Brandon Williams’ move taking on more importance?
The big surprise of the spring, clearly, was word that Brandon Williams was making a move from running back to cornerback for his senior season. While his teammates are under the impression that it’s experimental and publicly Williams is being described as a two-way player, we’ve learned that may not be quite the case.
According to some folks in the know, Williams was moved because the glaring need at corner that we’ve described since spring ball was noticed by John Chavis and Terry Joseph, who were evidently very disappointed with the corner play outside of Devante Harris this spring. Even though Williams did not play corner in the spring, he readily agreed to make the move and is working solely as a corner during the offseason period (in other words, 7-on-7) and the coaching staff is doing as much as they can in the limited contact they have to prepare him to play. They believe that Williams has the desire and athletic ability to pick up the position quickly, and he could end up starting next season. While that’s not optimal, it may be the best option the Aggies have right now unless someone else steps up or one of the incoming freshmen impresses.
A&M focusing on athleticism at linebacker
One thing we know about John Chavis is that he’s a guy that values speed and athletic ability on the field at all times. That is certainly the case at linebacker, where we know the Aggies have five capable players: Otaro Alaka, AJ Hilliard, Shaan Washington, Claude George and Josh Walker. We figured that Alaka and Washington were set at SAM and WILL, with maybe a bit of a question on who would start in the middle.
We’re told that, as of right now and in spite of his injuries, AJ Hilliard is the starting middle linebacker. While a surprise, it makes sense on many levels. Hilliard is bigger than Walker (230 pounds), is very athletic when healthy and has played middle linebacker in the past. Getting Hilliard on the field with Alaka and Washington gives the Aggies their three most athletic linebackers on the field at the same time.
Here’s how the two deep may shake out if the season started tomorrow:
SAM: Alaka, George
MIKE: Hilliard, Walker
WILL: Washington, Richard Moore or Dwaine Thomas
D-line a force to be reckoned with?
We continue to hear from people win the know that the coaches are extremely confident that they have a weapon that can help balance the shortfalls on other parts of the defense, and that’s the entire D-line. Obviously, they've got a superstar in Myles Garrett, but there’s growing confidence that Qualen Cunningham and Daeshon Hall are going to thrive in the new system. The coaches are also excited about what Julien Obioha will be able to do when he’s put inside. Even with the likely retirement of Jay Arnold, the addition of James Lockhart, Daylon Mack and (it appears) Kingsley Keke in a few weeks will give the Aggies talent to burn up and down the line. The coaches believe they’ll be able to pressure opponents with fresh bodies because of that talent, taking away some of the heat on the other positions.
Joyner slipping away?
The Aggies continue to pursue 5-star LB Keion Joyner, and it looks like it’s a two-horse race between the Aggies and LSU, even though FSU and UNC are allegedly still in the picture. The problem is that it appears a clear leader is appearing, and it’s the Tigers. A&M is still very much after him and a lot can happen, but it’s not an uphill battle.
A Little More On Keith Ford (Rob)
One of the only knocks on Keith Ford, especially from Aggie fans once he decided he would land in College Station yesterday, is any potential problems from Oklahoma and if there is any carry over.
As is not surprising Kevin Sumlin still has a very solid relationship with Oklahoma and in Ford's case I understand the staff did a very thorough job of checking on issues from the past as well as any potential for carry over.
After a rough offseason a year ago, this year has been much quieter and it is because of the effort being put in by both student athletes as well as staff and support staff.
I spoke with one person very aware of the complete situation and was told that Texas A&M feels confident in bringing Ford into the fold without causing any disruption.
The latest on offseason transfers (Rob)
We have been following the Aggies' efforts to add some late transfers and qualifiers to mix and it seems some of these are beginning to shake out some. Last week Notre Dame signee opted to flip to Arizona State after not gaining admission to join the Irish. Wallace was a guy the Aggies quickly moved to try and get on but in the end he went with a staff he was already familiar with from the recruiting process.
We also touched some on Michigan transfer Blake Countess. As of this morning it seems more likely that Countess will end up elsewhere. There was some mutual interest but it appears this one will not work out in the end.
The last guy we have been working at keeping tabs on was Kilgore JC CB J'Marcus Rhodes. This one is likely the best chance the Aggies have at adding a piece in the offseason. There is still work to do on the Aggies' part in his recruitment and still work for Rhodes himself to do as well in the classroom to even make a summer graduation possible.
The Aggies continue to recruit and monitor Rhodes but the next step is going to be to see how his grades shake out. If they do then the Aggies will be right in the mix for the talented corner to join them in the fall.
Little still with A&M, but has a top five (Fletch)
Allen 2016 offensive tackle and A&M commit Greg Little is A&M’s highest rated commit right now. Little committed to A&M nearly a year ago. Since then a few schools have been recruiting him hard, most notably Alabama. Little had the chance to FaceTime with Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Little was happy to talk with.
“Coach Saban really wants me to come visit,” he said. “He said I am the kind of player Alabama wants and I told him I would visit Alabama in June.”
Little is still committed to A&M and with A&M offensive line coach Dave Christensen in attendance at the Allen spring game, Little will try to visit A&M this summer.
“I’m going to try and visit A&M this summer as well,” he said. “If I’m able to I will for sure visit them as well.”
Little has a top five list of schools that he is interested in right now and is deciding between those schools right now on which school will be the best fit for him.
“I have it narrowed down to A&M, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, and Ole Miss,” he said. “Those are the five schools I am really focusing on right now.”
Little is pretty focused on his senior season and being a leader for this team as he wants to get another state ring so recruiting is not something he is real focused on which helps A&M. This can go two ways though, Little can take some visits this summer and then decide to stay with A&M, or he can take his visits and then take officials later in the year. It is hard for kids from Allen to take officials because they usually have practice on Saturday. Little will likely have to take officials if he wants to after the season which means this could possibly last all the way to signing day. I still think Little stays with A&M and it would have to take something very special to get him away from A&M. It may be a long ride, but A&M should be the favorite on signing day to get him.
The Hulk’s commitment and why it really does not matter (Fletch)
Killeen Shoemaker defensive tackle Kendell Jones will decide on Friday. All signs still point to Alabama and it would be a shocker if he said A&M. That does not mean A&M is out of it though. Jones has said he will take all five of his official visits so A&M will get another crack at him later in the year. If I had to guess where A&M is ranked in his top five I would probably put them fourth. They will have some work to do and it will be a lot of work to do. How does A&M get back into it? It is easier said than done, but beat Alabama.
Aggies back in touch with Chambers (Matt)
Houston (Texas) MacArthur defensive end Isaiah Chambers plans to announce his Top 8 next Thursday at the MacArthur spring game. The longtime Texas A&M target knows of a few programs that will make the list, but the Aggies were not one of the programs mentioned.
“I’m releasing my Top 8 next week,” Chambers said. “It’s going to be a real order, not just random like most lists. I know that TCU, Michigan, Baylor and Ole Miss are for sure going to be on the list. I want to take some visits this summer and then narrow things down to a Top 5 before my senior season.”
The Aggies still have reason to be optimistic when next Thursday rolls around, as Chambers shared more about his relationship with the Texas A&M defensive coaches.
“With A&M, they kind of slowed down recruiting me a little bit,” Chambers said. “Coach (Clarence) McKinney always reached out to me, but now Coach (Terry) Price and Coach (John) Chavis are the coaches talking with me from A&M. They had the coaching change and the coaches have been busy.
“I have been out there for a visit about six times already and Texas A&M could get be a part of my top list with more communication.”
With 21 sacks, 32 tackles for loss, four forced-fumbles and 78 total tackles this past season, it's easy to see why over 20 FBS programs covet Chambers' ability to be disruptive along the defensive line.
Rated a four-star prospect, Chambers is the No. 11 strongside defensive end in the nation, the No. 218 prospect in the latest Rivals250 national rankings and the No. 28 player in the Rivals Texas Postseason Top 100 for the 2016 class.
He earned District 18-6A Defensive MVP and First Team Defense honors, plus 6-A All-State Second Team Defense honors this past season.
(More in the next post)
The big surprise of the spring, clearly, was word that Brandon Williams was making a move from running back to cornerback for his senior season. While his teammates are under the impression that it’s experimental and publicly Williams is being described as a two-way player, we’ve learned that may not be quite the case.
According to some folks in the know, Williams was moved because the glaring need at corner that we’ve described since spring ball was noticed by John Chavis and Terry Joseph, who were evidently very disappointed with the corner play outside of Devante Harris this spring. Even though Williams did not play corner in the spring, he readily agreed to make the move and is working solely as a corner during the offseason period (in other words, 7-on-7) and the coaching staff is doing as much as they can in the limited contact they have to prepare him to play. They believe that Williams has the desire and athletic ability to pick up the position quickly, and he could end up starting next season. While that’s not optimal, it may be the best option the Aggies have right now unless someone else steps up or one of the incoming freshmen impresses.
A&M focusing on athleticism at linebacker
One thing we know about John Chavis is that he’s a guy that values speed and athletic ability on the field at all times. That is certainly the case at linebacker, where we know the Aggies have five capable players: Otaro Alaka, AJ Hilliard, Shaan Washington, Claude George and Josh Walker. We figured that Alaka and Washington were set at SAM and WILL, with maybe a bit of a question on who would start in the middle.
We’re told that, as of right now and in spite of his injuries, AJ Hilliard is the starting middle linebacker. While a surprise, it makes sense on many levels. Hilliard is bigger than Walker (230 pounds), is very athletic when healthy and has played middle linebacker in the past. Getting Hilliard on the field with Alaka and Washington gives the Aggies their three most athletic linebackers on the field at the same time.
Here’s how the two deep may shake out if the season started tomorrow:
SAM: Alaka, George
MIKE: Hilliard, Walker
WILL: Washington, Richard Moore or Dwaine Thomas
D-line a force to be reckoned with?
We continue to hear from people win the know that the coaches are extremely confident that they have a weapon that can help balance the shortfalls on other parts of the defense, and that’s the entire D-line. Obviously, they've got a superstar in Myles Garrett, but there’s growing confidence that Qualen Cunningham and Daeshon Hall are going to thrive in the new system. The coaches are also excited about what Julien Obioha will be able to do when he’s put inside. Even with the likely retirement of Jay Arnold, the addition of James Lockhart, Daylon Mack and (it appears) Kingsley Keke in a few weeks will give the Aggies talent to burn up and down the line. The coaches believe they’ll be able to pressure opponents with fresh bodies because of that talent, taking away some of the heat on the other positions.
Joyner slipping away?
The Aggies continue to pursue 5-star LB Keion Joyner, and it looks like it’s a two-horse race between the Aggies and LSU, even though FSU and UNC are allegedly still in the picture. The problem is that it appears a clear leader is appearing, and it’s the Tigers. A&M is still very much after him and a lot can happen, but it’s not an uphill battle.
A Little More On Keith Ford (Rob)
One of the only knocks on Keith Ford, especially from Aggie fans once he decided he would land in College Station yesterday, is any potential problems from Oklahoma and if there is any carry over.
As is not surprising Kevin Sumlin still has a very solid relationship with Oklahoma and in Ford's case I understand the staff did a very thorough job of checking on issues from the past as well as any potential for carry over.
After a rough offseason a year ago, this year has been much quieter and it is because of the effort being put in by both student athletes as well as staff and support staff.
I spoke with one person very aware of the complete situation and was told that Texas A&M feels confident in bringing Ford into the fold without causing any disruption.
The latest on offseason transfers (Rob)
We have been following the Aggies' efforts to add some late transfers and qualifiers to mix and it seems some of these are beginning to shake out some. Last week Notre Dame signee opted to flip to Arizona State after not gaining admission to join the Irish. Wallace was a guy the Aggies quickly moved to try and get on but in the end he went with a staff he was already familiar with from the recruiting process.
We also touched some on Michigan transfer Blake Countess. As of this morning it seems more likely that Countess will end up elsewhere. There was some mutual interest but it appears this one will not work out in the end.
The last guy we have been working at keeping tabs on was Kilgore JC CB J'Marcus Rhodes. This one is likely the best chance the Aggies have at adding a piece in the offseason. There is still work to do on the Aggies' part in his recruitment and still work for Rhodes himself to do as well in the classroom to even make a summer graduation possible.
The Aggies continue to recruit and monitor Rhodes but the next step is going to be to see how his grades shake out. If they do then the Aggies will be right in the mix for the talented corner to join them in the fall.
Little still with A&M, but has a top five (Fletch)
Allen 2016 offensive tackle and A&M commit Greg Little is A&M’s highest rated commit right now. Little committed to A&M nearly a year ago. Since then a few schools have been recruiting him hard, most notably Alabama. Little had the chance to FaceTime with Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Little was happy to talk with.
“Coach Saban really wants me to come visit,” he said. “He said I am the kind of player Alabama wants and I told him I would visit Alabama in June.”
Little is still committed to A&M and with A&M offensive line coach Dave Christensen in attendance at the Allen spring game, Little will try to visit A&M this summer.
“I’m going to try and visit A&M this summer as well,” he said. “If I’m able to I will for sure visit them as well.”
Little has a top five list of schools that he is interested in right now and is deciding between those schools right now on which school will be the best fit for him.
“I have it narrowed down to A&M, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, and Ole Miss,” he said. “Those are the five schools I am really focusing on right now.”
Little is pretty focused on his senior season and being a leader for this team as he wants to get another state ring so recruiting is not something he is real focused on which helps A&M. This can go two ways though, Little can take some visits this summer and then decide to stay with A&M, or he can take his visits and then take officials later in the year. It is hard for kids from Allen to take officials because they usually have practice on Saturday. Little will likely have to take officials if he wants to after the season which means this could possibly last all the way to signing day. I still think Little stays with A&M and it would have to take something very special to get him away from A&M. It may be a long ride, but A&M should be the favorite on signing day to get him.
The Hulk’s commitment and why it really does not matter (Fletch)
Killeen Shoemaker defensive tackle Kendell Jones will decide on Friday. All signs still point to Alabama and it would be a shocker if he said A&M. That does not mean A&M is out of it though. Jones has said he will take all five of his official visits so A&M will get another crack at him later in the year. If I had to guess where A&M is ranked in his top five I would probably put them fourth. They will have some work to do and it will be a lot of work to do. How does A&M get back into it? It is easier said than done, but beat Alabama.
Aggies back in touch with Chambers (Matt)
Houston (Texas) MacArthur defensive end Isaiah Chambers plans to announce his Top 8 next Thursday at the MacArthur spring game. The longtime Texas A&M target knows of a few programs that will make the list, but the Aggies were not one of the programs mentioned.
“I’m releasing my Top 8 next week,” Chambers said. “It’s going to be a real order, not just random like most lists. I know that TCU, Michigan, Baylor and Ole Miss are for sure going to be on the list. I want to take some visits this summer and then narrow things down to a Top 5 before my senior season.”
The Aggies still have reason to be optimistic when next Thursday rolls around, as Chambers shared more about his relationship with the Texas A&M defensive coaches.
“With A&M, they kind of slowed down recruiting me a little bit,” Chambers said. “Coach (Clarence) McKinney always reached out to me, but now Coach (Terry) Price and Coach (John) Chavis are the coaches talking with me from A&M. They had the coaching change and the coaches have been busy.
“I have been out there for a visit about six times already and Texas A&M could get be a part of my top list with more communication.”
With 21 sacks, 32 tackles for loss, four forced-fumbles and 78 total tackles this past season, it's easy to see why over 20 FBS programs covet Chambers' ability to be disruptive along the defensive line.
Rated a four-star prospect, Chambers is the No. 11 strongside defensive end in the nation, the No. 218 prospect in the latest Rivals250 national rankings and the No. 28 player in the Rivals Texas Postseason Top 100 for the 2016 class.
He earned District 18-6A Defensive MVP and First Team Defense honors, plus 6-A All-State Second Team Defense honors this past season.
(More in the next post)
