Five recruits impacted the most by Kevin Sumlin's dismissal
Many have thought that Kevin Sumlin has been a dead man walking for most of this season at Texas A&M. Though the Aggies had their share of ups and downs this season, with every loss or close win it seemed as though the feeling that Sumlin was coaching on borrowed time grew. While many of A&M’s commits in this class and next have publicly held steadfast to their pledges to the program, several have also questioned what the new staff will look like and if that will change their view of the program. As the Aggies now turn their attention to finding a new coach, here is a look at the players whose decisions toward Texas A&M will be watched closest going forward.
O’Neal has made comments in the past that should a coaching change occur, he would be willing to see who Texas A&M would bring in before making any big decisions. In recent weeks, there seems to have been more and more smoke that Clemson could be a major threat to snatch him away with Sumlin’s departure. He took an official visit to Oklahoma in November with fellow A&M commit DaShaun White, but said that was nothing more than him enjoying the opportunity to take that trip. O’Neal has a big personality and has been one of the faces of the Aggies’ 2018 class. Should he choose to head elsewhere, that would be a buzzkill for A&M fans hoping that the sense of bond within its current commits would be enough to weather the process of a coaching change.
Brown said when he committed to A&M that he always had the feeling of wanting to play there since his first appearances on campus. He also has one official visit left to take and said that if he used it, it would be on a visit to Texas. The Longhorns would certainly welcome him into their class, as they never found a replacement for Ron Tatum following his flip to Oklahoma. Brown’s relationship with A&M defensive line coach Terry Price was a major factor in his consideration of the Aggies, but was Alabama’s top defensive target ahead of his commitment and he had plenty of complimentary things to say about Oklahoma - particularly about his official visit to Norman at the end of September.
When White committed to Texas A&M this fall, it wasn’t exactly a surprise, but it definitely was a relief for Aggies fans at the time, as at the time, it seemed as though the Sooners were his 1B pick. Since his commitment, he’s taken officials to Oklahoma and Texas within the last 30 days. Longhorns commits have been particularly proactive about recruiting more players to an already formidable class, and White has been on the shortlist of targets. White has shown that he’s as versatile a linebacker as can be found in this class and all the teams still in the hunt for his final decision have a clear need for the type of player that he is in their respective defenses.
Waddle, a Rivals100 prospect, maintains that he’s not close to a commitment, but no doubt the Aggies have been in the conversation more seriously since the beginning of the fall. Waddle is in Eugene this weekend on his fourth official visit to Oregon and has said that his final visit will likely come down to Texas or Texas A&M. While it’s been a nice thought for Aggies fans that they’ve stayed in the race for him, it seems unlikely that he’d choose a program without a staff over options like Alabama, Oregon - or even TCU where there is little concern about which way the arrow is pointed at each.
Curry, a 2019 Rivals100 receiver and Florida State commit, had long been thought to be a Texas A&M lean prior to his commitment to the Seminoles at the end of the summer. Since then, he’s quickly become 2019 Aggies commit Grant Gunnell’s top receiver at St. Pius X and there is a clear personal bond between the two. Gunnell seems among those likely to keep his commitment to A&M regardless of head coach, despite his connection with Sumlin’s offensive coordinator, Noel Mazzone. Playing devil’s advocate, it would seem a reasonable assumption that if A&M made a legit play for FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher, that Curry flipping to A&M would be a slam dunk.
