WHAT DO THE AGGIES DO DIFFERENT NOW THAT TYRIE CLEVELAND IS GONE? (how about nothing?)
Yes, it's true that WR Tyrie Cleveland de-committed today. He'll probably end up at Houston with his former coach. That's a loss, but if you're talking about a position where the Aggies can absorb a 4-star de-commit, wideout is it. There are a bunch of reasons, but the depth chart has to be number 1. Take a look at this and how much youth you've got here:
Speedy Noil (Soph)
RSJ (RS-Soph)
Christian Kirk (True Freshman)
Josh Reynolds (Jr.)
Jeremy Tabuyo (Jr.)
Quiv Gonzalez (Jr.)
Ed Pope (RS-Jr.)
Damion Ratley (Soph)
Kemah Siverand (True Freshman)
Frank Iheanacho (Soph)
Sabian Holmes is a senior, but how much is he even going to play in 2015?
So, not much room at the inn. And there won't be for some time. But, if you look at who else A&M is after for this class, they're still in on some studs. The top guy has to be N'Keal Harry out of Arizona (yep, another one). You've also got Clyde Leflore-Chriss out of New Orleans and Tren'Davian Dickson of Navasota. A&M is among the leaders for all of them, and could also be for Tre Nixon out of Florida, even though the whole world is after him. Get two (or even one) of those and you're good.
So, it's a shame that Cleveland de-committed, but not a horrific event.
Didn't expect to hear these names mentioned? That's ok
It was a good spring, by and large, for the football team. A lot of people got reps and nobody tore an ACL. In fact, the team was healthier leaving spring than going in to it (with A.J. Hilliard being the only exception). Last year, Devonta Burns and Joe Cheek started to show up more and more in practice reports as the spring went on, but they were the only two guys who really surprised by picking up their play. This spring, there were several -- and that's good (obviously). Of course, if you sit there and say "I knew all those guys were going to make a move", you're lying.
Examples of guys who stepped it up this spring:
Jeremiah Stuckey. A guy who hasn't been able to get onto the field for two years is now a key part of the offensive line equation. Pushed in to the fire when Mike Matthews missed the spring and Zach Ledwik left for a while, Stuckey did a great job at center and performed well at guard as well. While he's being mentioned as a potential starting candidate at guard this year, I think it's more likely he ends up at center next season, which gives the Aggies some time to develop some younger players.
Keaton Sutherland. I thought this guy was redshirting for sure. But, he started getting some snaps and showed he can play some guard. In fact, he may end up taking a job. He sure doesn't seem like a redshirt now.
Justin Evans. I know I keep coming back to this guy, but did you seriously see him walking in and starting from day one because he was head and shoulders better than the other guys, and not due to necessity? I didn't. He's already impressed; if he plays like this in the fall and into the season, he's an absolute steal.
Quiv Gonzalez: A lot of people thought he was on his way out after the end of last year. He may have pushed his way back into the two-deep with a solid spring. I didn't hear much about drops, but did see a guy that seemed more focused.
James White. I don't even know if he qualifies as a surprise. But he's not going to take a backseat to the seniors this fall. He's earning his reps in a big way.
Yes, it's true that WR Tyrie Cleveland de-committed today. He'll probably end up at Houston with his former coach. That's a loss, but if you're talking about a position where the Aggies can absorb a 4-star de-commit, wideout is it. There are a bunch of reasons, but the depth chart has to be number 1. Take a look at this and how much youth you've got here:
Speedy Noil (Soph)
RSJ (RS-Soph)
Christian Kirk (True Freshman)
Josh Reynolds (Jr.)
Jeremy Tabuyo (Jr.)
Quiv Gonzalez (Jr.)
Ed Pope (RS-Jr.)
Damion Ratley (Soph)
Kemah Siverand (True Freshman)
Frank Iheanacho (Soph)
Sabian Holmes is a senior, but how much is he even going to play in 2015?
So, not much room at the inn. And there won't be for some time. But, if you look at who else A&M is after for this class, they're still in on some studs. The top guy has to be N'Keal Harry out of Arizona (yep, another one). You've also got Clyde Leflore-Chriss out of New Orleans and Tren'Davian Dickson of Navasota. A&M is among the leaders for all of them, and could also be for Tre Nixon out of Florida, even though the whole world is after him. Get two (or even one) of those and you're good.
So, it's a shame that Cleveland de-committed, but not a horrific event.
Didn't expect to hear these names mentioned? That's ok
It was a good spring, by and large, for the football team. A lot of people got reps and nobody tore an ACL. In fact, the team was healthier leaving spring than going in to it (with A.J. Hilliard being the only exception). Last year, Devonta Burns and Joe Cheek started to show up more and more in practice reports as the spring went on, but they were the only two guys who really surprised by picking up their play. This spring, there were several -- and that's good (obviously). Of course, if you sit there and say "I knew all those guys were going to make a move", you're lying.
Examples of guys who stepped it up this spring:
Jeremiah Stuckey. A guy who hasn't been able to get onto the field for two years is now a key part of the offensive line equation. Pushed in to the fire when Mike Matthews missed the spring and Zach Ledwik left for a while, Stuckey did a great job at center and performed well at guard as well. While he's being mentioned as a potential starting candidate at guard this year, I think it's more likely he ends up at center next season, which gives the Aggies some time to develop some younger players.
Keaton Sutherland. I thought this guy was redshirting for sure. But, he started getting some snaps and showed he can play some guard. In fact, he may end up taking a job. He sure doesn't seem like a redshirt now.
Justin Evans. I know I keep coming back to this guy, but did you seriously see him walking in and starting from day one because he was head and shoulders better than the other guys, and not due to necessity? I didn't. He's already impressed; if he plays like this in the fall and into the season, he's an absolute steal.
Quiv Gonzalez: A lot of people thought he was on his way out after the end of last year. He may have pushed his way back into the two-deep with a solid spring. I didn't hear much about drops, but did see a guy that seemed more focused.
James White. I don't even know if he qualifies as a surprise. But he's not going to take a backseat to the seniors this fall. He's earning his reps in a big way.
