Texas A&M football: 2019 class addressed two major areas of need
By Jeff Shull
Texas A&M football has a very diverse class of recruits coming in 2019, but Jimbo Fisher also addressed two major areas of need.
It’s remarkable how much diversity Jimbo Fisher was able to bring in the 2019 Texas A&M football recruiting class, which currently ranks No. 3 in the nation. You could almost field an entire starting unit with the 23 players who signed — most in the early signing period. They got 11 defensive players, 11 offensive players and one kicker.
It was imperative Fisher made a statement in his first full year as head coach. He did what he could with the 2018 class, but he had to get it through high school players’ heads Texas A&M is going to soar to new heights, and he did, especially in the state of Texas.
However, even with the many elite players coming in at all different positions, Fisher still clearly focused on two areas A&M needs to either improve or replace production.
The A&M secondary was bad this season. There isn’t much else to say about it. As a team, the Ags ranked No. 111 in passing yards allowed and tied for No. 116 in interceptions. Mike Elko trusted his corners to live on an island often and they betrayed that trust.
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Thankfully, Fisher has a full secondary coming in the 2019 class and there may be even more help on the way.
Safeties Brian Williams and Demani Richardson, plus corner back Erick Young, are all Top 100 recruits according to the 247 Sports Composite. Junior college transfer Elijah Blades was once a 4-star recruit in the 2017 class, and is currently the No. 5 overall JUCO player in 2019. There is a ton of talent and even some experience coming for this season.
None of this takes into account Marcus Banks, who is currently a Texas A&M lean and a Top 200 overall recruit.
The defensive line was quite the opposite. They were fantastic all season long, finishing as a Top 3 rush defense and Top 15 in sacks. The problem is three-fourths of the starting defensive line is graduating. Kingsley Keke, Daylon Mack, and Landis Durham are not just gone, they might all be NFL players in 2019.
Have no fear, Ags. The defensive line incoming is loaded. Headlined by 5-star defensive tackle DeMarvin Leal and 4-star defensive end Derick Hunter, who flipped on early signing day, the Aggies should be able to field a nice rotation with these incoming recruits, plus some returning experience in Justin Madubuike, Jayden Peevy, Tyree Johnson and TD Moton.
Expect no position to be safe and lots of competition when spring practices roll around.
Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.