A look ahead to tomorrow
First, look for the Aggies to play a lot of 4-2-5 against Arizona State, with good reason. ASU, like A&M, likes to go with four receiver sets and a single back, with the quarterback operating out of the shotgun. Josh Walker will be one of the linebackers out there almost full-time, with Shaan Washington and Claude George being the other two. Right now, it looks like A.J. Hilliard and Otaro Alaka are questionable for Saturday, which means the Aggies are going to have to get a lot out of the guys mentioned. We could also see Riley Garner and Landis Durham a lot faster than expected, at least to give the other guys an occasional rest.
The Sun Devils, when they run, use some big backs. Damario Chambers is 5’10”, 220 and Kalen Bellage is 6’3”, 230. ASU is going to want to test the middle of the Aggie line, so look for a lot of guys to play quickly. That includes Daylon Mack, who will get his chance to plug the middle of the line. Mack, Hardreck Walker and DeShawn Washington will all get significant snaps, even if Julien Obioha and Alonzo Williams start. John Chavis has the luxury of both bulk and bodies, and he’ll probably look to take advantage of that.
Arizona State starts a bunch of big wideouts, but weapon one is new slot receiver (and former starting RB) D.J. Foster. Foster is a burner at 6’, 195, and it’s very possible that A&M puts their biggest and fastest corner across from him — Brandon Williams. It’s almost certain that, when the Aggies hit the field tomorrow, Devante Harris, Nick Harvey and Williams will all be out there. The question is whether or not Chavis starts the more experienced cover man at nickel in Noel Ellis or if he starts the bigger and more physical Donovan Wilson.
Visitor list for Saturday’s game at NRG (Fletch)
2016
Deontay Anderson
Quartney Davis
Zarrian Holcombe (Maybe. Has a funeral the same day)
Isaiah Chambers
2017
Marvin Wilson
Walker Little
Toneil Carter
Grayson Reed
Alex Duke
Adam Beck
J.K. Dobbins
Pre-Season recruiting report (Fletch)
Right now, A&M is sitting about where they want to be in recruiting. They have 14 commits with the ability to take another12 since Colton Prater is enrolling early. Pretty much they have half the class filled at the halfway point so that is perfectly fine. A lot of people might be worried about the way things look right now. As I always say though, recruiting is a marathon not a sprint. If you feel the need to panic, hold off until Christmas because everything is just fine right now. Here is a position breakdown of how many people A&M is taking in 2016 at each position.
Quarterback:
Committed-0
Need-0
They landed Tate Martell for 2017. They will not take a 2016 quarterback and don’t need to.
Running back:
Committed-1
Need-0
OK. Depending on who you ask, they might say to take one more or no more. Is it huge for A&M to take two? No. Adding another running back would be a luxury at this point.
Wide receiver:
Committed-2
Need-1
A&M really only needs one more at this position. His name is N’Keal Harry and he is one of the biggest remaining prospects on the board. They will, however, take Tyrie Cleveland or Clyde Leflore-Chriss if either decide that A&M’s the place for them.
Offensive lineman:
Committed-3
Need-1
Greg Little remains the top prize for A&M fans. We hope to have an update on him Friday night.
Tight end:
Committed-2
Need-0
Just like they did last season, A&M wrapped up the tight end position early on. No need to add another one.
Defensive tackle:
Committed-0
Need-2
Chris Daniels is one name everybody wants. The second name is going to be interesting. It could be numerous players at this point. Ross Blacklock would seem like the most likely.
Defensive end:
Committed-1
Need-2
Two names everybody wants is Isaiah Chambers and Justin Madubuike and those are the two that are likely on top of the board for A&M right now. If McTelvin Agim commits to A&M, then they will only take one of the two names, but it’s not expected he chooses A&M. One name to keep an eye on is Emmitt Gooden.
Inside linebacker:
Committed-1
Need-1
The only inside linebacker with an offer still considering A&M is Jeffery McCulloch. There is no other options at this time. The Aggies have picked up significant ground in his recruitment and, depending on who you talk to, may well be the favorites to get him now.
Outside linebacker:
Committed-1
Need-1
Michael Divinity is going to official visit next weekend and he is going to graduate early so he is the top of the list right now. If A&M does not land him, they might find a recruit late in the season.
Cornerback
Committed-2
Need-2
The two they would like to get is Eric Cuffee and Byron Murphy. Jack Jones is another name to keep an eye on, but if he does not official visit A&M it’s safe to say A&M has zero chance.
Safety
Committed-0
Need-2
Brandon Jones and Deontay Anderson are the top two on the board. Donte’ Vaughn might be a name to keep an eye on, but it’s likely he goes to another SEC school.
Kicker:
Committed-1
Need-0
They got Braden Mann. That’s all they need.
2016 defensive end eyes late official (Fletch)
Brownsville (Tenn.) 2016 defensive end Emmit Gooden has offers from Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Gooden hears from the A&M coaches quite a bit as two of A&M’s best recruiters are recruiting him right now.
“Coach Chavis and Coach Price are the ones talking to me from A&M,” he said. “They really want me to be a member of A&M’s 2016 recruiting class.”
Gooden wants to take an official to A&M, but A&M fans will have to wait a while before he makes his official.
“I want to take my official in January to A&M,” he said. “That will be the time I will likely take all my officials.”
His top ten schools right now is Alabama, Arizona State, LSU, Middle Tennessee State, Memphis, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Alabama, A&M, LSU, and Tennessee are the schools that have the best chance. The only problem though is right now he is a grade risk. Gooden does not have the required ACT score yet to get into college. It will be interesting to see if he can get it fixed.
A&M contacts 2017 defensive end (Fletch)
Texas A&M continued to contact all the Houston kids they could to come to the game with Arizona State as A&M recently reached out to Bellaire 2017 defensive end Alex Duke. The six foot, one inch, 219-pound defensive end has offers from Houston and Kansas, but a lot of coaches were in contact with 2017 recruit ever since coaches were allowed to contact 2017 prospects.
“Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado State, Houston, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Purdue, and Texas A&M all contacted me,” he said. “It was crazy to see all those schools contact me.”
Duke was contacted by A&M running back coach and Houston area recruiter Clarence McKinney as the A&M coach made his intentions clear to Duke about their interest in Duke.
“Coach McKinney wanted me to know I had three tickets to the game this Saturday,” he said. “I’ll have to see if I can go, but I likely will be. He also told me they’re interested in me and look forward to getting to know me.”
Duke has made a few visits to A&M as he went twice during the summer and was impressed with what he saw on both trips.
“I was really impressed with their engineering program since that is what I want to major in,” he said. “As far as football goes they want to win and that was exciting to see.”
Duke said three schools are close to offering him after they evaluate some more film of the recruit.
“Purdue and TCU wanted to look at film from my first four games,” he said. “A&M might offer me around the middle of the season.”
Duke is looking for four things when trying to decide what school is the best for him going forward.
“I want a school with a good engineering school,” he said. “I also want a comfortable environment, good teaching programs, and whoever can help me get to the next level.”
Duke is currently a three-star weakside defensive end and fifteenth overall weakside defensive end in the nation.
(More in the next post)
First, look for the Aggies to play a lot of 4-2-5 against Arizona State, with good reason. ASU, like A&M, likes to go with four receiver sets and a single back, with the quarterback operating out of the shotgun. Josh Walker will be one of the linebackers out there almost full-time, with Shaan Washington and Claude George being the other two. Right now, it looks like A.J. Hilliard and Otaro Alaka are questionable for Saturday, which means the Aggies are going to have to get a lot out of the guys mentioned. We could also see Riley Garner and Landis Durham a lot faster than expected, at least to give the other guys an occasional rest.
The Sun Devils, when they run, use some big backs. Damario Chambers is 5’10”, 220 and Kalen Bellage is 6’3”, 230. ASU is going to want to test the middle of the Aggie line, so look for a lot of guys to play quickly. That includes Daylon Mack, who will get his chance to plug the middle of the line. Mack, Hardreck Walker and DeShawn Washington will all get significant snaps, even if Julien Obioha and Alonzo Williams start. John Chavis has the luxury of both bulk and bodies, and he’ll probably look to take advantage of that.
Arizona State starts a bunch of big wideouts, but weapon one is new slot receiver (and former starting RB) D.J. Foster. Foster is a burner at 6’, 195, and it’s very possible that A&M puts their biggest and fastest corner across from him — Brandon Williams. It’s almost certain that, when the Aggies hit the field tomorrow, Devante Harris, Nick Harvey and Williams will all be out there. The question is whether or not Chavis starts the more experienced cover man at nickel in Noel Ellis or if he starts the bigger and more physical Donovan Wilson.
Visitor list for Saturday’s game at NRG (Fletch)
2016
Deontay Anderson
Quartney Davis
Zarrian Holcombe (Maybe. Has a funeral the same day)
Isaiah Chambers
2017
Marvin Wilson
Walker Little
Toneil Carter
Grayson Reed
Alex Duke
Adam Beck
J.K. Dobbins
Pre-Season recruiting report (Fletch)
Right now, A&M is sitting about where they want to be in recruiting. They have 14 commits with the ability to take another12 since Colton Prater is enrolling early. Pretty much they have half the class filled at the halfway point so that is perfectly fine. A lot of people might be worried about the way things look right now. As I always say though, recruiting is a marathon not a sprint. If you feel the need to panic, hold off until Christmas because everything is just fine right now. Here is a position breakdown of how many people A&M is taking in 2016 at each position.
Quarterback:
Committed-0
Need-0
They landed Tate Martell for 2017. They will not take a 2016 quarterback and don’t need to.
Running back:
Committed-1
Need-0
OK. Depending on who you ask, they might say to take one more or no more. Is it huge for A&M to take two? No. Adding another running back would be a luxury at this point.
Wide receiver:
Committed-2
Need-1
A&M really only needs one more at this position. His name is N’Keal Harry and he is one of the biggest remaining prospects on the board. They will, however, take Tyrie Cleveland or Clyde Leflore-Chriss if either decide that A&M’s the place for them.
Offensive lineman:
Committed-3
Need-1
Greg Little remains the top prize for A&M fans. We hope to have an update on him Friday night.
Tight end:
Committed-2
Need-0
Just like they did last season, A&M wrapped up the tight end position early on. No need to add another one.
Defensive tackle:
Committed-0
Need-2
Chris Daniels is one name everybody wants. The second name is going to be interesting. It could be numerous players at this point. Ross Blacklock would seem like the most likely.
Defensive end:
Committed-1
Need-2
Two names everybody wants is Isaiah Chambers and Justin Madubuike and those are the two that are likely on top of the board for A&M right now. If McTelvin Agim commits to A&M, then they will only take one of the two names, but it’s not expected he chooses A&M. One name to keep an eye on is Emmitt Gooden.
Inside linebacker:
Committed-1
Need-1
The only inside linebacker with an offer still considering A&M is Jeffery McCulloch. There is no other options at this time. The Aggies have picked up significant ground in his recruitment and, depending on who you talk to, may well be the favorites to get him now.
Outside linebacker:
Committed-1
Need-1
Michael Divinity is going to official visit next weekend and he is going to graduate early so he is the top of the list right now. If A&M does not land him, they might find a recruit late in the season.
Cornerback
Committed-2
Need-2
The two they would like to get is Eric Cuffee and Byron Murphy. Jack Jones is another name to keep an eye on, but if he does not official visit A&M it’s safe to say A&M has zero chance.
Safety
Committed-0
Need-2
Brandon Jones and Deontay Anderson are the top two on the board. Donte’ Vaughn might be a name to keep an eye on, but it’s likely he goes to another SEC school.
Kicker:
Committed-1
Need-0
They got Braden Mann. That’s all they need.
2016 defensive end eyes late official (Fletch)
Brownsville (Tenn.) 2016 defensive end Emmit Gooden has offers from Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Gooden hears from the A&M coaches quite a bit as two of A&M’s best recruiters are recruiting him right now.
“Coach Chavis and Coach Price are the ones talking to me from A&M,” he said. “They really want me to be a member of A&M’s 2016 recruiting class.”
Gooden wants to take an official to A&M, but A&M fans will have to wait a while before he makes his official.
“I want to take my official in January to A&M,” he said. “That will be the time I will likely take all my officials.”
His top ten schools right now is Alabama, Arizona State, LSU, Middle Tennessee State, Memphis, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Alabama, A&M, LSU, and Tennessee are the schools that have the best chance. The only problem though is right now he is a grade risk. Gooden does not have the required ACT score yet to get into college. It will be interesting to see if he can get it fixed.
A&M contacts 2017 defensive end (Fletch)
Texas A&M continued to contact all the Houston kids they could to come to the game with Arizona State as A&M recently reached out to Bellaire 2017 defensive end Alex Duke. The six foot, one inch, 219-pound defensive end has offers from Houston and Kansas, but a lot of coaches were in contact with 2017 recruit ever since coaches were allowed to contact 2017 prospects.
“Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado State, Houston, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Purdue, and Texas A&M all contacted me,” he said. “It was crazy to see all those schools contact me.”
Duke was contacted by A&M running back coach and Houston area recruiter Clarence McKinney as the A&M coach made his intentions clear to Duke about their interest in Duke.
“Coach McKinney wanted me to know I had three tickets to the game this Saturday,” he said. “I’ll have to see if I can go, but I likely will be. He also told me they’re interested in me and look forward to getting to know me.”
Duke has made a few visits to A&M as he went twice during the summer and was impressed with what he saw on both trips.
“I was really impressed with their engineering program since that is what I want to major in,” he said. “As far as football goes they want to win and that was exciting to see.”
Duke said three schools are close to offering him after they evaluate some more film of the recruit.
“Purdue and TCU wanted to look at film from my first four games,” he said. “A&M might offer me around the middle of the season.”
Duke is looking for four things when trying to decide what school is the best for him going forward.
“I want a school with a good engineering school,” he said. “I also want a comfortable environment, good teaching programs, and whoever can help me get to the next level.”
Duke is currently a three-star weakside defensive end and fifteenth overall weakside defensive end in the nation.
(More in the next post)
