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Rivals250 DE DeMarvin Leal the latest to commit to Texas A&M

Between several spring games over the weekend, a number of high-profile commitments out of the state of Texas dominated the headlines, but Wednesday was all about Rivals250 defensive end DeMarvin Leal.

The Converse-Judson defensive end committed to Texas A&M after an official visit gave him that crucial feeling he was looking for before making up his mind. Leal became the second four-star defensive end in a recruiting class that has already climbed into the Top 10 of the Rivals recruiting class rankings.

“I chose A&M because it was a home environment,” he said. “It felt like home, I love the coaches and I just love the fans and alumni and all that.”

Leal’s commitment follows another exciting pledge from the weekend by Brock, Texas, tight end Baylor Cupp. Even though he didn’t make it public until mid-week that he was committed, Leal said that his experience at the spring game showed him enough of what he needed to feel confident in his decision.

“Just being able to sit down, listen to the fans cheering - every time there was a first down or a tackle for a loss - everyone started to go crazy,” he said. “The stands weren’t even full, and it was loud. So just for me to imagine what it would be like with the whole stadium filled, is just unbelievable.

“I saw Johnny Manziel and had a really good talk with him, but it was still nice seeing the guys that were committed there, talking to them and stuff.”

New head coach Jimbo Fisher hasn’t seemed to have much trouble in his first two recruiting classes thus far, but much of that has to do with the efforts of defensive ends coach Terry Price. Leal said the top recruiter was instrumental in his decision to commit, and him staying on Fisher’s staff was likely a deal-breaker for him.

“He was big in my recruitment,” he said. “For one, he’s putting crazy defensive ends in the NFL Draft, and that’s pretty much what I want to do. He’s probably one of the best defensive end coaches in college right now, so having him right there with me and being able to tell me everything about A&M, what his plan is, and what they’re trying to do as a whole is huge.

“The thing about the old staff was that I didn’t really like them that much,” he added. “It just didn’t feel right at first, but then they made the change and I went up there a couple of times, and it started to feel like a home.”

So much so that now, Leal is already planning his next trip out to College Station - and every subsequent trip after that. From the sounds of things, he’s already made himself plenty comfortable in his future home and he plans on signing with A&M in December.

“As soon as I get my transportation right, I want to be going out there probably like every other weekend, every couple of weeks.”

While there were some indications from the weekend that Leal had given his commitment to the Aggies, throughout his recruitment Texas had been making a push for him as well. Both programs certainly had a spot saved for Leal - who is extraordinarily quick for his size, and a major disruptor in the backfield as one of the country’s most athletic strongside defensive ends.

With his commitment now in the books, Leal isn’t thinking about making anymore visits to the Longhorns - or anyone else - adding that much more momentum to the Aggies’ recruiting class.

“After I committed, I decided to just be 100-percent to A&M,” he said. “It was Texas and Texas A&M head-to-head the whole time till Saturday, really. (Texas) wanted me to come out there, but I had already made my decision and I was dead-set on it about being an Aggie.”

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