- For the past week or so, all of the message board and social media attention has centered around Kyler Murray and for good reason. His recruitment is as important and as high-profile as they come. However, getting things straight on the defensive side of the ball is currently of equal importance for the A&M program. That's why folks inside the Bright Complex are as excited as I've seen in a long time. With John Chavis leading the way, A&M has quietly played host to a truly elite group of prospects each of the past two weekends. Let's go down the list:
Daylon Mack, Kingsley Keke, Justin Dunning, Roney Elam, Roquan Smith, Larry Pryor, Kris Boyd, Holton Hill, James Lockhart, Justin Martin, Dwaine Thomas and several more elite-level prospects on that side of the ball.
Last weekend, it was guys like Dunning, Elam, Keke and Landis Durham who showed up and looked even more impressive than anticipated. This time around, Pryor, Lockhart and Riley Garner were three longtime -- and always rock-solid -- defensive commitments who stood out, physically. Lockhart checked in at a chiseled 260 pounds, which means he's likely to walk in as one of A&M's biggest defensive ends from day one; Garner came in at over 6-2 and nearly 225 pounds and insiders still believe he may be one of the most underrated players in this year's class; and because Pryor committed so early, people seem to forget what a significant early pickup the Sulphur Springs safety truly was (the same can be said about Dunning and Elam). The A&M coaching staff hasn't forgotten, and I've heard that the Bright Complex was buzzing over how good the now 6-0 (plus), 200-pound defensive back looks heading into the spring.
The Aggies have some outstanding commitments on the defensive side of the ball but there is still plenty of work to do and plenty of elite-level prospects waiting to be closed out between now and Signing Day so let's take a quick look at where the Ags stand with a couple of those targets.
Hill: The Houston Lamar cornerback is wrapping up what has been described sources on both sides as an 'outstanding' visit. I know Hill has been considered a long-shot for a while, and accurately so, but all that changed this weekend. Consider this yet another intensely competitive Aggie-Longhorn recruiting dogfight down the stretch. The Ags suddenly have a very real shot here, as I'm sure Hill will confirm upon his return to Houston. If I'm being honest, A&M probably made up more ground here than with any single recruit over the past two weeks.
Boyd: The four-star athlete has been raving about his visit to every he's come in contact with and more than one member of the current A&M team feels like Boyd becoming an Aggie is a matter of when and not if. That said, I think it's safe to say that Kris is going to waffle between A&M and Texas from now until Signing Day or at least very close to it before shutting things down and making a final decision. I do think the visit exceeded Boyd's expectations, which is definitely something worth noting. If the Aggies land the East Texas cover man, former teammate and close friend Josh Walker gets a huge assist.
Kendall Sheffield: Last week's visit between the Sheffields and a contingent of A&M coaches led by John Chavis was described to me as a 'home run.' Sheffield was in Tuscaloosa this weekend, so we'll have to see if the Alabama commit was firmed up to the point of shutting it down by Nick Saban and Kirby Smart upon his return to Sugar Land. If not, the Sheffields will host Kevin Sumlin and track & field coach Pat Henry on Tuesday night for an in-house visit that could decide things once and for all. Momentum on this one was definitely trending in A&M's direction heading into the weekend but we'll have to see what impact Kendall's visit to Alabama had when the lockdown corner's camp starts talking.
- It wouldn't shock me to see the Aggies pick up a pair of running back commits over the next few days - one from 2015 and one from the Class of 2016 (more on that if/when it happens). Louisiana standout and Tennessee commit Kendall Bussey is probably the guy most likely to commit following this weekend's official visits and he could do so as early as today. However long it takes, things are quickly moving in A&M's favor here and most close to the situation believe a flip is imminent.
- We'll have plenty to report throughout the day and into the evening and early portions of the week in regards to A&M's first 2016 Junior Day but let me say this: Focus on the prospects who actually make it to College Station as opposed to those who don't. Today's list of visitors is going to be pretty impressive and I'd set the over under on commitments at about 1.5. Guys like Nacogdoches S Brandon Jones (who is still a heavy A&M lean) and Silsbee OL and Baylor commit Patrick Hudson will find their way to Aggieland sometime in February and Allen's Greg Little is still a solid commit. Again, focus on those who are on campus because it's going to be a pretty salty list.
- Finally, not much new to report on Murray other than the fact that he's been in regular contact with the Aggies and that sources on the Maroon side are much more optimistic/positive than I get the feeling most of the folks in Austin (or even within the A&M fan base, for that matter) believe. As for reports about Murray's Friday visit with Jake Spavital not going well, I'll just say it's sometimes best to not believe everything you hear or read. Like I said yesterday, it was a positive, necessary and productive sit-down but if you were hoping that things would be shut down in regards to the Murray-Texas courtship when Spavital left Allen HS then you probably had your hopes set a little too high.