Reacting to Texas A&M football's latest commitment: Rink brings energy, productivity

Reacting to latest Texas A&M football commit Landon Rink: High level of production portends great things for energetic DL

Mike Elko, Sean Spencer, and the rest of the Texas A&M football staff got a real feather in their collective cap with the addition of Cy-Fair DL Landon Rink earlier today. Rink, a Longhorn legacy, chose the Aggies over Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Texas (though his father's alma mater had faded into the background by commitment time).

Rink ranks just outside the top-300 on the 247Sports Composite, and some major outlets have him as only a three-star. Don't be fooled by these rankings, though—Rink is a bonafide stud. This isn't just copium in the face of taking a prospect by concession—not by a long shot.

We're talking about a guy who has recorded 70+ tackles and 18+ TFLs in each of the last two seasons, including an eye-popping 15 sacks last season. That's a game wrecking type of talent on the defensive line. Even as a freshman, Rink notched 9 TFLs in limited time for the Cy-Fair defensive front.

The big knock on Rink is his size. In all honesty, 6'2" and 280 LBs isn't what you would call the prototypical SEC defensive lineman. Even so, though, this is a guy who offers positional versatility and high-energy play—and his numbers are hard to argue with. The pure strength and suddenness he brings up front speak for themselves.

There's a reason Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, and many others were after this young man with such intensity. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else around this ranking that has such an impressive offer list.

As I said in the commitment column, this is a diamond-in-the-rough pickup if you just look at the star rating. But sometimes the ratings miss, and you find a guy who is a top producer for your team despite the drawbacks identified by recruitniks—Ainias Smith, anybody?

This is an exciting add to this class. I am bullish that Rink will be a riser as fall football ensues and he continues to put up huge numbers. He may not arrive at five-star status or anything near it, but you can bet this is a guy that the Aggie coaching staff has had at the top of their board.