, Bevo14 said:

so our staff completely fucked everything up, was clueless and got caught off guard, yet still did better than the 75 million dollar midget

Not in the ESPN rankings, you stupid sip.

[TBGFL 397]

33 minutes ago, satyanash said:

-Speaking of silent commits, Derick Hunter was a big get for the Aggies in December. But, despite reports the couple weeks prior that he had made a silent pledge to A&M, it was definitely not a done deal and the Aggies did not consider it to be so.

At the same time he had silently committed to A&M, he had also done so with Florida. He simply had trouble telling people no. Though I don’t know if he ever gave them a commitment per se, Miami was under the impression that he would end up a Cane as well.

Even after the reports came out of the silent to the Aggies, all three schools still felt good and had been reassured. He really just did not like confrontation, apparently.

That's because he's a drama queen. The kid committed all over the place and has a reputation for being a bit of a head case.

[Lobwedgephil 1,139]

Good to see Perroni filling the Hamm void. That is a terrible article. 

[texifornia 56,869]

17 minutes ago, TBGFL said:

That's because he's a drama queen. The kid committed all over the place and has a reputation for being a bit of a head case.

Let the recruiting junkie who is not a messy bitch who lives for drama cast the first stone.

Edited February 8, 2019 by texifornia

[Burt Macklin 19,020]

9 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Let the recruiting junkie who is not a messy bitch who lives for drama cast the first stone.

[Katfid54 8,620]

10 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Let the recruiting junkie who is not a messy bitch who lives for drama cast the first stone.

Sup

[texifornia 56,869]

Just now, Katfid54 said:

Sup

[Ravishing Rick 1,129]

47 minutes ago, Machinator said:

It's so typical that 50% of Perroni's look-back was about beating Texas.

This was my reaction as well.  A&M's inferiority complex is on full display in that article.  

[lemonandaturd 4,285]

13 hours ago, Shaggy3.0 said:

Why does that shit stain looch always talk like he wants to fight a sip?? I bet the faget has never been in a fight. He’d get fucking trucked. I bet one ass-whipping would shut him the fuck up.
For real.

He is aggy, he has never been licked.  Except for that time in Cleveland when he got drunk with Johnny 8ball and Drake.

[Neonmoon 38,129]

So Brian Williams committed to Aggy because of Elko...

That might not work out like he thought it would.

[Lobwedgephil 1,139]

The final Luicci 44 for 2019. 

 

https://texags.com/football-recruiting/liucci-44

 

Spoiler

Liucci

4:47p, 2/7/19

Staff

AG

If the out-of-state guys were in Texas this year, Calzada, Hunter, White and Russell would have all made the 44-man cut with ease. Probably not too-15s there but definitely a couple of top-25s IMO in Hunter, Russell and perhaps Calzada.

 

[Tex Pete 20,339]

7 minutes ago, Lobwedgephil said:

The final Luicci 44 for 2019. 

 

https://texags.com/football-recruiting/liucci-44

 

  Hide contents

Liucci

4:47p, 2/7/19

Staff

AG

If the out-of-state guys were in Texas this year, Calzada, Hunter, White and Russell would have all made the 44-man cut with ease. Probably not too-15s there but definitely a couple of top-25s IMO in Hunter, Russell and perhaps Calzada. 

 

Calzada is shitty. No sane person would have had him in a Texas top 44 if he had played in Texas.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Tex Pete

[BruceVonClaude 212]

Just now, Tex Pete said:

Calzada is shitty. No sane person would have had him in a Texas top 44 if he had played in Texas.

Pffftttt....Georgia offer begs to differ. 

[Cairn Horn88 8,260]

Cool.

[bEastTexas 497]

27 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

So Brian Williams committed to Aggy because of Elko...

That might not work out like he thought it would.

How fucking bizarre that Aggies first commitment of 2019 and their ring leader still hasn’t been to a home game. 

[Tex Pete 20,339]

3 minutes ago, BruceVonClaude said:

Pffftttt....Georgia offer begs to differ. 

As we know with the transfer portal, everyone needs a backup or two who will never be a starter. That's what Georgia wanted Calzada for.

[Auto Driller 2,504]

4 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

Calzada is shitty. No sane person would have had him in a Texas top 44 if he had played in Texas.

A QB with almost exactly 50% completions and 26 / 15 TD to INT ratio over a two year period wouldn’t make all district in most big Texas high schools. To think he’s top 25 in state is completely laughable.

[tittiesandbeer 85]

According to a friend of mine in GA who deals with HS coaches on a daily basis there, Calzada transferred from Buford HS to Lanier because he was beat out by a Sophomore QB.  I think that's been mentioned here but just wanted to share since it's coming from an impartial observer.