Texas A&M Recruiting 2025: The Land of Melk & No Money

[Jimmy Two Times 801]

I like how he points to the secondary as their only potential weakness, but then describes it as a deep unit. How do these wools fall for it every year? Last year, they had absolute swiss cheese on the OL and he was harping on about how our OL was overrated and using that to prop up their unit. He is incapable of any semblance of objectivity. 

[closetojumping 62,870]

5 minutes ago, Professor Chesney said:

Everything seems to be going in A&M’s favor to get the rollercoaster started with a win over Notre Dame.  Early in the season so the team is healthy and Weigman is concussion-free.  Home game advantage.  Notre Dame overrated at 6th in the coaches poll, as is tradition at this point.

Curious what folks think about the matchup because it looks to me like advantage aggy.  I don’t have the same faith in A&M’s OL that the media does, but don’t think that ND has the front seven to take advantage, and the entire team will be healthy and bought in this early in the season.

Maybe it boils down to whether you believe Riley Leonard will be a first round pick, but Elko knows exactly how to attack him and A&M has the DL talent to make it happen.  

 

I know I've posted on ND 2024 on the boards, but you asked, so here are one guy's thoughts about ND, their ranking, and ATM. 

Notre Dame has NFL guys all over their defense. It's the strength of the team, they return 8 starters plus a 3 year starter transfer. They have an All American NG in Howard Cross, an AA candidate at LB in Jack Kiser, and a 1st AA in Xavier Watts at S. They have a high returning CB who will play in the NFL. They're going to be really good on defense and Freeman knows how to handle that side of the ball. 

On offense, they bring Riley Leonard, who is quite good if he's healthy. This will be the opening game, so you have to like the odds of Leonard opening the game at full speed, same as Weigatron. They actually have sure-handed talent that won't scare anyone at WR and the typical ND TE in Mitchell Evans. They lost both tackles to the NFL and this will be a source of focus heading into the season, although ND knows what they're doing with OL development.

ND's ranking, outside of halo effect, is also a by-product of one of the weakest P4 schedules in the entire country. The ATM game, along with USC and FSU games, is a must-win game. For ND to get into the playoffs this year, they're not going to be able to lean on the depth of their schedule. They're going to have to be able to lean on being 11-1/12-0 and they could do that. So the ATM game is pretty fucking important for them and they're going to know that. 

As far as the match-up, the biggest part of it is probably coaching. Freeman is a proven buffoon when it comes to in-game coaching. The Elk's HC prowess is buoyed by one of the more laughable schedules ever in 2022 in which Duke went 9-4 while never playing a ranked team. Last year, tubby went 1-4 against ranked opponents with the season opener against Clemson being the big win. Can this guy actually win big as a HC? There is no evidence for that yet. 

ATM's front 7 against the ND OL and TE will be in ATM's advantage. Leonard and the WRs against the ATM secondary could be an actual strength for ND. ND's front seven against the ATM OL is the most brutal match-up in the game. ND's secondary also being really fucking good doesn't help.

Finishing up making a short story really long, you guys that are starting to/itching to predict an ATM victory over ND aren't looking at the actual rosters and match-up and falling prey to media sloth regarding ATM's talent levels and the myth of some major home field advantage for the aggies. 

ATM stands a terrific chance of opening the season 1-2 after losing to ND and @ Florida.

[BornAndRaised 12,312]

Napier beating down aggy would be a great early season present. 

[Danimal 340]

Freeman had the head to head win over Elko last season. And that was coming off the blunderous loss to Ohio State.

[Frank Drebin 5,655]

56 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

That whole LB is dogshit. The secondary is spared from that classification simply due to Anderson being damned good. 

Watching Liucci spin the OT position as anything but an oncoming and obvious disaster is the good stuff. Fatheree has lingering injury issues and has the feet of a dead tree. Crownover is a low-ranked coverted TE. Ogunbiyi is allegedly far more gifted at date raping than playing OL. Zuhn is fine. They are razor thin there and any injury will be a big fucking problem.

Barber may not play all year. They have a bunch of decent to shitty possession WRs and a TE recovering from major surgery. 

Weigman is made of glass, will be playing behind a terrible OL and the playcaller will be running into the teeth of the defense if he's at all allowed to lean into his personal preferences. Good shit.

Isn't the center they got to transfer from Utah supposed to be a decent player?

Their OL will be a mess regardless.  But I think their center is decent.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,356]

Let's not forget Connor "Glass" Weigman, although talented will be learning/playing for his 3rd OC in as many years. 

[BurntOrange&White 40,010]

wrong thread

Edited August 5 by BurntOrange&White

[Hookem75 214]

Notre Dame just lost their starting LT for the season

[Scholz 11,959]

3 hours ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Let's not forget Connor "Glass" Weigman, although talented will be learning/playing for his 3rd OC in as many years. 

I believe porcelain is ceramic in nature, not glass.

[billfromlaketravis 11,523]

I can get there, but Leonard needs to rush for over a 100 yards. ND has to have him hit a long one. I’m bullish Denbrock eventually fixing their offense/propping up Freeman, but I don’t think it’ll be this season. 

[texifornia 57,101]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I can get there, but Leonard needs to rush for over a 100 yards. ND has to have him hit a long one. I’m bullish Denbrock eventually fixing their offense/propping up Freeman, but I don’t think it’ll be this season. 

Sometimes I forget you're a regular at Texags, and then a post like this reminds me

[Ghost of Shag 2,615]

4 hours ago, Hookem75 said:

Notre Dame just lost their starting LT for the season

Ugh. That sucks. Hate that for anyone.

[HtownHorn 14,779]

I think aggy is starting 2-2 going into the Arkansas. That locker room is going to crater if they lose that game as well.

[Matuka 1,315]

7 hours ago, texifornia said:

Looch went to Nantucket? Talk about a cultural contrast.

There was aggy in Nantucket 

Who was out of place like a fish in a bucket 

His name was Looch

He doesn’t like cooch 

So he searched for a sheep to fuck it

 

 

 

[Armybrat 40,911]

22 minutes ago, Matuka said:

There was aggy in Nantucket 

Who was out of place like a fish in a bucket 

His name was Looch

He doesn’t like cooch 

So he searched for a sheep to fuck it

 

 

 

 

[Funk Doctor Spock 12,512]

8 hours ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

 

 

By Billy Liucci

August 5, 2024

 

 

TexAgs co-owner and executive editor Billy Liucci joined TexAgs Radio on Monday morning to discuss all things surrounding college football as Texas A&M's fall camp continues. Liucci discussed who around the country has the most to prove, A&M's position groups and more.

---

Segment 1 (00:00:00 - 20:35:21)

• I think Ohio State would be making a mistake if Ryan Day went 11-1, lost to Michigan, and maybe lost one in the playoffs. I think Ryan Day and Lincoln Riley have the most to prove.
   
• To me, Ryan Day has proven that he can have Ohio State as an elite program in college football year in and year out. He has beaten the big boys. He has a Michigan problem, and I think that is where the pressure comes from. There is no Nick Saban, and there is no Jim Harbaugh, so I do think the pressure on him is at a ridiculous level.
   
• Lincoln Riley, to me, has the most to prove. Their competition level is about to go way up on a week-to-week basis. He inherited a roster with so much more talent than anybody in his league, and we don’t want to say this, but he has given a lot of Les Miles’ vibes right now. He inherited so much more from a legend like Bob Stoops, and I would have believed that Riley would have done that at Oklahoma. The reality is he hasn’t done a damn thing at USC. I think the perception of him is that he is overhyped.
   
• If I’m doing a top five of who has something to prove, I would throw Steve Sarkisian in there too. I think he is equipped to do it, though. I am kind of torn on Quinn Ewers because I watch him, and it’s like when he puts it together, it is incredible. I saw Michael Penix and Dillon Gabriel outduel him. Sarkisian has had one really good year, and I brought out the stat, he is 2-7 against teams that Texas isn’t way more talented than.
   
• I think Texas and Sarkisian's momentum as a coach might be a bit too much hype. I kind of get it. I can see Sarkisian living up to it, whereas I don’t see that with Lincoln Riley. If I had to pick a national champion today, I would go with Georgia and then Ohio State. I think Ryan Day and the talent he has, along with Sarkisian, are in better spots than Lincoln Riley.
   
• Another interesting head coach and quarterback combination is Dabo Swinney and Cade Klubnik. I always say how Klubnick, Ewers and Conner Weigman came from the same position. Conner has that kind of potential, but because of his injury, people aren’t talking enough about him. I think if not for the injury, he would be in the All-SEC conversation. Dabo and Klubnik in the ACC can surprise some people. I do think that Dabo has kind of lost his grip on it. He can prove the doubters wrong, but I don’t know if he can get it back.
   
• I got to know James Franklin, and I really enjoyed talking to him. He was very much in play for that Texas job. There is some pressure on Penn State to get into the playoffs. Michigan and Ohio State have done it, so when are they?
   
• Mario Cristobal, to me, has accomplished nothing as a head coach at Oregon and Miami. The way they recruit and how boastful they are... The way Texas A&M got torn up for their 2022 class, with people saying that they were paying $30 million for their team when now the highest NIL in college football has yet to even hit $20 million. Do you think those guys would be gone if we were paying that? It made no sense, and it makes no sense now.
   
• Miami has nothing to show for their recruits under Mario Cristobal. Look at what Dan Lanning is doing at Oregon that Mario Cristobal couldn’t. Miami should be pretty good this year. I like their quarterback and receiver, and they have been recruiting. The state of Florida, especially Miami, is some of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country. I want Miami to be good again.
   
• I like the dynamic of the rest of the SEC going, “These guys look like they’re good. We can’t let them come into the SEC and win,” because that is what makes college football fun.
   
• I hate to say this, but I want to see Mack Brown and North Carolina get their asses kicked. They haven’t done much, but I would like to see them get pummeled. What are their expectations? I don’t think it is much. I would enjoy him getting kicked around in those Jordans.
   
• I don’t think Billy Napier will get too much grace because of their schedule. It is not a fair expectation that he is supposed to get into the playoffs in year three. I think that Florida will fire him. If they go 6-6, I think they should fire him. They are getting good players through NIL, and he is just hanging on. I think it is going to be a tough game for Texas A&M. It’s going to be hot as hell, and it is going to be a war of attrition. 
   
• If Florida goes 0-2 against Miami and Texas A&M, he is done. I heard you guys talk about how if we beat Notre Dame, it changes the outlook of the season. To me, that game is Florida. Notre Dame is a legit top-10 team, but Florida is going to be a desperate, hungry team. I think the Florida game on the road is equally as daunting of a task.

Segment 2 (20:35:22 - 30:15:22)

• 24 Players in 24 Days: #15 Tyreek Chappell
   
• I look at the defensive line, and if Shemar Stewart makes the jump... I think you can have three guys with top-two-round potential in Nic Scourton, Shemar Turner and Shemar Stewart. DJ Hicks has that potential, but he is young. He is explosive inside.
   
• I think they have at least four linebackers that they feel really nice about. Daymion Sanford, Taurean York, Solomon DeShields and Scooby Williams are a nice core. How about Cashius Howell at edge with Malick Sylla and Solomon Williams. You start to look for the weaknesses, so you look at the secondary.
   
• Tyreek Chappell and Bryce Anderson have a lot of experience, and they have to hold off guys like Dezz Ricks, Terry Bussey and Dalton Brooks. Those guys have a different level of range and athleticism. I think Bryce is like the quarterback of that secondary. He has that “It-Factor,” and then there are Jayvon Thomas and Bravion Rogers. Now, they are part of a deep unit that can elevate their play.
   
• People forget that last year, Jimbo Fisher was saying that he hit home runs with those guys. He was talking about how we were lacking in the secondary. If those guys are playing, then you know they are good because they have to get past all of those guys to get on the field.

Segment 3 (30:15:23 - 35:04:00)

• Jabre Barber has had this foot thing, and you never know how long those can go for. He was here last week and he was saying that he is a month and a half ahead of schedule. He was really fired up about it. That’s pretty exciting news for him, and for the team and that offense as a whole. I am still not sold at that position. I think there's a lot to prove at receiver and tackle.
   
• I love Trey Zuhn III. Dametrious Crownover, Reuben Fatheree II and Aki Ogunbiyi get reps at the tackle position. That’s their depth. There is something to prove at the tight end position as well, but not to the same concern. As Donovan Green gets better and better, so does the position. He looks good.
   
• How are things going to play out at receiver and tackle? Somebody is going to have to step up. Barber is an explosive weapon and is a playmaker. People know how good he is. He walked in here and put his tape onto practice on the field. I don’t think people really realize how big it will be if they can get him back in time for conference play. If he can be healthy for seven of your conference games, the offense will have game-changing potential. 

Segment 4 (35:04:01 - 36:29:09)

• I haven’t been to the East Coast in about 10 years. Nantucket was a blast. The people were super fun, and the town was nice.

• I don’t know how many of those little beach towns I have been to, so it reminded me of a little mountain town on the water. The Atlantic felt great. I didn’t see any whales or great white sharks, so I was disappointed, but we had a great time

Did Looch compliment Sark in some ways? Is he gonna have to meet himself in the parking lot and and go full on Fight Club Narrator? 

[Funk Doctor Spock 12,512]

ND will fuck aggy and steal their sheep. I look forward to this. 

[Scholz 11,959]

54 minutes ago, Matuka said:

There was aggy in Nantucket 

Who was out of place like a fish in a bucket 

His name was Looch

He doesn’t like cooch 

So he searched for a sheep to fuck it

[Elmer_Fudd 22,317]

Mario Cristobal, to me, has accomplished nothing as a head coach at Oregon and Miami

I gotta' agree with Looch on this, Christobal kicking aggy's ass last year really wasn't that big of an accomplishment.

[nnm 36,639]

3 hours ago, Ghost of Shag said:

Ugh. That sucks. Hate that for anyone.

I wouldn’t hate it for Deion’s son that permanently injured a custodian at Deion’s school, took a default judgment, and is seeking to discharge it in bankruptcy. 

[HenryJames 66,171]

I wouldn’t have cared if Hitler tore his ACL.

[bizzle 1,153]

20 hours ago, Hookem75 said:

Notre Dame just lost their starting LT for the season

maybe WE will win by 4.5

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20,493]

21 hours ago, Jimmy Two Times said:

How do these wools fall for it every year?

 

[Scholz 11,959]

1 hour ago, bizzle said:

maybe WE will win by 4.5

Haven’t seen your overly optimistic prediction of aggy’s record yet, bizzle.

[Chopper 17,245]

23 hours ago, texifornia said:

Looch went to Nantucket? 

Maybe he mistakenly thought that's where he'd find a bear carcass.

[bizzle 1,153]

2 hours ago, Scholz said:

Haven’t seen your overly optimistic prediction of aggy’s record yet, bizzle.

oh we'll get there once i figure out who the fuck is on the roster. i'm getting too old for this. 

[Scholz 11,959]

1 hour ago, bizzle said:

oh we'll get there once i figure out who the fuck is on the roster. i'm getting too old for this. 

It'll be 8-4.  That's all you had to say, "It'll be 8-4".

[Longhornfrenzy 5,841]

The letdown 

[Longhornfrenzy 5,841]

12 minutes ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

The letdown 

 

[RomaVicta 30,018]

Irony is not an Aggie thing, but this killed me at the end of that pathetic roll call of fleeing opportunity.

[Vertigo 20,332]

15 minutes ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

The letdown 

Is it some sort of institutional idiocracy of the aggy boards to go ofer and then say things like "Don't throw in the towel yet on X recruit that just picked another school.." I swear the hopium on that board is at epidemic levels. 

[Longhornfrenzy 5,841]

Fat Hamm pumping out an article to control the narrative. 😁

 

 

 

When pondering the big picture in recruiting, patience is a virtue

By Ryan Brauninger

August 6, 

It's long been said that patience is a virtue. 

I've started to understand that more and more as time goes on.

If life stretches you thin, or your bread falls jelly side down, the natural human reaction is to get panicky. 

Far be it from me though to pen a self-help article.

Therefore, let's talk about patience, and it's growing necessity in the world of recruiting … because that's why you subscribe to this site, right? To take models of rectitude for life in general and apply them to Aggie sports. Am I off on that?

Anyway, when I was in college, one of our assistant coaches at McNeese was hard after a high school kid from Nederland. He really liked him as a player and had him pinned at the top of recruiting board for position players. I had a good relationship with the guy so our coach would bounce recruiting pitches off of me to see if I thought they'd be effective. 

One day, I sat in his office and told him I thought he was getting too pushy and that a bit of patience would be beneficial. After all, recruiting tends to greatly lean on the side of being a marathon instead of a sprint. 

His response was terse but fair when viewed through the lens of a mid-major assistant coach in the late 2000s/early 2010s. He said, "It's not a marathon. It's a wake up and sprint as fast as you can every single day. If not, you'll either never catch up or always get caught." 

I say all that to, once again, say this: If some of your favorite high school players don't choose Texas A&M in the middle of the summer, there's no need to blow a gasket. The fluidity of player movement in college football these days is unlike anything we have ever seen. A roster should be judged by what it holds in August, period.

That's a fairly good perspective to have when you're in the fray, but it can also be damaging to your mental wherewithal and overall is a bit narrow-minded. That guy ended up signing with Lamar, by the way. 

That was 15 years ago now, and the evolution of recruiting in college athletics has made that line of thinking even more archaic. Today, as I've stated countless times, roster management and talent acquisition are year-long tasks. The advent and utility of the spring portal window meant Mike Elko entered March as Texas A&M's head coach without fully knowing what the names would be on his roster heading into Fall Camp.

In fact, let's take a look at what the Aggie coaching and recruiting staff did during that time in terms of new players coming into the program:

April 8th - DL Josh Celiscar (UCF) commits

April 20th - OL Kolinu'u Faaiu (Utah) commits

April 20th - LB Solomon DeShields (Pitt) commits

April 22nd - TE Shane Calhoun (East Carolina) commits

May 8th - WR Jacob Bostick (Iowa) commits

Now, it certainly remains to be seen how much of an impact those players will have on the upcoming season, but at the very least, Elko and crew were able to find guys they thought would help the overall depth profile of their team.

That's five players at five different positions, and some of them come to College Station with multiple years of eligibility remaining. 

To further emphasize how stretched the recruiting calendar can be, the Aggies signed two prospects to their 2024 class who had barely even been discussed for the vast majority of the cycle in WR Ashton Bethel-Roman‍ (who we've heard is off to a fast start in Fall Camp) and OL Robert Bourdon‍. 

I say all that to, once again, say this: If some of your favorite high school players don't choose Texas A&M in the middle of the summer, there's no need to blow a gasket.

The fluidity of player movement in college football these days is unlike anything we have ever seen.

A roster should be judged by what it holds in August, period.

Even then, though, the reality is that it all comes down to how those names actually play football. 

Make no mistake, I'm not trying to diminish the importance of high school recruiting. Texas A&M needs to land players like Trey McNutt III‍ — no question. Elko knows that. It's why they have and will continue to sink so much time and effort into winning those battles.

However, my point is to exercise caution and display more patience when it comes to forming a conclusion on what the big picture looks like. 

Elko is measured, sharp, and detail-oriented. I can't imagine the importance of landing elite talent at safety, wide receiver or edge rusher is lost on him. However, the methodology to get to the end goal requires a steady hand to ultimately play the long game.

He's got bullets left to fire — the first of which comes on August 31 at 6 p.m. inside Kyle Field

[Frank Drebin 5,655]

8 minutes ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

Fat Hamm pumping out an article to control the narrative. 😁

 

 

 

Elko is measured, sharp, and detail-oriented.

Elko is a slob just like Brauny

[Hookem2147 21,355]

There is no way this is happening because surely they aren't that stupid but I'd like to think that all the funds they had to divert to baseball to try to clap back at mean ole Texas is hurting their NIL for football.

A far more realistic view is the staff Elko put together is just pretty average on the recruiting trail across the board and that is why they are seeing average results.

Edited August 6 by Hookem2147

[RomaVicta 30,018]

Oh, you brawny manful fellow. Sooth us.

Thanks, Brauny man. No big deal if we fail to get a player. Of course, I'm not sure why we would celebrate when we do land one, but I'm aboard. It's not a big deal. Fluidity of movement. Preach on!

 

 

1. It is August.

2. So, we can't have recruiting opinions for 11 months out of the year? You sure that's the business model you want?

[Redneck Mutha 8,007]

1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

There is no way this is happening because surely they aren't that stupid

 

[SydneyCarton 48,170]

Quote

April 8th - DL Josh Celiscar (UCF) commits

April 20th - OL Kolinu'u Faaiu (Utah) commits

April 20th - LB Solomon DeShields (Pitt) commits

April 22nd - TE Shane Calhoun (East Carolina) commits

May 8th - WR Jacob Bostick (Iowa) commits

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[Teryor 4,482]

Between him and Marsh this forum is gonna be saying "actually we didn't want him" with our chests 

[Funk Doctor Spock 12,512]

I honestly don't know enough about him. Gerry says he's a project, but we still need more and he would have helped.

[RomaVicta 30,018]

Elko putting in the effort to get the details right!

 

[texifornia 57,101]

8 hours ago, Teryor said:

Between him and Marsh this forum is gonna be saying "actually we didn't want him" with our chests 

...I am so confused at what this means 

[Teryor 4,482]

4 hours ago, texifornia said:

...I am so confused at what this means 

A very stupid way of saying "we actually mean it when we say we didn't want him anyways" 

[Pato del Muerto 52,600]

Well they can still pull kids from bellville.  Impressive. 

[Vertigo 20,332]

I had never seen a picture of Sanders until this tweet. Now I see why CTJ was not high on him. Looks like a Vernon Broughton starter kit plus 40 pounds of sugar. 

[closetojumping 62,870]

It's funny, Sanders isn't the type of recruit a major program should be putting a bunch of money towards. He just isn't a high ceiling recruit and he has a low, low floor. But if you're losing all visible momentum in a recruiting cycle and are about to be shutout on multiple other recruitments that are far more competitive for higher end players, maybe the approach to score a victory, somewhere, anywhere, isn't that idiotic. 

The guy was supposed to announce tonight. Someone close to the recruitment decided to push it out early and shut everything down. 

I think Elko is an excellent defensive coach, but I've not seen a ton of evidence that he's a great developer of talent. Sanders is really, really going to need development. I'm happy he's heading to ATM.

[mantis toboggan 850]

47 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

It's funny, Sanders isn't the type of recruit a major program should be putting a bunch of money towards. He just isn't a high ceiling recruit and he has a low, low floor. But if you're losing all visible momentum in a recruiting cycle and are about to be shutout on multiple other recruitments that are far more competitive for higher end players, maybe the approach to score a victory, somewhere, anywhere, isn't that idiotic. 

The guy was supposed to announce tonight. Someone close to the recruitment decided to push it out early and shut everything down. 

I think Elko is an excellent defensive coach, but I've not seen a ton of evidence that he's a great developer of talent. Sanders is really, really going to need development. I'm happy he's heading to ATM.

Baker playing chess. 

[Longhornfrenzy 5,841]

aggy Howell 

[texifornia 57,101]

We were wondering what kind of negative news was coming down the pike that would lead aggy to overspend on a low floor guy at their most stacked position and... there it is.

[RomaVicta 30,018]

Sounds like some sort of weird religion he's into. Sentient smoke forming opinions but being fallible. A relatable deity. The smoke always continues, but can sometimes be wrong. Pray to it, and you will grab some momentum.

Or it's just lack of imagination.