Big practice visitor
Texas A&M had a visitor at practice on Tuesday as Fort Bend Ridge Point 2016 offensive tackle Travis Bruffy. The six foot, seven inches, 260-pound offensive lineman has been trying desperately to make it out to A&M. First, he was invited to Friday Night Lights, but baseball caused him not to go, then on his way to A&M on Monday he was involved in a car accident when his father hydroplaned off the road. The third time appeared to be the charm as Bruffy was finally able to make to a practice and left A&M very impressed with what he saw on Tuesday.
"I really loved the practice," he said. "My favorite part was watching how physical the offensive line was during the drills. I also loved the indoor practice facility as it was amazing to see in person.
Bruffy only has an offer from Rice right now, but he is getting interest from schools such as Baylor, Kansas State, LSU, and TCU. Bruffy was also had the chance to speak with head coach Kevin Sumlin, offensive line coach Dave Christensen, and his recruiter Clarence McKinney and all three thanked him for making the trip to College Station.
"All three coaches told me they like me and will come see me this spring," he said. "They also told me they want me to come to one of their camps this summer so they can continue to evaluate me as well."
Bruffy already has his next trip planned as he has one or two more visits before spring football starts for him.
"I am going to go visit Baylor on March 20," he said. "I may go visit one more school as well, but I am not sure which school I want to visit yet."
Ags offer Steele DE
Texas A&M offered Cibolo Steele 2016 defensive end Mark Jackson yesterday while he was at practice. The six foot, three inches, 215 pound defensive end also has offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. Jackson was thrilled to be offered by A&M.
"I like Texas A&M," he said. "It's a great school to get an offer from and was thrilled to see them practice yesterday."
Jackson was happy with what he saw in the practice yesterday and knows he could fit in well at A&M.
"The practice was really nice," he said. "The overall atmosphere of the way they practice is fun to watch."
Jackson was able to speak with the A&M coaches and they told why they offered him that day.
"The coaches said they like me and really want me at A&M," he said. "They said they needed more pass rushers and I fit the bill for them."
A&M offers Judson linebacker
Texas A&M also offered Converse Judson outside linebacker Alton Robinson yesterday as well. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker also has offers from Houston, Michigan, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. Robinson was at practice yesterday as well and came away impressed.
"I really liked the practice he said. "The intensity that practice with was awesome to watch."
Brown was thrilled to be offered by A&M at the practice and knows A&M will be a top school for him.
"I was excited as heck," he said. "I loved my visit at A&M and had a great time on my visit."
Johnson got the chance to check out all the facilities while at A&M and was impressed with what he saw.
"The facilities are all really nice," he said. "Those are the best facilities I have ever seen."
More on Thursday's offers
Both the offers were to quality kids yesterday. We talked to somebody down in San Antonio and he said they could be the best defensive players in the area. The Alton Robinson offer is a no brainer as A&M needs the linebacker depth and they need it now. The Mark Jackson offer raised some eyebrows when people saw his size. Jackson is probably 215-225 right now and that is fine. Jackson does not need to come in day one and compete to start day one. A&M has depth at the defensive end position right now. Myles Garrett will be a junior and Daeshon Hall will be a senior so if Jackson commits to A&M he would be looking at a redshirt year at A&M. By the time A&M needed him to play, he could be anywhere from 240-250 pounds. If A&M gets Jackson, he could be a guy that Terry Price and John Chavis develop into a solid pass rushing defensive end.
Progress after FNL
The Aggies didn't get any commits from Friday Night Lights, but that doesn't mean it was a bust by any stretch of the imagination. It's clear that A&M did some good with some major targets that they offered last week. At the top of the list is Channelview's Jalen Hurts, who is probably the top quarterback in Texas for 2016. The 4-star has an established relationship with A&M and his primary recruiter, Clarence McKinney, through his dad (Channelview's head coach). Even though he'd been up to College Station multiple times, the red carpet treatment and an offer certainly caught the attention of Hurts and his dad. Even though Hurts isn't close to committing anywhere and will certainly add to the 15 offers he already has, A&M is now widely considered to be the team to beat for him.
Another top target, Euless Trinity DT Chris Daniels, gave FNL a 9.9 out of 10.
"The process was outstanding; the game; the facility; the recruiting process," he said.
Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott also came away impressed, and the Aggies now have a shot at flipping him from Baylor.
"They (Baylor) know that I am looking around," he said afterward.
OL Jean DeLance, who was also in attendance, said he was throughly impressed by what he saw at FNL and, with his subsequent de-commitment to Oklahoma after the SAE video was made public, has the Aggies at the top of his list as well.
Current top in-state targets
With the recent offers, things are starting to clear up with who the Aggies are concentrating their initial recruiting efforts on in Texas. Here's a look at some, but probably not all, of the major targets on their list:
QB: Jalen Hurts
RB: Devwah Whaley, Trayveon Williams, Trevor Speights, Kameron Martin
WR: Tyrie Cleveland (committed), Tren'Davian Dickson, Devin Duvernay
OL: Greg Little (Committed), Patrick Hudson, Jean DeLane, Chris Owens
TE: Zarrian Holcombe (committed), Kaden Smith
DE: Isaiah Chambers, Mark Jackson, Justin Madubuike
LB: Dontavious Jackson, Alton Robinson, Jeffrey McCulloch, McKinley Mitchell
DT: Chris Daniels, Jordan Elliott, Ed Oliver, Kendell Jones
CB: Tavon Fuller (committed), Eric Monroe
S: Brandon Jones, Deontay Anderson
Look for in-state offers to pick up pace over the next couple of weeks as A&M has their spring break and high schools begin their spring practices as well.
Wideouts doing work in spring ball
Even without Josh Reynolds taking part this spring, it's no shock that the receivers are among the top performers through the first two weeks of practice. We've heard that Speedy Noil has been doing whatever he wants to whenever he wants to; his speed and improved skill set are making him into a nightmare for opposing corners. Ricky Seals-Jones had a big day in Thursday's scrimmage and is showing signs of what made him an elite recruit before his knee injury at the start of the 2013 season. Christian Kirk had a couple of (for him, very surprising) drops yesterday, but coaches and players have been impressed by his speed, strength, smarts and intensity. We all expected him to start in the slot from day one, and he's well on his way to doing just that. Among the names you don't normally hear, Jeremy Tabuyo is off to a strong start to the spring. He's been putting his speed to good use and has made some nice catches against solid coverage.
Update on the corner race
It's no shock, but there's no real leader after two weeks in the derby to replace Deshazor Everett. Tavares Garner is backing up Devante Harris, so it's been Nick Harvey, Victor Davis and Noel Ellis largely getting the snaps on the other side. Ellis had a couple of big plays in FNL to push his way back into the equation, while Harvey has played better coverage and Davis has been more physical. This one will go well into the summer, in all likelihood, before there's a decision.
A sigh of relief?
This has been mentioned several times this week, but just in case you hadn't seen it: we've heard from a few folks close to the situation that Kyler Murray is preparing to head to College Station, and not a career in professional baseball, in early June. That would be a huge boost for the Aggies' depth chart at quarterback (obviously) and calm a lot of nerves.
Texas A&M had a visitor at practice on Tuesday as Fort Bend Ridge Point 2016 offensive tackle Travis Bruffy. The six foot, seven inches, 260-pound offensive lineman has been trying desperately to make it out to A&M. First, he was invited to Friday Night Lights, but baseball caused him not to go, then on his way to A&M on Monday he was involved in a car accident when his father hydroplaned off the road. The third time appeared to be the charm as Bruffy was finally able to make to a practice and left A&M very impressed with what he saw on Tuesday.
"I really loved the practice," he said. "My favorite part was watching how physical the offensive line was during the drills. I also loved the indoor practice facility as it was amazing to see in person.
Bruffy only has an offer from Rice right now, but he is getting interest from schools such as Baylor, Kansas State, LSU, and TCU. Bruffy was also had the chance to speak with head coach Kevin Sumlin, offensive line coach Dave Christensen, and his recruiter Clarence McKinney and all three thanked him for making the trip to College Station.
"All three coaches told me they like me and will come see me this spring," he said. "They also told me they want me to come to one of their camps this summer so they can continue to evaluate me as well."
Bruffy already has his next trip planned as he has one or two more visits before spring football starts for him.
"I am going to go visit Baylor on March 20," he said. "I may go visit one more school as well, but I am not sure which school I want to visit yet."
Ags offer Steele DE
Texas A&M offered Cibolo Steele 2016 defensive end Mark Jackson yesterday while he was at practice. The six foot, three inches, 215 pound defensive end also has offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. Jackson was thrilled to be offered by A&M.
"I like Texas A&M," he said. "It's a great school to get an offer from and was thrilled to see them practice yesterday."
Jackson was happy with what he saw in the practice yesterday and knows he could fit in well at A&M.
"The practice was really nice," he said. "The overall atmosphere of the way they practice is fun to watch."
Jackson was able to speak with the A&M coaches and they told why they offered him that day.
"The coaches said they like me and really want me at A&M," he said. "They said they needed more pass rushers and I fit the bill for them."
A&M offers Judson linebacker
Texas A&M also offered Converse Judson outside linebacker Alton Robinson yesterday as well. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker also has offers from Houston, Michigan, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. Robinson was at practice yesterday as well and came away impressed.
"I really liked the practice he said. "The intensity that practice with was awesome to watch."
Brown was thrilled to be offered by A&M at the practice and knows A&M will be a top school for him.
"I was excited as heck," he said. "I loved my visit at A&M and had a great time on my visit."
Johnson got the chance to check out all the facilities while at A&M and was impressed with what he saw.
"The facilities are all really nice," he said. "Those are the best facilities I have ever seen."
More on Thursday's offers
Both the offers were to quality kids yesterday. We talked to somebody down in San Antonio and he said they could be the best defensive players in the area. The Alton Robinson offer is a no brainer as A&M needs the linebacker depth and they need it now. The Mark Jackson offer raised some eyebrows when people saw his size. Jackson is probably 215-225 right now and that is fine. Jackson does not need to come in day one and compete to start day one. A&M has depth at the defensive end position right now. Myles Garrett will be a junior and Daeshon Hall will be a senior so if Jackson commits to A&M he would be looking at a redshirt year at A&M. By the time A&M needed him to play, he could be anywhere from 240-250 pounds. If A&M gets Jackson, he could be a guy that Terry Price and John Chavis develop into a solid pass rushing defensive end.
Progress after FNL
The Aggies didn't get any commits from Friday Night Lights, but that doesn't mean it was a bust by any stretch of the imagination. It's clear that A&M did some good with some major targets that they offered last week. At the top of the list is Channelview's Jalen Hurts, who is probably the top quarterback in Texas for 2016. The 4-star has an established relationship with A&M and his primary recruiter, Clarence McKinney, through his dad (Channelview's head coach). Even though he'd been up to College Station multiple times, the red carpet treatment and an offer certainly caught the attention of Hurts and his dad. Even though Hurts isn't close to committing anywhere and will certainly add to the 15 offers he already has, A&M is now widely considered to be the team to beat for him.
Another top target, Euless Trinity DT Chris Daniels, gave FNL a 9.9 out of 10.
"The process was outstanding; the game; the facility; the recruiting process," he said.
Houston Westside DT Jordan Elliott also came away impressed, and the Aggies now have a shot at flipping him from Baylor.
"They (Baylor) know that I am looking around," he said afterward.
OL Jean DeLance, who was also in attendance, said he was throughly impressed by what he saw at FNL and, with his subsequent de-commitment to Oklahoma after the SAE video was made public, has the Aggies at the top of his list as well.
Current top in-state targets
With the recent offers, things are starting to clear up with who the Aggies are concentrating their initial recruiting efforts on in Texas. Here's a look at some, but probably not all, of the major targets on their list:
QB: Jalen Hurts
RB: Devwah Whaley, Trayveon Williams, Trevor Speights, Kameron Martin
WR: Tyrie Cleveland (committed), Tren'Davian Dickson, Devin Duvernay
OL: Greg Little (Committed), Patrick Hudson, Jean DeLane, Chris Owens
TE: Zarrian Holcombe (committed), Kaden Smith
DE: Isaiah Chambers, Mark Jackson, Justin Madubuike
LB: Dontavious Jackson, Alton Robinson, Jeffrey McCulloch, McKinley Mitchell
DT: Chris Daniels, Jordan Elliott, Ed Oliver, Kendell Jones
CB: Tavon Fuller (committed), Eric Monroe
S: Brandon Jones, Deontay Anderson
Look for in-state offers to pick up pace over the next couple of weeks as A&M has their spring break and high schools begin their spring practices as well.
Wideouts doing work in spring ball
Even without Josh Reynolds taking part this spring, it's no shock that the receivers are among the top performers through the first two weeks of practice. We've heard that Speedy Noil has been doing whatever he wants to whenever he wants to; his speed and improved skill set are making him into a nightmare for opposing corners. Ricky Seals-Jones had a big day in Thursday's scrimmage and is showing signs of what made him an elite recruit before his knee injury at the start of the 2013 season. Christian Kirk had a couple of (for him, very surprising) drops yesterday, but coaches and players have been impressed by his speed, strength, smarts and intensity. We all expected him to start in the slot from day one, and he's well on his way to doing just that. Among the names you don't normally hear, Jeremy Tabuyo is off to a strong start to the spring. He's been putting his speed to good use and has made some nice catches against solid coverage.
Update on the corner race
It's no shock, but there's no real leader after two weeks in the derby to replace Deshazor Everett. Tavares Garner is backing up Devante Harris, so it's been Nick Harvey, Victor Davis and Noel Ellis largely getting the snaps on the other side. Ellis had a couple of big plays in FNL to push his way back into the equation, while Harvey has played better coverage and Davis has been more physical. This one will go well into the summer, in all likelihood, before there's a decision.
A sigh of relief?
This has been mentioned several times this week, but just in case you hadn't seen it: we've heard from a few folks close to the situation that Kyler Murray is preparing to head to College Station, and not a career in professional baseball, in early June. That would be a huge boost for the Aggies' depth chart at quarterback (obviously) and calm a lot of nerves.
