Aggie recruits?

[Dubbya]

Some people have A&M holding the best recruiting class in the nation. The list includes:

FB Chris Alexander (6-1, 230) - Humble, Texas
RB Derrick Brown (6-0, 195, 4.5) - Klein Oak
TE Kevin Bryan (6-4, 245, 4.7) - Lufkin (Junior)
WR Melvin Bullitt (6-1, 170, 4.5) - Garland (Naaman Forest)
OL Kirk Elder (6-4, 280, 5.2) - Klein (Oak)
WR Tyrell Gatewood (6-2, 190, 4.5) - Tyler (Chapel Hill)
DB Stephen Hodge (6-0, 185, 4.5) - Dallas (Lake Highlands)
DE Jason Jack (6-6, 240, 4.6) - Humble
QB/DB John Kelly (5-9, 180, 4.4) - Garland (Naaman Forest)
RB Lamar Mitchell (6-2, 235, 4.6) - Dayton
OL Will Oliver (6-4, 270, 4.9) - Lindale (Didn't he decommit?)
DL Tate Pittman (6-6, 275, 4.9) - Odessa (Permian)
QB Drew Tate (6-0, 180, 4.7) - Baytown (Lee)
Joey Thomas (6-5, 215, 4.7) - Austin (Westlake
LB Ta Ta Thompson (6-4, 225, 4.7) - Garland
OL Cody Wallace (6-6, 295, 5.0) - Cuero
DL Justin Warren (6-3, 220, 4.5) - Tyler (Lee)

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The question is, can we possibly steal any of these guys, now that there's no coach in Aggietown?

[PonyFan]

There will be a lot of schools trying to pick guys off this list, but if dreams come true, I'd love to see Coach Bennett steal TaTa Thompson, Stephen Hodge, Jason Jack, Tate Pittman, Cody Wallace and Tyrell Gatewood for the Ponies.

[Guest]

SMU coaches have been in contact with Tyrell Gatewood. What a great grab he would be. He was already wavering before Slocum was fired...anybody know anything?

[Guest]

btw, found this on rivals..not that great news for SMU...a quote from Gatewood on Dec. 2nd.

“Now, stuff is going to be changing. I don’t want to be part of a rebuilding process like my senior year in football. We changed coaches and we used a lot of younger players.”

[Guest]

Anyone heard much about Joey Sturdivant? His only official visit so far is SMU. A quote from Rivals:

"The same teams have been calling me. Michigan, Florida State, Southern Methodist University, Navy and Georgia Tech. Those are the teams who have been calling me constantly. I have an official set up for SMU on January 10th and I plan to set an official with Navy. I'd love to see how it is up there. I'm not too sure what's going on with everybody else."

Amazing stats:
eight 6-foot-3
weight 190 pounds
40-yard dash 4.5 seconds
bench max 250 pounds
squat max 400 pounds
GPA 3.9

[DallasDiehard]

What position does that guy play?
Never heard of him.

[Guest]

He's being recruited as a safety or a WR, but he played safety in high school.

Go here: <A HREF="http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=8869" TARGET=_blank>http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=8869</A>

He's a Georgia kid is why you haven't heard of him. Parkview High in Lilburn, GA. Glad to see we're still watching the out of state kids as well!

[Guest]

As a note, his dad apparently played for SMU...we were also the first to offer him back in June!

[Vitale]

Found this in the Morning News:

A&M recruits mull decisions
Some in high-ranked class looking elsewhere already, others waiting
12/04/2002

By DAVID HINOJOSA / The Dallas Morning News

When Justin Warren orally committed to Texas A&M last summer, the recruiters' pestering phone calls stopped. For the Tyler Lee linebacker, it was bliss.

Warren was playing a video game at home early Monday evening when a friend called to tell him A&M football coach R.C. Slocum had been fired.

"My heart just sank for a second," said Warren, No. 5 on The News'/Rivals100.com state rankings and No. 30 nationally. "It wasn't five seconds after that I got a call [from a recruiter]. Man, it's like recruiting season all over again."

Warren is one of 17 high school players who have given nonbinding oral commitments to A&M. The first day a football recruit can sign a national letter of intent is Feb. 5. How many of those recruit will sign remains a mystery.

Retaining this potential class should be one of Slocum's successor's biggest goals. According to Rivals100.com, A&M's 2003 class is ranked No. 2 based on oral commitments given through Monday. Five of the state's top 20 recruits have committed to the Aggies.

A&M has reeled in four commitments from the Dallas area, including Garland linebacker Ta Ta Thompson, Lake Highlands defensive back Stephen Hodge and defensive back John Kelly and defensive back Melvin Bullittt, both of Garland Naaman Forest.

"It hit hard because I really like Coach Slocum," said Bullitt, whose father Jerry is a former Aggies linebacker. "I still want to stay. I've always liked the school."

Although Bullitt was hoping Slocum would stay, he was not surprised by the news.

"After hearing all the rumors, you had to think something was going to happen," Bullitt said.

Another notable commitment is Baytown Lee quarterback Drew Tate, who became the state's all-time leading passer (12,183 yards) this season. Tate, who committed to A&M before his junior season in 2001, told Rivals100.com he has recently started looking at other schools because of the rumors surrounding Slocum. Tate, ranked No. 16 in the state, said Iowa is a possibility. He hopes to set up an official visit with the Hawkeyes this month.

Warren said he'd wait until after his team's season before figuring out his plans. Tyler Lee plays Midland in a Class 5A Division I semifinal at 4 p.m. Saturday in Texas Stadium. Warren has also received offers from Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and LSU.

Kelly said he'd keep his commitment if A&M allows him to play tailback. Kelly played cornerback in high school but said he committed to A&M because he was promised a shot to play tailback.

"As of right now, I'm not trying to look at any other schools," Kelly said. "I'll have to see who they bring in."

When The News contacted Thompson on Monday night, he said he was unaware of Slocum's dismissal. The news surprised him because Slocum is the Aggies' all-time winningest coach.

"He was one of the elite coaches," Thompson said. "I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'd like to stay [committed to A&M]."

[HorsePower]

I'd think that QB Drew Tate, WR Melvin Bullitt, WR Tyrell Gatewood and maybe one of the offensive linemen might be the most likely to switch commitments, since Fran will bring with him that yawner of a run-first offense. It's effective, but if you play in a passing offense, he's not the coach you want to play for.

[Guest]

I would think there's no way Drew Tate would still want to go to A&M. Look at the offense Coach Fran runs. Remember Casey Printers at TCU? And, to a lesser extent, Sean Stilley now? They are running QBs who can throw when they need to. Drew Tate is a passing QB who can tuck it and run when he needs to, but you sure don't want him to be a part of the running game on a regular basis. He has a unique talent as a passer, and should play somewhere that he has a chance to show that talent off. A place like SMU, perhaps?

[Guest]

I read an article on rivals and he's already looking at other schools. he's most likely not headed to A&M for the reason you gave...Fran's game plan consists of a run-first offense.

[This message has been edited by SMUStudent06 (edited 12-07-2002).]