Allen doing what he needs to
We've talked to some folks close to the team over the past week since spring ball ended, and one of their universal opinions is one that has to cause fans to give a bit of a sigh of relief: Kyle Allen is improving rapidly and has taken over the team. Allen's intensity was evident during what we could see during the early parts of practices (cursing himself loudly if he made a bad throw, for instance), but he kept it while in the huddle, commanding it. More importantly, his reads are better and he's much more comfortable with all of his receivers, not just Josh Reynolds. For folks who want the Aggies to use the middle of the field more in the passing game, Allen targeted Ricky Seals-Jones and Christian Kirk a lot this spring - and both also received rave reviews.
For the Aggies to win and win a lot this year, a lot is riding on Allen's shoulders. Through 15 practices, at least, it looks like he's taking the steps necessary for that to happen.
A surprise coming at running back?
With Tra Carson out this spring, a lot was made of Brandon Williams showing up a lot bigger and practicing with a lot of intensity. Still, he's not the guy the coaches and other outsiders were seriously impressed with - it was redshirt sophomore James White who stole the show.
White, who is now up to around 225 pounds and has retained his speed, ran with the fury he was known for in high school and showed flashes of last year. Even though Carson will likely be the top back, don't be surprised if White takes a good chunk of carries from both him and Williams. He's done that much to impress the staff.
The Chavis effect on 2016 recruiting
There's been a lot of questions from you about how much an effect new DC John Chavis might have on recruiting. From the looks of things, it's pretty considerable.
The most obvious instance of this is OLB Michael Divinity of Marrero, La., has the Aggies as his leader and again, this is a guy that Chavis first started talking to when he was at LSU.
At defensive end, the Aggies have played host to two of the southeast's best in the past couple of weeks. McTelvin Agim of Hope, Ark., at the spring game. Both are top 10 prospects at their positions nationally.
A&M will be getting another Louisiana product, Metarie Rummel CB Kristian Fulton, on campus at some point this summer. Again, this is a guy that Chavis has known since his time at LSU.
The Aggies, of course, already had good connections in Texas and have not done badly at all in Louisiana recently. Chavis' presence improves A&M's standing in those areas, but he's also getting the Aggies in the door across the region. Now, the trick becomes landing the guys they've gotten to listen.
Height matters
If you look at the Aggies' offer list at corner, one thing sticks out pretty quick: if you're not in the neighborhood of 6 feet tall, you're not getting an offer. Current commit Eric Monroe (another 6-footer) as a possible corner.
The most likely DTs to end up in Aggieland are…?
The Aggies may not end up with the possible top DT in the nation this year, but the guys they're after are no slouches. The eight of the nine offers at the position are 4-stars (an indication they feel good about where they are) and the ninth, Jordan Elliott, should be with his size and offer list. Elliott, in fact, may be one of the next players to join the 2016 class after he de-committed from Baylor, visited College Station and has been getting the full-court press from the Aggies ever since. The other tackle that the Aggies have the inside track on is Euless Trinity's Chris Daniels, a Rivals 100 prospect and the number 9 tackle in the nation. Of course, if Kendell Jones wants to join up, you take him no matter what, but A&M still has work to do with him.
Updates on two recent visitors
Alpharetta, Ga. QB Dillon Sterling-Cole do. Hurts is the top target and A&M appears to be in good shape with him, but he's in no hurry. Cole seems to be enamored with Houston at this point and the Aggies are working to change that.
DT Howard Houston was hoping to hear on whether his JUCO classes would transfer to A&M this week, but that remains up in the air. If they do, he'll sign with the Aggies.
Look for new offers soon (Fletch)
Spring football is over with at A&M, but for high schools it is just getting started. Evaluation period kicked off two days ago and schools will be starting spring football very soon which means coaches will be making the rounds throughout the state and parts of Louisiana as well. A few offers might go out in this timeframe as coaches get a better look at prospects and a lot of camp invites for the summer will be handed out.
Louisiana linebacker wants an A&M offer (Fletch)
A&M always needs inside linebackers and New Orleans 2016 inside linebacker Giovanni LaFrance hopes to possibly be one of the guys that gets the chance to commit to A&M. The six foot, one inch, 235-pound linebacker already has twelve division one offers with his biggest offers being Arizona State, Cal, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. LaFrance has plans to go camp at more schools this summer in hopes of getting more offers.
"I'm going to Florida State, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M this summer for their camps so I could possibly get an offer," he said. "I will do camps at Oklahoma State and Texas Tech too."
LaFrance has not had the chance to speak with A&M much as he has only talked with A&M one time.
"I spoke with Coach Hagen, but we really did not get the chance to talk much so I hope to talk to him more," he said.
LaFrance knows a little bit about A&M, and hopes to learn more about A&M this summer when he goes for a visit.
"I want to see all the facilities and their campus," he said. "I know that Coach Chavis is at A&M now and that is really big to me too."
LaFrance does not have a timetable on when he will commit to a school and is currently rated as a three-star.
After watching his film, I would offer him. He is not great in pass coverage, but he is really good at stopping the run and getting a pass rush. Something A&M is missing at linebacker right now.
Ced on the move up the draft boards
When it came out that Cedric Ogbuehi had torn his ACL in the Liberty Bowl, it looked like A&M's streak of first round draft picks was dead in the water. It may not be after all.
Ogbuehi has visited with the Denver Broncos, who hold the 28th pick in the first round and are looking for a right tackle who is familiar with the zone blocking scheme. That fits Ogbuehi to a T, considering scouts think his play on the right side was far superior to his work on the left and he's played in a zone scheme for the past three seasons. He's also scheduled to meet with the Detroit Lions next week, but he'd probably fit more into their plans as a second round pick. Still, talking to scouts and draft analysts, Ogbuehi has been one of the fastest movers up the boards over the past couple of weeks. He's ahead of schedule in his rehab and teams are entranced by his athleticism. While he's no slam dunk for it, don't be surprised if he ends up sneaking into the back of the first round and keeps the Aggies streak alive.
Greedy puts A&M at the top (Courtney)
Several top recruits visited Texas A&M for the first time during the Aggies spring football and they left Aggieland with a very good first impression.
Shreveport Calvary Baptist (LA.) defensive back Andreaz “Greedy” Williams was so taken away that he now list Texas A&M as his top school. Williams saw firsthand the need the Aggies have in the secondary and early playing time is something Williams is looking for.
Emmit Gooden to come back for more? (Courtney)
Then there was first-timer from Brownsville (Tenn.) Haywood defensive end Emmit Gooden. Even though The Rivals250 prospect did not get the A&M game day experience, he still was able to get a glimpse of it, and perhaps enough of it to want to come back for the real deal.
“The scrimmage was nice and up-tempo,” said Gooden. “The defense stood out. They still have work to do of course. The campus was real nice and the academic side of everything really stood out. The stadium, when they get done with it, is going to be a wonderful place to play at…I want to come back for a game, maybe an official it depends.”
The Aggies will have to continue to put their best foot forward when it comes to Gooden's recruitment in order to compete with Tennessee and Mississippi State, two programs Gooden has listed at the top of his list for sometime now. A&M DC John Chavis already establishing a relationship with Gooden at LSU certainly helps the Aggies case. Gooden told tiger bait.com during the fall that he spoke with Coach Chavis often and he believes in what the Chief is doing on the defense of side of the ball.
Kendell Jones talks about his visit, and Greg Little (Courtney)
The Aggies as a whole have that swagger that continues to bring in top prospects, and on the defensive side of the ball Coach Chavis is the closer adding that extra something to intrigue top prospects like Shoemaker DL Kendell Jones.
“It was cool to see all the up and coming players and get to see all of the prospects that were out there, all the ones that I know of," said Jones.
What seemed to highlight Jones' trip was what Coach Chavis said to him.
“I spoke with Coach Chavis. He was saying I should just suit up right now."
That particular comment added an extra spark as Jones watched the Aggies defense during the scrimmage, but he wasn't blind to the fact that the Aggies do need improvement.
“The defense is going to need some work...I mean they were going against their own team so I didn’t expect them to be all over them, but they are getting more comfortable."
Jones ranked his experience at A&M from 1-to-10, ten being great and one being not great.
“I give it an 8," so Jones.
Jones may not have ranked it a perfect ten, but his experience has him wanting to come back.
“Yeah A&M has a really good family & football thing going on. It says something about them," said Jones.
Jones described the defense he is looking for, and it sounds a lot like a defense we've heard about recently in Aggielamd.
"Getting to the ball, and not tapping out when it’s fourth down. My coach taught me that and that’s why I feel like I am good defensive lineman," said Jones.
Early playing time is also something on the checklist.
"It is a big one, because I don’t want start the game on the sidelines and end the game on the sidelines. I want to start strong and finish strong," said Jones.
Jones is close with Texas A&M commit Greg Little. The Aggies have a both of their attention, but they're going to need to go the extra mile and order to keep it.
Little is not big on pushing recruits to a certain school, one that he may happen to be committed to, but Jones said Little has told him a few things about Texas A&M.
"He tells me it’s a cool school, but from what I know from him he is not too sure he is going to stay there."
The Aggies are still in the running for these two top lineman, but they do have the work cut out for them.
Jones' father accompanied him to A&M and this weekend Jones will be going solo to Alabama. He said he also wants to go to OU and maybe LSU as well. He will be at both the Nike and Rivals camps this summer.
Here is a look at at Jones' Spring football schedule along with several other recruits.
Shoemaker, April 22nd
Westfield, April 22nd
Louisiana starts the week of April 27th
Manvel, April 15th
This post was edited on 4/17 10:16 AM by Mark Passwaters
We've talked to some folks close to the team over the past week since spring ball ended, and one of their universal opinions is one that has to cause fans to give a bit of a sigh of relief: Kyle Allen is improving rapidly and has taken over the team. Allen's intensity was evident during what we could see during the early parts of practices (cursing himself loudly if he made a bad throw, for instance), but he kept it while in the huddle, commanding it. More importantly, his reads are better and he's much more comfortable with all of his receivers, not just Josh Reynolds. For folks who want the Aggies to use the middle of the field more in the passing game, Allen targeted Ricky Seals-Jones and Christian Kirk a lot this spring - and both also received rave reviews.
For the Aggies to win and win a lot this year, a lot is riding on Allen's shoulders. Through 15 practices, at least, it looks like he's taking the steps necessary for that to happen.
A surprise coming at running back?
With Tra Carson out this spring, a lot was made of Brandon Williams showing up a lot bigger and practicing with a lot of intensity. Still, he's not the guy the coaches and other outsiders were seriously impressed with - it was redshirt sophomore James White who stole the show.
White, who is now up to around 225 pounds and has retained his speed, ran with the fury he was known for in high school and showed flashes of last year. Even though Carson will likely be the top back, don't be surprised if White takes a good chunk of carries from both him and Williams. He's done that much to impress the staff.
The Chavis effect on 2016 recruiting
There's been a lot of questions from you about how much an effect new DC John Chavis might have on recruiting. From the looks of things, it's pretty considerable.
The most obvious instance of this is OLB Michael Divinity of Marrero, La., has the Aggies as his leader and again, this is a guy that Chavis first started talking to when he was at LSU.
At defensive end, the Aggies have played host to two of the southeast's best in the past couple of weeks. McTelvin Agim of Hope, Ark., at the spring game. Both are top 10 prospects at their positions nationally.
A&M will be getting another Louisiana product, Metarie Rummel CB Kristian Fulton, on campus at some point this summer. Again, this is a guy that Chavis has known since his time at LSU.
The Aggies, of course, already had good connections in Texas and have not done badly at all in Louisiana recently. Chavis' presence improves A&M's standing in those areas, but he's also getting the Aggies in the door across the region. Now, the trick becomes landing the guys they've gotten to listen.
Height matters
If you look at the Aggies' offer list at corner, one thing sticks out pretty quick: if you're not in the neighborhood of 6 feet tall, you're not getting an offer. Current commit Eric Monroe (another 6-footer) as a possible corner.
The most likely DTs to end up in Aggieland are…?
The Aggies may not end up with the possible top DT in the nation this year, but the guys they're after are no slouches. The eight of the nine offers at the position are 4-stars (an indication they feel good about where they are) and the ninth, Jordan Elliott, should be with his size and offer list. Elliott, in fact, may be one of the next players to join the 2016 class after he de-committed from Baylor, visited College Station and has been getting the full-court press from the Aggies ever since. The other tackle that the Aggies have the inside track on is Euless Trinity's Chris Daniels, a Rivals 100 prospect and the number 9 tackle in the nation. Of course, if Kendell Jones wants to join up, you take him no matter what, but A&M still has work to do with him.
Updates on two recent visitors
Alpharetta, Ga. QB Dillon Sterling-Cole do. Hurts is the top target and A&M appears to be in good shape with him, but he's in no hurry. Cole seems to be enamored with Houston at this point and the Aggies are working to change that.
DT Howard Houston was hoping to hear on whether his JUCO classes would transfer to A&M this week, but that remains up in the air. If they do, he'll sign with the Aggies.
Look for new offers soon (Fletch)
Spring football is over with at A&M, but for high schools it is just getting started. Evaluation period kicked off two days ago and schools will be starting spring football very soon which means coaches will be making the rounds throughout the state and parts of Louisiana as well. A few offers might go out in this timeframe as coaches get a better look at prospects and a lot of camp invites for the summer will be handed out.
Louisiana linebacker wants an A&M offer (Fletch)
A&M always needs inside linebackers and New Orleans 2016 inside linebacker Giovanni LaFrance hopes to possibly be one of the guys that gets the chance to commit to A&M. The six foot, one inch, 235-pound linebacker already has twelve division one offers with his biggest offers being Arizona State, Cal, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. LaFrance has plans to go camp at more schools this summer in hopes of getting more offers.
"I'm going to Florida State, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M this summer for their camps so I could possibly get an offer," he said. "I will do camps at Oklahoma State and Texas Tech too."
LaFrance has not had the chance to speak with A&M much as he has only talked with A&M one time.
"I spoke with Coach Hagen, but we really did not get the chance to talk much so I hope to talk to him more," he said.
LaFrance knows a little bit about A&M, and hopes to learn more about A&M this summer when he goes for a visit.
"I want to see all the facilities and their campus," he said. "I know that Coach Chavis is at A&M now and that is really big to me too."
LaFrance does not have a timetable on when he will commit to a school and is currently rated as a three-star.
After watching his film, I would offer him. He is not great in pass coverage, but he is really good at stopping the run and getting a pass rush. Something A&M is missing at linebacker right now.
Ced on the move up the draft boards
When it came out that Cedric Ogbuehi had torn his ACL in the Liberty Bowl, it looked like A&M's streak of first round draft picks was dead in the water. It may not be after all.
Ogbuehi has visited with the Denver Broncos, who hold the 28th pick in the first round and are looking for a right tackle who is familiar with the zone blocking scheme. That fits Ogbuehi to a T, considering scouts think his play on the right side was far superior to his work on the left and he's played in a zone scheme for the past three seasons. He's also scheduled to meet with the Detroit Lions next week, but he'd probably fit more into their plans as a second round pick. Still, talking to scouts and draft analysts, Ogbuehi has been one of the fastest movers up the boards over the past couple of weeks. He's ahead of schedule in his rehab and teams are entranced by his athleticism. While he's no slam dunk for it, don't be surprised if he ends up sneaking into the back of the first round and keeps the Aggies streak alive.
Greedy puts A&M at the top (Courtney)
Several top recruits visited Texas A&M for the first time during the Aggies spring football and they left Aggieland with a very good first impression.
Shreveport Calvary Baptist (LA.) defensive back Andreaz “Greedy” Williams was so taken away that he now list Texas A&M as his top school. Williams saw firsthand the need the Aggies have in the secondary and early playing time is something Williams is looking for.
Emmit Gooden to come back for more? (Courtney)
Then there was first-timer from Brownsville (Tenn.) Haywood defensive end Emmit Gooden. Even though The Rivals250 prospect did not get the A&M game day experience, he still was able to get a glimpse of it, and perhaps enough of it to want to come back for the real deal.
“The scrimmage was nice and up-tempo,” said Gooden. “The defense stood out. They still have work to do of course. The campus was real nice and the academic side of everything really stood out. The stadium, when they get done with it, is going to be a wonderful place to play at…I want to come back for a game, maybe an official it depends.”
The Aggies will have to continue to put their best foot forward when it comes to Gooden's recruitment in order to compete with Tennessee and Mississippi State, two programs Gooden has listed at the top of his list for sometime now. A&M DC John Chavis already establishing a relationship with Gooden at LSU certainly helps the Aggies case. Gooden told tiger bait.com during the fall that he spoke with Coach Chavis often and he believes in what the Chief is doing on the defense of side of the ball.
Kendell Jones talks about his visit, and Greg Little (Courtney)
The Aggies as a whole have that swagger that continues to bring in top prospects, and on the defensive side of the ball Coach Chavis is the closer adding that extra something to intrigue top prospects like Shoemaker DL Kendell Jones.
“It was cool to see all the up and coming players and get to see all of the prospects that were out there, all the ones that I know of," said Jones.
What seemed to highlight Jones' trip was what Coach Chavis said to him.
“I spoke with Coach Chavis. He was saying I should just suit up right now."
That particular comment added an extra spark as Jones watched the Aggies defense during the scrimmage, but he wasn't blind to the fact that the Aggies do need improvement.
“The defense is going to need some work...I mean they were going against their own team so I didn’t expect them to be all over them, but they are getting more comfortable."
Jones ranked his experience at A&M from 1-to-10, ten being great and one being not great.
“I give it an 8," so Jones.
Jones may not have ranked it a perfect ten, but his experience has him wanting to come back.
“Yeah A&M has a really good family & football thing going on. It says something about them," said Jones.
Jones described the defense he is looking for, and it sounds a lot like a defense we've heard about recently in Aggielamd.
"Getting to the ball, and not tapping out when it’s fourth down. My coach taught me that and that’s why I feel like I am good defensive lineman," said Jones.
Early playing time is also something on the checklist.
"It is a big one, because I don’t want start the game on the sidelines and end the game on the sidelines. I want to start strong and finish strong," said Jones.
Jones is close with Texas A&M commit Greg Little. The Aggies have a both of their attention, but they're going to need to go the extra mile and order to keep it.
Little is not big on pushing recruits to a certain school, one that he may happen to be committed to, but Jones said Little has told him a few things about Texas A&M.
"He tells me it’s a cool school, but from what I know from him he is not too sure he is going to stay there."
The Aggies are still in the running for these two top lineman, but they do have the work cut out for them.
Jones' father accompanied him to A&M and this weekend Jones will be going solo to Alabama. He said he also wants to go to OU and maybe LSU as well. He will be at both the Nike and Rivals camps this summer.
Here is a look at at Jones' Spring football schedule along with several other recruits.
Shoemaker, April 22nd
Westfield, April 22nd
Louisiana starts the week of April 27th
Manvel, April 15th
This post was edited on 4/17 10:16 AM by Mark Passwaters
