|
|
BIG turnout expected for A&M's first "Junior Day" The 2007 recruiting class is over a week away from becoming official and the Aggie coaches are already getting a jump on 2008. Texas A&M will host a number of Texas' top prospects for the first "Junior Day", today in College Station. This will be followed up with what is anticipated to be another another big turnout again next weekend. With an experienced team and virutally every starter returning in '07, there were limited spots available for prospects this recruiting season, but the Aggies should begin making up for that shortfall in '08 as they'll end up possessing close to the full allotment of 25 scholarships. Securing the commitments of quality players, especially in both the offensive and defensive lines, will be a top priority. Examination of the A&M roster shows the tremendous opportunity for young prospects to find early entry onto the A&M depth chart - and several of the state's best already have their eyes squarely focused on being able to help the Aggies in those very critical need positions. In fact, it appears as if A&M is already off to a tremendous start with what looks to be an impending commitment. It's been reported that Roscoe (Tx.) BIG man Britt Mitchell will commit following this weekend's visit. His verbal will not only help the Aggies begin to address one of their more critical needs - offensive line - but his stature (6'8" 300) would suggest that he's destined for a spot where the Aggies currently lack depth - left tackle. Several other top line prospects -- Jacksonville's Joe Villasencio, Brenham's Luke Poehlman, Pearland's Brian Thomas and Lufkin's Josh Emshoff -- are just a few of the names joining Mitchell in Aggieland this weekend. Quarterbacks expected to attend are Rice Consolidated's Taylor Cook, Killeen Ellison's Ivan Delgado and San Antonio Lee's Jerome Tiller. RB is a spot where the Aggies have historically produced top NFL talent. With Mike Goodson currently on campus and '07 recruit Bradley Stephens set to join him on the roster next fall, it would appear as if that trend will continue. Depth is an issue, however, and three of Houston's top backs - Katy (Tx) RB Aundre Dean, Cy-Fair's Sam McGuffie and Elsik's Jeremy Hills are all supposed to be on hand. Each player has received an A&M offer and it's been reported that Dean is currently an A&M lean. Brenham (Tx) is always loaded with top talent and there are four top prospects, including OL Poehlman, expected to be in Aggieland this weekend. ATH/RB Lester Ward, FB/LB Ryan Roberson and LB Kyle Mangan have all been invited to this first Junior Day. Cubs' head coach Glen West says that Roberson is "one of the best players on our team", and with the loss of Chris Alexander at FB you can see why the Aggies are interested. The LB position at A&M has historically been one of the more glamorous positions, and it happens to be another need position for '08. Nederland's Dravannti Johnson would certainly fit the profile of what the Aggies seek at the position and it's been reported that he likes the Ags early on. Other Wrecking Crew type prospects expected to be in town this weekend would be Yates DE Damion Square, Elsik DE Emmanual Aluko and FB Marshall DE Jeremy Coleman. Look for several of the state's top overall athletes to be here as well. These type players are always great additions to a recruiting class because they not only project to a number of need positions - WR, DB, return specialists, etc. - but they can help upgrade the overall team speed and athletic ability of a program. Some of the top names expected include: Cy-Ridge ATH/DB Royce Hill, Paris ATH/DB Jordan Fields, Paris ATH/DB Keon Furtch, Klein Oak's ATH/RB DeSean Hales, Beaumont Central's ATH/RB Derrick Hall, Gilmer's ATH Lamar Harris and ATH/QB Tiller of San Antonio Lee. Look for the Aggies to get several commitments over the next two weekends, laying the foundation for what should turn out to be a solid class in February of 2008. The added number of scholarships and opportunity for early playing time, coupled with what is expected to be a very solid season on the field, should help create a hightened level of interest among the state's best players. |