Chavis working to change the defense[/B]
We all know that the defense was a mess the past two seasons, leading to the firing of Mark Snyder and the hiring of John Chavis away from LSU. Chavis is still getting acclimated to A&M and his players, but we have learned a few things in talking to people over the past few weeks.
First, he's not kidding when he says he believes he's got some talent to work with on his defense, especially on the front line. He evidently feels that the Aggies are developing the needed depth up front to cause problems for SEC offenses. Both Chavis and head coach Kevin Sumlin feel Myles Garrett may be the best pass rusher in the nation in 2015, but they're also pleased with the depth behind Garrett in Daeshon Hall, who is at his highest weight ever at 260 pounds, and still-developing Darrell Jackson. When Daylon Mack arrives this summer, they're going to add him to a group that improves a bigger and stronger Alonzo Williams, Hardreck Walker and Zaycoven Henderson (both of whom have impressed this spring), the emerging DeShawn Washington and Jay Arnold. Julien Obioha has emerged as a leader of the group with Williams, and both Qualen Cunningham and Jarrett Jackson are stronger this spring. The hope his that with this front and the ability to provide pressure off of both ends (whether with the insertion of Hall opposite Garrett or with Cunningham) and a strong push in the middle, A&M will be able to take a lot of heat off the corners and safeties.
Corner and linebacker remain issues that are consuming much of Chavis' time, as would be expected. We've been told he's still expecting competition for one corner job well into the summer, and is waiting for the veterans of the linebacking corps to get healthy before trying to make any judgments with them. The possibility of spinning down safety Jonathan Wiggins is still being discussed, even if it hasn't occurred yet.
One player who has stepped up this spring is JUCO transfer Justin Evans, who may have worked his way into the starting lineup opposite Armani Watts at safety.
One of the bigger problems with Snyder's defense was that it was supposedly too complex. We've heard that Chavis is trying to simplify things to make responsibilities easier to understand, but he's going to be very big on individual accountability. If you screw up, you're going to get called out for it.
The resurrection of the defense may be a multi-year process, but Chavis has assurances that he's going to be here to make the complete fix. For now, he's going to rely on what is increasingly looking like a good front line and hoping someone will step up to fill the open jobs at corner.
Offense rolling early on
One of the big complaints about the end of last season when Kyle Allen took over is that the speed of the A&M offense dropped considerably. That has not been the case this spring, as Allen has complete command of the offense and is operating at as fast a pace as we've seen - including when Johnny Manziel was in charge. The Aggies run one play, hustle up to the line, and Allen is making the play calls rapidly.
The Aggies are continuing to rotate running backs as we've seen in the past, with James White moving into the rotation with Brandon Williams and the injured Tra Carson. They're utilizing more of the pistol formation, with the backs behind Allen instead of beside him, so far this spring. That's something Dave Christensen utilized a lot at Utah last year. They are running some read option, but we've been told that won't be used a whole lot with Kyle Allen but could be more of a factor with Kyler Murray.
The starting wideouts have all impressed so far this spring. Speedy Noil has been very impressive, and Christian Kirk has moved in to Malcome Kennedy's spot and hasn't missed a beat. Ricky Seals-Jones has regained most, if not all, of his explosiveness now that he's a year-plus removed from knee surgery. Josh Reynolds, who was supposed to be out for most of the spring, has also returned.
The offensive line appears to be taking shape up front, with Avery Gennesy and Jermaine Eluemunor moving in on the left side as was anticipated. Germain Ifedi still can win the left tackle job, but Gennesy has proven himself to be a formidable run blocker and more than capable in pass protection. Jeremiah Stuckey has been surprisingly good at center and will likely serve as Mike Matthews' primary backup unless Koda Martin makes big strides over the summer.
Rivals Camp Dallas: What we learned (Fletch)
For the most part of the Dallas the guys who made plays dominated the event. There was a few sleepers and a few kids show up out of state who did very well, but for the most part the best players were the ones who dominated the day. The most impressive player there was Killeen Shoemaker 2016 defensive tackle Kendell Jones. This guy is an absolute monster. He simply overpowers anybody he goes against with little ease. He might be stronger than Daylon Mack at this time next year. His only knock is his stamina which is understandable for a guy who is six foot, five inches, and weighs in at 355. Another player who was very impressive was Houston Episcopal 2017 defensive tackle Marvin Wilson who was offered at Friday Night Lights. He already can overpower lineman and is quick enough to get past them. Wilson will likely be one of the top defensive tackles in the nation next year and should be hard to stop this season and next season too. In linebacker A&M 2017 offer from Plano East Anthony Hines stood out as well. Hines is the type of player who will not blow you up with the big hit, but he seems to always be in the right place and nobody breaks his tackles. He is as good as advertised. At defensive back, one guy who could get an offer soon is Clinton (Miss.) 2016 safety Lamarques Thomas. He could play corner he looked that good in one on ones today and is a very vocal player who could lead a defense. It might be tough to pull him away from Mississippi as all the in-state schools have offered, but he told Fletch he would really like an offer from A&M calling it a "dream come true if A&M offered".
On the offensive side of the ball outside of Greg Little another guy who really stood out was a rather unknown player from Broken Arrow Oklahoma named Rowdy Frederick. The 2016 offensive guard won offensive line MVP and will likely get more offers soon as he only has one offer right now and that is from Tulsa. At the skills position A&M QB offer Jalen Hurts is as good as advertised. His large frame will make him tough to tackle and he has great power behind his throws. The skills position in 2016 is not as strong as it was last season, but some of the 2017 players who really stood out were Hezekiah Jones who has an A&M offer and looked really good in one on ones. Another guy who looked really good is Cedar Hill 2017 wide receiver Jaylon Jackson who looks to possibly fill the hole left by DaMarkus Lodge there. Cedar Hill head coach Joey McGuire is very high on the kid and thinks he could be one of the best players he has had at Cedar Hill. The one player at the 2016 position who really stood out was Flower Mound Marcus tight end Kaden Smith who is as good as advertised and will be a day one starter in college. Argyle tight end JC Chalk had a good day as well and told me the A&M coaches are looking at him for the H-back position.
For the most part, the strength of the 2016 class in Dallas will be on the offensive and defensive line. There is a lot a good pieces there that can help build depth on both sides of the line. In 2017, the skill players will dominate the area.
Notes from the Houston camp and more (Rob and Courtney)
It was a productive weekend for the Rivals Camp Tour making stops in both Houston and Dallas this weekend. Five athletes from Dallas (Kendell Jones, Greg Little, Rashard Lawrence, Devin White and Dee Anderson) and one from Houston (Michael Divinity) were invited to the Rivals100 Five Star-Star Challenge in Baltimore.
In addition to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge invite Divinity also earned Houston linebacker MVP and capped the weekend off with an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Game.
Several more A&M targets left with hardware this weekend. At the Houston Camp Westfield quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole took home QB MVP; Westfield wide receiver and Texas A&M commit Tyrie Cleveland was named wide receiver MVP; Kingwood defensive back Sewo Olonilua earned Athletic Achievement award; and Waco La Vega DB Parrish Cobb was named defensive back MVP.
The Dallas Camp was loaded with talent in the trenches. Aldine Macarthur's Isaiah Chambers earned defensive line MVP. Broken Arrow offensive lineman Rowdy Frederick took home OL MVP in a loaded Dallas field of lineman. He is still early in the process with an offer from Tulsa, but he is still developing interest from other schools.
A little more on Divinity:
Sources close to Divinity's recruiting situation say A&M is a clear leader at this point. Although the four-star linebacker was unable to connect with the Aggie staff this weekend he is still very interested in connecting with the coaching staff and scheduling another time to visit.
More news coming out of the Rivals Camp Series this weekend was five-star A&M commit Greg Little announced his decision to visit multiple schools over the summer. Although he is still committed to the Aggies his situation will be one to watch over the summer as he intends to visit Alabama, USC, Auburn, UCLA along with others.
After Rivals four-star defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence expressed interest in the program it appears the A&M staff caught wind of his interest. The lines of communication are opened and progressing.
2017 four-star receiver Hezekiah Jones continues to see his recruitment take off. After seeing many new offers so far this spring Jones admits that he could be close to a decision. The Aggies are in the center of the mix for the speedy wideout. His recruitment will also be one to keep an eye on. The track angle will be one to watch with Jones as well as he is one of the top sprinters in the state.
A few other names that stood out at this weekends Rivals Camp Series event were Kendell Jones, Marvin Wilson, Rashard Lawrence, Jeffrey Mcculloch, Jordan Carmouche, Zarrian Holcombe and Kayden Smith.
Draft bits
It looked like Cedric Ogbuehi's ACL injury was going to end Texas A&M's streak of first round draft picks, but Ced is making a surge up the draft boards. Even though he's not fully healed, his medical reports are good and he's impressed a lot of teams with his intelligence during interviews. His athleticism is unquestioned, even if he didn't have the greatest of seasons last year. Scouts say that Ced is a bit of a gamble, as he's really athletic and probably hasn't reached his full potential yet, but also frequently played soft last year and got pushed around by bigger defensive ends. The athleticism angle seems to be winning out, though, and he could end up sneaking back in to the late part of the first round.
Trey Williams is a guy who has seen his stock rise. A number of teams have expressed interest in him, including the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. It seems more likely now that he will be drafted than not, especially if he does well in workouts for teams next month.
We all know that the defense was a mess the past two seasons, leading to the firing of Mark Snyder and the hiring of John Chavis away from LSU. Chavis is still getting acclimated to A&M and his players, but we have learned a few things in talking to people over the past few weeks.
First, he's not kidding when he says he believes he's got some talent to work with on his defense, especially on the front line. He evidently feels that the Aggies are developing the needed depth up front to cause problems for SEC offenses. Both Chavis and head coach Kevin Sumlin feel Myles Garrett may be the best pass rusher in the nation in 2015, but they're also pleased with the depth behind Garrett in Daeshon Hall, who is at his highest weight ever at 260 pounds, and still-developing Darrell Jackson. When Daylon Mack arrives this summer, they're going to add him to a group that improves a bigger and stronger Alonzo Williams, Hardreck Walker and Zaycoven Henderson (both of whom have impressed this spring), the emerging DeShawn Washington and Jay Arnold. Julien Obioha has emerged as a leader of the group with Williams, and both Qualen Cunningham and Jarrett Jackson are stronger this spring. The hope his that with this front and the ability to provide pressure off of both ends (whether with the insertion of Hall opposite Garrett or with Cunningham) and a strong push in the middle, A&M will be able to take a lot of heat off the corners and safeties.
Corner and linebacker remain issues that are consuming much of Chavis' time, as would be expected. We've been told he's still expecting competition for one corner job well into the summer, and is waiting for the veterans of the linebacking corps to get healthy before trying to make any judgments with them. The possibility of spinning down safety Jonathan Wiggins is still being discussed, even if it hasn't occurred yet.
One player who has stepped up this spring is JUCO transfer Justin Evans, who may have worked his way into the starting lineup opposite Armani Watts at safety.
One of the bigger problems with Snyder's defense was that it was supposedly too complex. We've heard that Chavis is trying to simplify things to make responsibilities easier to understand, but he's going to be very big on individual accountability. If you screw up, you're going to get called out for it.
The resurrection of the defense may be a multi-year process, but Chavis has assurances that he's going to be here to make the complete fix. For now, he's going to rely on what is increasingly looking like a good front line and hoping someone will step up to fill the open jobs at corner.
Offense rolling early on
One of the big complaints about the end of last season when Kyle Allen took over is that the speed of the A&M offense dropped considerably. That has not been the case this spring, as Allen has complete command of the offense and is operating at as fast a pace as we've seen - including when Johnny Manziel was in charge. The Aggies run one play, hustle up to the line, and Allen is making the play calls rapidly.
The Aggies are continuing to rotate running backs as we've seen in the past, with James White moving into the rotation with Brandon Williams and the injured Tra Carson. They're utilizing more of the pistol formation, with the backs behind Allen instead of beside him, so far this spring. That's something Dave Christensen utilized a lot at Utah last year. They are running some read option, but we've been told that won't be used a whole lot with Kyle Allen but could be more of a factor with Kyler Murray.
The starting wideouts have all impressed so far this spring. Speedy Noil has been very impressive, and Christian Kirk has moved in to Malcome Kennedy's spot and hasn't missed a beat. Ricky Seals-Jones has regained most, if not all, of his explosiveness now that he's a year-plus removed from knee surgery. Josh Reynolds, who was supposed to be out for most of the spring, has also returned.
The offensive line appears to be taking shape up front, with Avery Gennesy and Jermaine Eluemunor moving in on the left side as was anticipated. Germain Ifedi still can win the left tackle job, but Gennesy has proven himself to be a formidable run blocker and more than capable in pass protection. Jeremiah Stuckey has been surprisingly good at center and will likely serve as Mike Matthews' primary backup unless Koda Martin makes big strides over the summer.
Rivals Camp Dallas: What we learned (Fletch)
For the most part of the Dallas the guys who made plays dominated the event. There was a few sleepers and a few kids show up out of state who did very well, but for the most part the best players were the ones who dominated the day. The most impressive player there was Killeen Shoemaker 2016 defensive tackle Kendell Jones. This guy is an absolute monster. He simply overpowers anybody he goes against with little ease. He might be stronger than Daylon Mack at this time next year. His only knock is his stamina which is understandable for a guy who is six foot, five inches, and weighs in at 355. Another player who was very impressive was Houston Episcopal 2017 defensive tackle Marvin Wilson who was offered at Friday Night Lights. He already can overpower lineman and is quick enough to get past them. Wilson will likely be one of the top defensive tackles in the nation next year and should be hard to stop this season and next season too. In linebacker A&M 2017 offer from Plano East Anthony Hines stood out as well. Hines is the type of player who will not blow you up with the big hit, but he seems to always be in the right place and nobody breaks his tackles. He is as good as advertised. At defensive back, one guy who could get an offer soon is Clinton (Miss.) 2016 safety Lamarques Thomas. He could play corner he looked that good in one on ones today and is a very vocal player who could lead a defense. It might be tough to pull him away from Mississippi as all the in-state schools have offered, but he told Fletch he would really like an offer from A&M calling it a "dream come true if A&M offered".
On the offensive side of the ball outside of Greg Little another guy who really stood out was a rather unknown player from Broken Arrow Oklahoma named Rowdy Frederick. The 2016 offensive guard won offensive line MVP and will likely get more offers soon as he only has one offer right now and that is from Tulsa. At the skills position A&M QB offer Jalen Hurts is as good as advertised. His large frame will make him tough to tackle and he has great power behind his throws. The skills position in 2016 is not as strong as it was last season, but some of the 2017 players who really stood out were Hezekiah Jones who has an A&M offer and looked really good in one on ones. Another guy who looked really good is Cedar Hill 2017 wide receiver Jaylon Jackson who looks to possibly fill the hole left by DaMarkus Lodge there. Cedar Hill head coach Joey McGuire is very high on the kid and thinks he could be one of the best players he has had at Cedar Hill. The one player at the 2016 position who really stood out was Flower Mound Marcus tight end Kaden Smith who is as good as advertised and will be a day one starter in college. Argyle tight end JC Chalk had a good day as well and told me the A&M coaches are looking at him for the H-back position.
For the most part, the strength of the 2016 class in Dallas will be on the offensive and defensive line. There is a lot a good pieces there that can help build depth on both sides of the line. In 2017, the skill players will dominate the area.
Notes from the Houston camp and more (Rob and Courtney)
It was a productive weekend for the Rivals Camp Tour making stops in both Houston and Dallas this weekend. Five athletes from Dallas (Kendell Jones, Greg Little, Rashard Lawrence, Devin White and Dee Anderson) and one from Houston (Michael Divinity) were invited to the Rivals100 Five Star-Star Challenge in Baltimore.
In addition to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge invite Divinity also earned Houston linebacker MVP and capped the weekend off with an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Game.
Several more A&M targets left with hardware this weekend. At the Houston Camp Westfield quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole took home QB MVP; Westfield wide receiver and Texas A&M commit Tyrie Cleveland was named wide receiver MVP; Kingwood defensive back Sewo Olonilua earned Athletic Achievement award; and Waco La Vega DB Parrish Cobb was named defensive back MVP.
The Dallas Camp was loaded with talent in the trenches. Aldine Macarthur's Isaiah Chambers earned defensive line MVP. Broken Arrow offensive lineman Rowdy Frederick took home OL MVP in a loaded Dallas field of lineman. He is still early in the process with an offer from Tulsa, but he is still developing interest from other schools.
A little more on Divinity:
Sources close to Divinity's recruiting situation say A&M is a clear leader at this point. Although the four-star linebacker was unable to connect with the Aggie staff this weekend he is still very interested in connecting with the coaching staff and scheduling another time to visit.
More news coming out of the Rivals Camp Series this weekend was five-star A&M commit Greg Little announced his decision to visit multiple schools over the summer. Although he is still committed to the Aggies his situation will be one to watch over the summer as he intends to visit Alabama, USC, Auburn, UCLA along with others.
After Rivals four-star defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence expressed interest in the program it appears the A&M staff caught wind of his interest. The lines of communication are opened and progressing.
2017 four-star receiver Hezekiah Jones continues to see his recruitment take off. After seeing many new offers so far this spring Jones admits that he could be close to a decision. The Aggies are in the center of the mix for the speedy wideout. His recruitment will also be one to keep an eye on. The track angle will be one to watch with Jones as well as he is one of the top sprinters in the state.
A few other names that stood out at this weekends Rivals Camp Series event were Kendell Jones, Marvin Wilson, Rashard Lawrence, Jeffrey Mcculloch, Jordan Carmouche, Zarrian Holcombe and Kayden Smith.
Draft bits
It looked like Cedric Ogbuehi's ACL injury was going to end Texas A&M's streak of first round draft picks, but Ced is making a surge up the draft boards. Even though he's not fully healed, his medical reports are good and he's impressed a lot of teams with his intelligence during interviews. His athleticism is unquestioned, even if he didn't have the greatest of seasons last year. Scouts say that Ced is a bit of a gamble, as he's really athletic and probably hasn't reached his full potential yet, but also frequently played soft last year and got pushed around by bigger defensive ends. The athleticism angle seems to be winning out, though, and he could end up sneaking back in to the late part of the first round.
Trey Williams is a guy who has seen his stock rise. A number of teams have expressed interest in him, including the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. It seems more likely now that he will be drafted than not, especially if he does well in workouts for teams next month.
