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Phone: 281-971-3362
Email: paul@westhoustonsf.com
Don't buy into "BUZZ IS LEAVING OMG?!?!???" hype
Arkansas has a head coach opening, which I expect will be filled within 48 hours. I do not expect Buzz Williams to be their coach.
I've heard enough, from both the A&M side and Arkansas, to believe that he is not even on the radar up there. They'd have to get pretty deep on their list, and be ready to outspend A&M, to get him. And A&M won't have to give him a pay raise; he's already one of the top-compensated coaches in college basketball.
Arkansas wanted Chris Beard. He is staying at Ole Miss. Now they're targeting K-State's Jerome Tang, which would be a good fit for them. But Buzz? Right now, any discussion of that truly is panic from Aggies who just think the sky is falling all the time. This isn't like when Billy Gillispie left, because that was Kentucky. It's not like when Mark Turgeon left, when both sides were absolutely fed up with one another.
Honestly, there was a bigger chance of Buzz leaving last month than there is today. Both SMU and Oklahoma State were interested in him, and that went nowhere. Both have filled their spots, and you never heard a thing about it.
So seriously, if you're worried about this -- or, for some of you, excited about it -- stop. We've got a ways to go before it's even remotely a possibility. And I don't think it'll get there.
Since we already discussed Pearland...
After we discussed a couple of Shadow Creek standouts last weekend, a third will be in Aggieland tomorrow. Linebacker Anthony Williams decommitted from Texas yesterday, and he'll be heading up to College Station tomorrow. This isn't anything like an imminent flip, but the A&M staff certainly has interest. So that has to be at least a little galling to the Texas staff, who is used to seeing things like this go the other way.
Some of the bigger names coming in this weekend
Landyn has the whole list, but there are four names in particular that caught my attention. The first is running back James Simon out of Cavalry Baptist in Shreveport. The Aggies need two backs in this class, and Tiger Riden surely knows that. This isn't an indication of cold feet on A&M's part, this is filling out a depth chart for next year and beyond. Simon's an LSU lean, but A&M has been after him for quite a while.
Next is Duncanville QB and SMU commit Keelon Russell. This isn't an indication that A&M's feeling bad about Husan Longstreet, who commits in 9 days, this is doing your due diligence. And let's face it; Conner Weigman could leave after this year if he has a big season and Jaylen Henderson could go too. Getting a couple of quarterbacks that can mature for a season or two would not be a bad course of action.
Jasper TE Kiotti Armstrong is also coming back to visit. This is the #1 guy on A&M's list at the position and they'd like to firmly establish themselves as the leader for him. I don't think he's an imminent commit anywhere and I do think A&M leads for him, but every positive visit helps their cause.
Then there's Max Granville, the 4-star DE/LB out of Fort Bend Christian. Granville is a guy that A&M is coming on strong for. He's extremely athletic and has flashed as a wide receiver, too. But A&M wants him on defense. It seems like it's the Aggies and Oklahoma for him, so a good visit would definitely help.
Team notes
Just to make sure that everyone saw what I put in the mailbag last night, Noah Thomas has been out there for every practice so far and looks like he's fine. That's expected, but he's had enough issues with injuries over the past year plus that it should also be noted.
Fresno State TE Tre Watson has really impressed. He's got good size and better speed than I expected. He could really push Donovan Green for the starting gig if Green doesn't come back at 100%.
Conner Weigman really has hit it off with new OC Collin Klein. Klein brings that extra insight, having been a former QB himself, and Weigman is soaking up all the info he can. It doesn't look like there has been any fiddling with the mechanics of Weigman, Henderson or Marcel Reed; Klein's more interested in getting the new scheme implemented. Having said that, Henderson looks way more accurate than he did last summer. But, then again, he did complete nearly 70% of his passes when he played last fall.
Rueben Owens is one guy I've heard is having a good camp. Even though I suspected EJ Smith would be the pass-catching receiver, Owens' ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is really standing out. He also looks like he's got the burst back that he had at El Campo that made him an elite prospect.
Safety Dalton Brooks has, I've heard, looked really good so far this spring. He's been working a lot with Bryce Anderson, and those two seem to work well together.
I don't think they're anywhere near knowing who the starters at corner will be. I do like Will Lee's chances there, however. Outside of that, no idea. Tyreek Chappell seems to be all business this spring, so he knows the pressure is on. They didn't go bring in Lee, BJ Mayes, Dononvan Saunders and Dezz Ricks for shits and giggles.
A couple of transfers who have looked good early: WR Jabre Barber and S Marcus Ratcliffe. Barber is a really good route runner and cuts really quickly, which helps him get open. Ratcliffe is just a physical specimen and can move. Safety is really full this year and I thought he might get this season to kind of prep for a bigger role next season, but he could change that.
A&M in the mix for one of the nation's top transfers
In basketball.
Washington State's Myles Rice is reportedly down to A&M, Indiana and Auburn, with the Aggies and Hoosiers being the two most frequently mentioned. Rice, if you don't know, was the Pac-12's final freshman of the year, averaging 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He also has beaten Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which cost him the 2022-23 season.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder was a point guard at Wazzu, but could play off the ball this season and then move over to the point nexst year when Wade Taylor departs. To say that he would be a massive pickup would be an understatement. His only drawback may be that he's not a great 3-point shooter, only making 28% of his 3s.
Other players A&M has been in contact with
OU guard Javion McCollum (13.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 31.4% from 3)
FAU guard Nick Boyd (9.3 PPG, 34.1% 3)
Mississippi State guard Shakeel Moore (7.9 PPG, 36.3% 3; grad transfer)
Cal State Fullerton forward Max Jones (15.3 PPG, 38.3% 3)
Phone: 281-971-3362
Email: paul@westhoustonsf.com
Don't buy into "BUZZ IS LEAVING OMG?!?!???" hype
Arkansas has a head coach opening, which I expect will be filled within 48 hours. I do not expect Buzz Williams to be their coach.
I've heard enough, from both the A&M side and Arkansas, to believe that he is not even on the radar up there. They'd have to get pretty deep on their list, and be ready to outspend A&M, to get him. And A&M won't have to give him a pay raise; he's already one of the top-compensated coaches in college basketball.
Arkansas wanted Chris Beard. He is staying at Ole Miss. Now they're targeting K-State's Jerome Tang, which would be a good fit for them. But Buzz? Right now, any discussion of that truly is panic from Aggies who just think the sky is falling all the time. This isn't like when Billy Gillispie left, because that was Kentucky. It's not like when Mark Turgeon left, when both sides were absolutely fed up with one another.
Honestly, there was a bigger chance of Buzz leaving last month than there is today. Both SMU and Oklahoma State were interested in him, and that went nowhere. Both have filled their spots, and you never heard a thing about it.
So seriously, if you're worried about this -- or, for some of you, excited about it -- stop. We've got a ways to go before it's even remotely a possibility. And I don't think it'll get there.
Since we already discussed Pearland...
After we discussed a couple of Shadow Creek standouts last weekend, a third will be in Aggieland tomorrow. Linebacker Anthony Williams decommitted from Texas yesterday, and he'll be heading up to College Station tomorrow. This isn't anything like an imminent flip, but the A&M staff certainly has interest. So that has to be at least a little galling to the Texas staff, who is used to seeing things like this go the other way.
Some of the bigger names coming in this weekend
Landyn has the whole list, but there are four names in particular that caught my attention. The first is running back James Simon out of Cavalry Baptist in Shreveport. The Aggies need two backs in this class, and Tiger Riden surely knows that. This isn't an indication of cold feet on A&M's part, this is filling out a depth chart for next year and beyond. Simon's an LSU lean, but A&M has been after him for quite a while.
Next is Duncanville QB and SMU commit Keelon Russell. This isn't an indication that A&M's feeling bad about Husan Longstreet, who commits in 9 days, this is doing your due diligence. And let's face it; Conner Weigman could leave after this year if he has a big season and Jaylen Henderson could go too. Getting a couple of quarterbacks that can mature for a season or two would not be a bad course of action.
Jasper TE Kiotti Armstrong is also coming back to visit. This is the #1 guy on A&M's list at the position and they'd like to firmly establish themselves as the leader for him. I don't think he's an imminent commit anywhere and I do think A&M leads for him, but every positive visit helps their cause.
Then there's Max Granville, the 4-star DE/LB out of Fort Bend Christian. Granville is a guy that A&M is coming on strong for. He's extremely athletic and has flashed as a wide receiver, too. But A&M wants him on defense. It seems like it's the Aggies and Oklahoma for him, so a good visit would definitely help.
Team notes
Just to make sure that everyone saw what I put in the mailbag last night, Noah Thomas has been out there for every practice so far and looks like he's fine. That's expected, but he's had enough issues with injuries over the past year plus that it should also be noted.
Fresno State TE Tre Watson has really impressed. He's got good size and better speed than I expected. He could really push Donovan Green for the starting gig if Green doesn't come back at 100%.
Conner Weigman really has hit it off with new OC Collin Klein. Klein brings that extra insight, having been a former QB himself, and Weigman is soaking up all the info he can. It doesn't look like there has been any fiddling with the mechanics of Weigman, Henderson or Marcel Reed; Klein's more interested in getting the new scheme implemented. Having said that, Henderson looks way more accurate than he did last summer. But, then again, he did complete nearly 70% of his passes when he played last fall.
Rueben Owens is one guy I've heard is having a good camp. Even though I suspected EJ Smith would be the pass-catching receiver, Owens' ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is really standing out. He also looks like he's got the burst back that he had at El Campo that made him an elite prospect.
Safety Dalton Brooks has, I've heard, looked really good so far this spring. He's been working a lot with Bryce Anderson, and those two seem to work well together.
I don't think they're anywhere near knowing who the starters at corner will be. I do like Will Lee's chances there, however. Outside of that, no idea. Tyreek Chappell seems to be all business this spring, so he knows the pressure is on. They didn't go bring in Lee, BJ Mayes, Dononvan Saunders and Dezz Ricks for shits and giggles.
A couple of transfers who have looked good early: WR Jabre Barber and S Marcus Ratcliffe. Barber is a really good route runner and cuts really quickly, which helps him get open. Ratcliffe is just a physical specimen and can move. Safety is really full this year and I thought he might get this season to kind of prep for a bigger role next season, but he could change that.
A&M in the mix for one of the nation's top transfers
In basketball.
Washington State's Myles Rice is reportedly down to A&M, Indiana and Auburn, with the Aggies and Hoosiers being the two most frequently mentioned. Rice, if you don't know, was the Pac-12's final freshman of the year, averaging 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He also has beaten Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which cost him the 2022-23 season.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder was a point guard at Wazzu, but could play off the ball this season and then move over to the point nexst year when Wade Taylor departs. To say that he would be a massive pickup would be an understatement. His only drawback may be that he's not a great 3-point shooter, only making 28% of his 3s.
Other players A&M has been in contact with
OU guard Javion McCollum (13.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 31.4% from 3)
FAU guard Nick Boyd (9.3 PPG, 34.1% 3)
Mississippi State guard Shakeel Moore (7.9 PPG, 36.3% 3; grad transfer)
Cal State Fullerton forward Max Jones (15.3 PPG, 38.3% 3)
