Brandon Williams, Iron Man
With James White still considered unlikely to go this week against Arkansas, the Aggies have moved Brandon Williams from the worst case scenario at running back to likely getting a fair number of carries against Arkansas. As the second-most experienced back on the team, the staff feels he's more likely to handle the pressure of SEC play than Kwame Etwi or Brice Dolezal (though both will probably play). Williams is going to continue to play corner, as well -- making him the first player in nearly 50 years to see serious playing time on both sides of the ball at A&M. The reason A&M feels like they can make this move is the play of Nick Harvey, who has performed very well splitting time with Williams the first three weeks of the season. Harvey will likely continue to split time with Williams, but the snaps will start to lean a little bit in his favor as Williams gets an occasional break to rest up before switching sides.
As for Williams himself, he volunteered to take on the greater workload, just as he did in the spring when initially asked about possibly moving to corner. He believes the training regimen of Larry Jackson has him ready to take on the task, and he's done well so far. Williams has come a long way from being a bit of an outsider when he first arrived to being a serious student of the game and an overlooked team leader.
Myles Garrett affects Arkansas' game planning
Last year, one of Arkansas' biggest plays was a touchdown pass off of play action to tight end Hunter Henry. While Henry and the other tight ends for Arkansas can't be discounted as a threat this year, their impact may be lessened by one man: Myles Garrett. The Aggie defensive end will face off tomorrow with 6-foot-5, 340-pound Denver Kirkland, the left tackle on the Arkansas line that hasn't given up a sack yet. But the last time Garrett faced a massive left tackle from a Power 5 conference, he ate them alive. That's clearly been on the mind of the Razorbacks, who reportedly are planning to use both their tight ends and fullbacks to help Kirkland deal with Garrett tomorrow. In other words, they'll be staying in to block instead of being potential receivers. It will be interesting to see if Arkansas switches that up pretty quickly, because they're depleted on the outside due to some serious injuries. Daeshon Hall, on the other hand, will go head-to-head with 6'10" Dan Skipper (who you may recall from last year because of his dirty play).
Injury and starters update
With White likely out, the only other question is Richard Moore, who continues to be plagued by a hamstring injury. If Moore can't go, Dwaine Thomas will be the backup to Shaan Washington as he has for the past couple of weeks. Claude George will be the linebacker called on first on the outside, though, even though he technically isn't the "backup" at Sam. Josh Walker should be good to go, and he'll get the start with AJ Hilliard getting significant snaps. The Aggies feel good about their situation in the middle with both of those guys active.
Jeremiah Stuckey, barring a last second change, will get the start at left guard. No other changes are planned for the offensive line. On the D-line, look for a lot of rotating thanks to Arkansas' efforts to try to control the clock. If they're going to be slow, then A&M is going to roll their linemen, especially in the interior, to keep attacking the Razorback front and slow down the running game. That's a luxury A&M couldn't afford last year, and they still wore down the Arkansas line as the game went on.
Visitors for the game Saturday (Fletch):
Texas A&M can’t give tickets to recruits this weekend since they’re the road team this year. We’re working to find out if Arkansas has given tickets to any recruits that have an offer or interest in A&M. The only 2016 recruit off the top of my head that might be at the game is Trophy Club Byron Nelson offensive tackle Kellen Diesch, and he’s an Arkansas commit.
Daniels sets official date and decision date: (Fletch)
Euless Trinity 2016 defensive tackle Chris Daniels confirmed to Rob and I he will be taking his official visit the weekend of the A&M-Alabama game. Daniels will also be making his decision on his birthday, Dec. 18. Daniels is not really giving away any hints on where he wants to commit to, but it is likely between A&M and Oklahoma.
Daniels scouting report (Fletch):
Rob and I went over to Grapevine to check out Chris Daniels in action. When you first see him, you see a big muscular looking guy who has a college frame. When you watch him play, it is a different story. Daniels shows signs of laziness and lack of conditioning. Trinity rotates their defensive tackles often, but there were defensive series Daniels did not even play a snap and this was when the game was still close. On the night, Daniels had one tackle (only because the quarterback ran into him) and one deflection. Yes, he drew a lot of double team last night as expected, but there was times in one on one where he got handled easily. Daniels main problem is he goes high way too often and gets controlled way too easily by lineman. Not saying Daniels is a total bust as I have seen guys look slow and go on to do well in college (Jarrett Johnson and DeShawn Washington are examples), but he needs a redshirt and a solid year with Larry Jackson in order for him to be a contributor in 2017 if he was to commit to A&M.
Top shooting guard visiting for Alabama game (Fletch):
It’s not just football players going to the Alabama game as A&M will get a top basketball visitor as well during the Alabama game with Keller 2017 shooting guard R.J. Nembhard. The six foot, four inches, 180-pound guard has offers from Baylor, Creighton, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech.
“I’ll be going to the Midnight Yell the night before as they have a midnight madness deal the same night,” he said. “I don’t know much more about A&M after that.”
Like many of the other top basketball recruits, Nembhard is curious to see how the A&M team does this season with the recruiting class they got in 2015.
“I’m interested to see what they do in basketball this season,” he said. “I know they got D.J. Hogg, Elijah Thomas, and Admond Gilder. I was friends with a lot of them and I played against them as well.”
Nembhard is optimistic of A&M’s chances this season in basketball and thinks A&M will be a serious contender this season.
“All of those players they got were great in high school,” he said. “If they all stay on the same page they can go as far as they want to go. I know the A&M coaches are telling me they’re all working hard this season.
Nembhard is ranked as the forty-seventh overall player in the nation.
A&M Continues Chasing Louisiana Recruits (Rob)
The Aggies have long had a presence in the recruiting landscape of Louisiana but the obvious inclusion into the SEC and the level of talent available in the Pelican State makes it a battle ground against other top teams in the region and country each and every recruiting cycle.
The 2016 cycle is no different and the Aggies have already landed two key commitments from within the state in offensive lineman Colton Prater and tight end Irvin Smith.
As has been the case for several years now, the Aggies are in it for a few of the top players in the state and find themselves battling the best in the nation to get the services of a few.
Michael Divinity - He is the best shot at another commitment from Louisiana that the Aggies have left. For quite some time we have heard the Aggies are in the drivers seat on this one and continue to hear that. LSU is providing the most resistance at the moment but is still seen as the team needing to make up ground.
After an official visit to Texas A&M for their home opener in week two Divinity was said to be contemplating shutting his recruitment down and it was said to be by committing to Texas A&M. That obviously has not played out yet but realistically could happen and I wouldn't be surprised. He has said all along he wanted to wait until the Under Armour game but we'll see if it makes it that far.
Rashard Lawrence - The big tackle from Monroe was said to be very close to shutting things down and committing to Alabama at the start of the season but the Aggies performance on defense early, especially in the Arizona State game, gave Lawrence reason to pause.
Is it enough to put A&M in control? Probably not fair to say that at this point but Lawrence is keeping an eye on what Chavis is doing and has had interest in Texas A&M for quite some time. Remember he was very proactive in getting communication with the A&M staff going and Chavis was at his school on the first day of contact in the spring.
Kristian Fulton - The very talented cornerback has the measurables the staff likes at the cornerback position and he has had continued contact with the staff for at least a couple of years now. He has been to College Station to check things out before but the staff would surely love to get him back over soon. The waters are a bit more crowded for Fulton and for now it will be a situation to keep an eye on as the season moves on.
(More in the next post)
With James White still considered unlikely to go this week against Arkansas, the Aggies have moved Brandon Williams from the worst case scenario at running back to likely getting a fair number of carries against Arkansas. As the second-most experienced back on the team, the staff feels he's more likely to handle the pressure of SEC play than Kwame Etwi or Brice Dolezal (though both will probably play). Williams is going to continue to play corner, as well -- making him the first player in nearly 50 years to see serious playing time on both sides of the ball at A&M. The reason A&M feels like they can make this move is the play of Nick Harvey, who has performed very well splitting time with Williams the first three weeks of the season. Harvey will likely continue to split time with Williams, but the snaps will start to lean a little bit in his favor as Williams gets an occasional break to rest up before switching sides.
As for Williams himself, he volunteered to take on the greater workload, just as he did in the spring when initially asked about possibly moving to corner. He believes the training regimen of Larry Jackson has him ready to take on the task, and he's done well so far. Williams has come a long way from being a bit of an outsider when he first arrived to being a serious student of the game and an overlooked team leader.
Myles Garrett affects Arkansas' game planning
Last year, one of Arkansas' biggest plays was a touchdown pass off of play action to tight end Hunter Henry. While Henry and the other tight ends for Arkansas can't be discounted as a threat this year, their impact may be lessened by one man: Myles Garrett. The Aggie defensive end will face off tomorrow with 6-foot-5, 340-pound Denver Kirkland, the left tackle on the Arkansas line that hasn't given up a sack yet. But the last time Garrett faced a massive left tackle from a Power 5 conference, he ate them alive. That's clearly been on the mind of the Razorbacks, who reportedly are planning to use both their tight ends and fullbacks to help Kirkland deal with Garrett tomorrow. In other words, they'll be staying in to block instead of being potential receivers. It will be interesting to see if Arkansas switches that up pretty quickly, because they're depleted on the outside due to some serious injuries. Daeshon Hall, on the other hand, will go head-to-head with 6'10" Dan Skipper (who you may recall from last year because of his dirty play).
Injury and starters update
With White likely out, the only other question is Richard Moore, who continues to be plagued by a hamstring injury. If Moore can't go, Dwaine Thomas will be the backup to Shaan Washington as he has for the past couple of weeks. Claude George will be the linebacker called on first on the outside, though, even though he technically isn't the "backup" at Sam. Josh Walker should be good to go, and he'll get the start with AJ Hilliard getting significant snaps. The Aggies feel good about their situation in the middle with both of those guys active.
Jeremiah Stuckey, barring a last second change, will get the start at left guard. No other changes are planned for the offensive line. On the D-line, look for a lot of rotating thanks to Arkansas' efforts to try to control the clock. If they're going to be slow, then A&M is going to roll their linemen, especially in the interior, to keep attacking the Razorback front and slow down the running game. That's a luxury A&M couldn't afford last year, and they still wore down the Arkansas line as the game went on.
Visitors for the game Saturday (Fletch):
Texas A&M can’t give tickets to recruits this weekend since they’re the road team this year. We’re working to find out if Arkansas has given tickets to any recruits that have an offer or interest in A&M. The only 2016 recruit off the top of my head that might be at the game is Trophy Club Byron Nelson offensive tackle Kellen Diesch, and he’s an Arkansas commit.
Daniels sets official date and decision date: (Fletch)
Euless Trinity 2016 defensive tackle Chris Daniels confirmed to Rob and I he will be taking his official visit the weekend of the A&M-Alabama game. Daniels will also be making his decision on his birthday, Dec. 18. Daniels is not really giving away any hints on where he wants to commit to, but it is likely between A&M and Oklahoma.
Daniels scouting report (Fletch):
Rob and I went over to Grapevine to check out Chris Daniels in action. When you first see him, you see a big muscular looking guy who has a college frame. When you watch him play, it is a different story. Daniels shows signs of laziness and lack of conditioning. Trinity rotates their defensive tackles often, but there were defensive series Daniels did not even play a snap and this was when the game was still close. On the night, Daniels had one tackle (only because the quarterback ran into him) and one deflection. Yes, he drew a lot of double team last night as expected, but there was times in one on one where he got handled easily. Daniels main problem is he goes high way too often and gets controlled way too easily by lineman. Not saying Daniels is a total bust as I have seen guys look slow and go on to do well in college (Jarrett Johnson and DeShawn Washington are examples), but he needs a redshirt and a solid year with Larry Jackson in order for him to be a contributor in 2017 if he was to commit to A&M.
Top shooting guard visiting for Alabama game (Fletch):
It’s not just football players going to the Alabama game as A&M will get a top basketball visitor as well during the Alabama game with Keller 2017 shooting guard R.J. Nembhard. The six foot, four inches, 180-pound guard has offers from Baylor, Creighton, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech.
“I’ll be going to the Midnight Yell the night before as they have a midnight madness deal the same night,” he said. “I don’t know much more about A&M after that.”
Like many of the other top basketball recruits, Nembhard is curious to see how the A&M team does this season with the recruiting class they got in 2015.
“I’m interested to see what they do in basketball this season,” he said. “I know they got D.J. Hogg, Elijah Thomas, and Admond Gilder. I was friends with a lot of them and I played against them as well.”
Nembhard is optimistic of A&M’s chances this season in basketball and thinks A&M will be a serious contender this season.
“All of those players they got were great in high school,” he said. “If they all stay on the same page they can go as far as they want to go. I know the A&M coaches are telling me they’re all working hard this season.
Nembhard is ranked as the forty-seventh overall player in the nation.
A&M Continues Chasing Louisiana Recruits (Rob)
The Aggies have long had a presence in the recruiting landscape of Louisiana but the obvious inclusion into the SEC and the level of talent available in the Pelican State makes it a battle ground against other top teams in the region and country each and every recruiting cycle.
The 2016 cycle is no different and the Aggies have already landed two key commitments from within the state in offensive lineman Colton Prater and tight end Irvin Smith.
As has been the case for several years now, the Aggies are in it for a few of the top players in the state and find themselves battling the best in the nation to get the services of a few.
Michael Divinity - He is the best shot at another commitment from Louisiana that the Aggies have left. For quite some time we have heard the Aggies are in the drivers seat on this one and continue to hear that. LSU is providing the most resistance at the moment but is still seen as the team needing to make up ground.
After an official visit to Texas A&M for their home opener in week two Divinity was said to be contemplating shutting his recruitment down and it was said to be by committing to Texas A&M. That obviously has not played out yet but realistically could happen and I wouldn't be surprised. He has said all along he wanted to wait until the Under Armour game but we'll see if it makes it that far.
Rashard Lawrence - The big tackle from Monroe was said to be very close to shutting things down and committing to Alabama at the start of the season but the Aggies performance on defense early, especially in the Arizona State game, gave Lawrence reason to pause.
Is it enough to put A&M in control? Probably not fair to say that at this point but Lawrence is keeping an eye on what Chavis is doing and has had interest in Texas A&M for quite some time. Remember he was very proactive in getting communication with the A&M staff going and Chavis was at his school on the first day of contact in the spring.
Kristian Fulton - The very talented cornerback has the measurables the staff likes at the cornerback position and he has had continued contact with the staff for at least a couple of years now. He has been to College Station to check things out before but the staff would surely love to get him back over soon. The waters are a bit more crowded for Fulton and for now it will be a situation to keep an eye on as the season moves on.
(More in the next post)
