Why Charles Oliver? Why not?
A&M’s latest commit, Fairfield CB Charles Oliver, was more than a little bit of a surprise. The Aggies had seriously been recruiting him for all of three days when he pulled the trigger and became the second corner in the 2016 class.
And there’s the big word: corner. Just as it was with defensive linemen a few years ago, A&M wants a boatload of them in this recruiting class. They feel it’s one of the most severe needs left to be filled, and they’re right. They’re looking good at quarterback, once Kyler Murray arrives; they’ll get another back or two to go with James White and Kendall Bussey, and they’re loaded at receiver. We don’t know if the current offensive line combination will be successful, but there’s nobody doubting that there’s plenty of young talent on campus or arriving shortly. The defensive line looks solid, and the safeties look fine. So that leaves corner and linebacker, and the corner issue is being addressed pretty rapidly.
I said a couple of weeks back in this space that the Ags wanted big corners, and Oliver sure fits the bill at 6’2”, 182. Evidently, he had largely been overlooked by the big boys until last week, and the Aggies pounced on him. It’s pretty easy to see the interest: John Chavis likes tall corners who can get physical. Oliver can probably get to around 195 pounds and keep his speed, which it looks like he’s got plenty of. If Chavis can find a guy with safety size and corner speed, he’s going to be a corner. Oliver may not be a finished product, but I’ll wager this is not the last Power 5 offer he’ll receive.
Adding Oliver will probably change absolutely nothing with A&M’s plans for some of its existing targets. They’re still after Byron Murphy and Eric Monroe, another two guys who fit what Chavis is looking for but are much better known. If you can get them both, take them both and run. Greedy Williams wants in? C’mon. They’re still talking to Eric Cuffee as well. At safety, they’re still in great shape with Deontay Anderson and Brandon Jones, and the situation is the same there – can you get them both? Take ‘em. This will be an interesting few months when it comes to secondary recruiting – now, the trick will be to making linebacker recruiting just as exciting.
Some guys that the Aggies are in good shape with
Monroe, Murphy, Jones, Anderson, Williams, Euless Trinity DT Chris Daniels, Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott, Havelock, N.C. LB Keion Joyner, Marrero, La. LB Michael Divinity, C.E. King RB Trayveon Williams. I’d take those guys (as would anyone else in the country, probably).
Why Anthony Collins? Because all the eggs are in one basket
Though it has not been officially announced yet, USF PG Anthony Collins will be transferring to A&M to play the 2015-16 season. He’s already graduated and has a year to play because he was injured and missed most of 2013-14, so he’ll be eligible immediately.
With Alex Caruso and Alex Robinson on board, point didn’t seem like a glaring need, but the addition of Collins gives the Aggies some more flexibility – another thing we touched on recently (this is the problem with the offseason; there’s only so many topics). There are several reasons Collins’ addition makes sense. First, Billy Kennedy likes to run a three-guard offense a lot, and he wants more than one ballhandler on the court. Putting Collins, Caruso and maybe even Robinson out there together gives the Aggies a lot of distributors. Having him out there will also allow Caruso to become more of a scorer, something he has not been consistently. He can certainly get to the hoop now and again, but he has to become a better outside shooter for this to really work. Also, it takes some pressure off of Robinson, who showed the ability to make some plays, but was reckless with the basketball at times last year (yes, Caruso critics, even more so than your whipping boy). Also, the offense tended to stagnate when he has the ball (though things got better later in the year). Finally, a veteran presence is nice when you’ve got a team that’s going to have a lot of young players on it. Having a fifth-year senior out there won’t hurt.
It’s all or nothing for Billy Kennedy this year. We all know it. He knows it. So having one more experienced hand who can help in the rotation is not a bad thing at all.
Aggies lose 2 of 3 at LSU. Such is life.
To see A&M drop two out of three to LSU when they had leads in all three games—significant leads, at that – is frustrating. However, I’m not going to freak out about it. Instead, I’m hoping the team uses this as a learning experience. They can play with anyone – but they have to keep their wits about them. This past weekend, they made mistakes they haven’t made all year. They can either realize that they shot themselves in both feet and move on, or they can play scared again the remainder of the season and into the SEC Tournament. This team has done a good job of bouncing back all season and did so on Sunday, so I think they’ll rally the way fans hope.
Other stuff:
As I was writing this, Josh Hamilton was officially traded back to the Rangers. I’m rooting for the guy. Maybe I like the underdog or the story of a man who (hopefully) stares down his demons and becomes a success. Or maybe he was a true 5-tool player in his prime, something you don’t see every day. I don’t know what his role will be, but here’s hoping for the best.
The Astros keep winning. When you have a situation where Evan Gattis hits a 93-mph fastball that was over his head for a game-winning 2-RBI double, you’ve got it going right. If Gattis, Chris Carter and George Springer ever get started, this team has a chance to stick around. Nobody else in that division seems overly intent with running away and hiding early.
Still hearing Cedric Ogbuehi late in the first round, with both Denver and Indy interested. People are starting to discuss “concerns” about his medical history, which at this point strikes me purely as smoke. Someone wants him and is using a leak to try to scare off other suitors. Will it work? Almost certainly not, but that’s how the NFL go.
I’m sure that some of you will scoff and act like this is beneath you, but I’m looking forward to Age of Ultron. I grew up on comic books and still love Spider-Man, Superman and Cap. When Spidey joins the Avengers, that will be badass.
Cody had her first birthday party this weekend, and damn that was some work. It wasn’t the kids that you had to monitor, it was all the adults who were in dire need of a drink (it was at the Children’s Museum). Next year, I’m finding someplace where I can bring beer.
AggieYell Happy Hour next Monday night in Washington, D.C. Get ready.
Old School Monday
A&M’s latest commit, Fairfield CB Charles Oliver, was more than a little bit of a surprise. The Aggies had seriously been recruiting him for all of three days when he pulled the trigger and became the second corner in the 2016 class.
And there’s the big word: corner. Just as it was with defensive linemen a few years ago, A&M wants a boatload of them in this recruiting class. They feel it’s one of the most severe needs left to be filled, and they’re right. They’re looking good at quarterback, once Kyler Murray arrives; they’ll get another back or two to go with James White and Kendall Bussey, and they’re loaded at receiver. We don’t know if the current offensive line combination will be successful, but there’s nobody doubting that there’s plenty of young talent on campus or arriving shortly. The defensive line looks solid, and the safeties look fine. So that leaves corner and linebacker, and the corner issue is being addressed pretty rapidly.
I said a couple of weeks back in this space that the Ags wanted big corners, and Oliver sure fits the bill at 6’2”, 182. Evidently, he had largely been overlooked by the big boys until last week, and the Aggies pounced on him. It’s pretty easy to see the interest: John Chavis likes tall corners who can get physical. Oliver can probably get to around 195 pounds and keep his speed, which it looks like he’s got plenty of. If Chavis can find a guy with safety size and corner speed, he’s going to be a corner. Oliver may not be a finished product, but I’ll wager this is not the last Power 5 offer he’ll receive.
Adding Oliver will probably change absolutely nothing with A&M’s plans for some of its existing targets. They’re still after Byron Murphy and Eric Monroe, another two guys who fit what Chavis is looking for but are much better known. If you can get them both, take them both and run. Greedy Williams wants in? C’mon. They’re still talking to Eric Cuffee as well. At safety, they’re still in great shape with Deontay Anderson and Brandon Jones, and the situation is the same there – can you get them both? Take ‘em. This will be an interesting few months when it comes to secondary recruiting – now, the trick will be to making linebacker recruiting just as exciting.
Some guys that the Aggies are in good shape with
Monroe, Murphy, Jones, Anderson, Williams, Euless Trinity DT Chris Daniels, Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott, Havelock, N.C. LB Keion Joyner, Marrero, La. LB Michael Divinity, C.E. King RB Trayveon Williams. I’d take those guys (as would anyone else in the country, probably).
Why Anthony Collins? Because all the eggs are in one basket
Though it has not been officially announced yet, USF PG Anthony Collins will be transferring to A&M to play the 2015-16 season. He’s already graduated and has a year to play because he was injured and missed most of 2013-14, so he’ll be eligible immediately.
With Alex Caruso and Alex Robinson on board, point didn’t seem like a glaring need, but the addition of Collins gives the Aggies some more flexibility – another thing we touched on recently (this is the problem with the offseason; there’s only so many topics). There are several reasons Collins’ addition makes sense. First, Billy Kennedy likes to run a three-guard offense a lot, and he wants more than one ballhandler on the court. Putting Collins, Caruso and maybe even Robinson out there together gives the Aggies a lot of distributors. Having him out there will also allow Caruso to become more of a scorer, something he has not been consistently. He can certainly get to the hoop now and again, but he has to become a better outside shooter for this to really work. Also, it takes some pressure off of Robinson, who showed the ability to make some plays, but was reckless with the basketball at times last year (yes, Caruso critics, even more so than your whipping boy). Also, the offense tended to stagnate when he has the ball (though things got better later in the year). Finally, a veteran presence is nice when you’ve got a team that’s going to have a lot of young players on it. Having a fifth-year senior out there won’t hurt.
It’s all or nothing for Billy Kennedy this year. We all know it. He knows it. So having one more experienced hand who can help in the rotation is not a bad thing at all.
Aggies lose 2 of 3 at LSU. Such is life.
To see A&M drop two out of three to LSU when they had leads in all three games—significant leads, at that – is frustrating. However, I’m not going to freak out about it. Instead, I’m hoping the team uses this as a learning experience. They can play with anyone – but they have to keep their wits about them. This past weekend, they made mistakes they haven’t made all year. They can either realize that they shot themselves in both feet and move on, or they can play scared again the remainder of the season and into the SEC Tournament. This team has done a good job of bouncing back all season and did so on Sunday, so I think they’ll rally the way fans hope.
Other stuff:
As I was writing this, Josh Hamilton was officially traded back to the Rangers. I’m rooting for the guy. Maybe I like the underdog or the story of a man who (hopefully) stares down his demons and becomes a success. Or maybe he was a true 5-tool player in his prime, something you don’t see every day. I don’t know what his role will be, but here’s hoping for the best.
The Astros keep winning. When you have a situation where Evan Gattis hits a 93-mph fastball that was over his head for a game-winning 2-RBI double, you’ve got it going right. If Gattis, Chris Carter and George Springer ever get started, this team has a chance to stick around. Nobody else in that division seems overly intent with running away and hiding early.
Still hearing Cedric Ogbuehi late in the first round, with both Denver and Indy interested. People are starting to discuss “concerns” about his medical history, which at this point strikes me purely as smoke. Someone wants him and is using a leak to try to scare off other suitors. Will it work? Almost certainly not, but that’s how the NFL go.
I’m sure that some of you will scoff and act like this is beneath you, but I’m looking forward to Age of Ultron. I grew up on comic books and still love Spider-Man, Superman and Cap. When Spidey joins the Avengers, that will be badass.
Cody had her first birthday party this weekend, and damn that was some work. It wasn’t the kids that you had to monitor, it was all the adults who were in dire need of a drink (it was at the Children’s Museum). Next year, I’m finding someplace where I can bring beer.
AggieYell Happy Hour next Monday night in Washington, D.C. Get ready.
Old School Monday
