Texas A&M Recruiting: Aggies Take Home a Borderline Top Ten Class
By Joe Vastano
The 2017 Texas A&M recruiting class finished as a top 15 class. Depending on the recruiting service, the Aggies had a top 10 finish.
The Aggies had a peaceful, drama-less signing day last Wednesday. They picked up another commitment from three star Josh Rodgers and didn’t lose anybody. There are several recruiting services, all with differing strategies an opinions. The Aggies class was ranked No. 11 by ESPN, No. 9 by Scout, No. 10 by Rivals, and No. 12 by 247. How did the Aggies compare to other schools across the state and in the SEC?
First off, the Aggies once again take home the state title in dominating fashion. With 20 different commits coming out of Texas including six four stars, the Aggies left University of Texas in the dust.
Recruiting in the state of Texas hasn’t seemed to be a struggle for Coach Sumlin. Two out of the three commits out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida were also from Texas, so add two more to that 20. Texas landed 13 recruits from Texas, not coming close to the Aggies. Baylor matched the Aggies with 20 of their own, however, the Aggies commits were much higher rated and skilled, which gives them the tiebreaker.
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The SEC is always extremely competitive when it comes to recruiting. Sumlin has to keep with names like Nick Saban, Ed Orgeron, Gus Malzahn, and Jim McElwain. In spite of their top 15 finisih the Aggies finished with the sixth best recruiting class in the SEC.
Alabama and Georgia were completely dominant this cycle. Using 247s rankings, the two schools combining for eight composite five stars and 36 composite four stars. The Aggies held their ground against Auburn, Florida, and LSU but finished ranked just below them.
Big Names in the Class
The three biggest names in the Aggies 2017 recruiting class are Kellen Mond, Anthony Hines, and Jhamon Ausbon. Mond will step into the 2017 season with a strong chance of landing the starting quarterback job.
Hines, coming out of Plano, Texas, shows great strength and quickness as a linebacker. The Aggies linebacker corps has struggled in these past few years. That means Hines should be able to fill in nicely coming into the start of the season. Ausbon also has a heavy chance to start next season. He was Monds favorite target in high school and the Aggies will need to replace virtually their entire starting receiving corps from last year, save Christian Kirk.
Next: Get to Know the Aggies Offensive Recruits
The Aggies 2017 class is filled with talent, and more than those three will make an impact on Saturdays in the fall. Coach Sumlin, Mazzone, Chavis, and the rest of the staff did a phenomenal job with this class. Look for it to develop into something special.
***Stats from 247 Sports unless noted***