Aggies snag their 2019 QB in 4-Star Grant Gunnell
What has taken place just within the last week in Texas on the recruiting trail has been nothing short of a massive arms race. Texas A&M landed the latest victory with a commitment from 2019 quarterback Grant Gunnell on Monday afternoon.
Gunnell committed in a video announcement on Twitter with St. Pius X teammate Chase Lane. The dual-commitment is the second in three days for the Aggies, who added Rivals250 recruits Leon O’Neal and Max Wright on June 2.
“We stayed basically the whole weekend with my brother,” he said. “It just felt right, felt at home. School-wise, it’s just a place you want to go to even if you’re not playing football. The connections that you make outside of the football like are just unreal.”
Even though it’s been no secret that Gunnell had taken a shine to A&M, he credits Lane as the one between the two of them that got the ball rolling on their mutual decision.
“It’s his dream school,” he said. “He actually kind of brought it upon me, but now we’re going to get the class rolling.”
Much of the reasoning that has kept Gunnell linked to the Aggies has been his relationship with offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. Gunnell has always had glowing things to say about the coach’s résumé and has given plenty of thought to being the next top quarterback to lead his offense.
Gunnell’s trust in Mazzone’s coaching has been a strong component in his recruitment. Although he is still relatively new to the quarterback position, Mazzone was quick to see Gunnell's potential and the two have built a more substantial relationship because of that.
“He was just pumped,” he said. “He said I just made his day. With him it just feels like he’s going to get me ready to be the best I can. He had (Brett) Hundley at UCLA, now he has (Nick) Starkel, and he’s just doing amazing and I think I’m a similar fit as those guys as a quarterback.”
Maybe it took a little nudge from Lane to make good on his commitment, but Gunnell is wasting no time working on potential teammates now that he’s in the fold. Several of those players were floating around at this past weekend’s Adidas satellite camp held at Kyle Field, and a few of 2019’s best are already on his recruiting shortlist.
“Jordan Whittington is a guy I’ve been talking to,” he said. “I just talked with Marcel Brooks, Theo Wease, Isaiah Spiller, I already have a couple of linemen I have been talking to.”
In the more immediate future, celebration is in order. Even though his parents and brother, Will - who already attends A&M - knew that he was ready to commit, they weren’t privy to the timing of the announcement.
“I told (my parents), but they were surprised,” he said. “My brother is ecstatic. It’ll be real fun for us both to be there.”
All support from blood-relatives aside, Gunnell said it has always been a similar connection that has kept Texas A&M atop his list. Even as he continued to pick up other offers from other national powers throughout the spring, he said that the Aggies have shown him something that the others haven’t been able to replicate.
“It just feels like a family,” he said.