Take Two: Could Texas A&M end with a top five class in 2019?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
MORE TAKE TWO: Is Oklahoma building a future national champion?
THE STORYLINE
Texas A&M added another major in-state piece to its 2019 recruiting class on Wednesday when four-star defensive end DeMarvin Leal committed to the Aggies over Texas and others.
It has been a tremendous run for first-year coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff as all 10 pledges so far are in-state recruits and the Aggies could be helped by geography this recruiting cycle since so many high-end prospects are in the Houston area, less than two hours from the Texas A&M campus.
Five-star offensive lineman Kenyon Green is from the Houston suburbs and is serious about the Aggies along with high four-star defensive backs Erick Young out of Richmond (Texas) Bush and Houston St. Pius X’s Jalen Curry. Texas A&M made a statement early in this recruiting class going into Dallas Bishop Dunne and landing top defensive back Brian Williams.
Oklahoma has absolutely done damage in Texas, especially recently by securing commitments from five-star wide receivers Theo Wease and Arjei Henderson en route to the top-ranked recruiting class in the country.
The feeling is Texas will load up at some point in this class, but the Longhorns are off to a slower start after signing five of the top six in the state last recruiting cycle. Could it be Texas A&M that really puts together the more impressive class this cycle especially with geography helping the Aggies out a little bit?
FIRST TAKE: MARK PASSWATERS, AGGIEYELL.COM
“The Aggies are off to a very nice start to 2019 recruiting, expanding on their already strong position in Houston to get back in to Dallas/Fort Worth. They've racked up some quality in-state talent already in Brian Williams, Kam Brown, Braedon Mowry and DeMarvin Leal.
"Right now, the biggest challenge to the Aggies appears not to be Texas, but Oklahoma, when it comes to in-state domination. The Sooners will face off with the Aggies for the likes of corners Erick Young and Bobby Wolfe. But if Fisher continues to build on the momentum he already has - the guest list for last week's Maroon and White game was nothing short of remarkable - the Aggies are going to do extremely well in the 2019 class. Top 10? Very likely. Top five? I wouldn't be surprised.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“I don’t think they’re going to clean up. Two Texas wide receivers are going to Oklahoma and that’s going to influence a lot of kids and we know Texas is going to get theirs, too.
“Texas A&M will have a good recruiting year. It’s going to be very interesting between Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M to see who finishes out the best in 2019. It’s good we have new coaches at all three schools because that gives an excitement to the recruiting rivalry. I first thought the way Texas A&M started that they’d be very, very difficult to beat, but right now things are evening out quite a bit.”
