Move to SEC seems to have helped aTm

Discussion in 'Recruiting' started by TexasTower, Feb 20, 2012.

  1. TexasTower

    TexasTower 500+ Posts

    They now have 5 guys committed in the top 25 of the LSR 100.

    Very uncharacteristic of them this early. OU is absent from the list thus far.
     
  2. Longhorn0184

    Longhorn0184 250+ Posts

    Yeah, but isn't this the class they have been banking on for like two years it seems?
     
  3. Trifecta

    Trifecta 250+ Posts

    Still plenty of time for them to de-commit. Let's see who is on their list next February, after their first season in the SEC,SEC,SEC is complete. I think that the Aggies are an insurance policy for these guys if something better doesn't come along.
     
  4. PropositionJoe

    PropositionJoe 2,500+ Posts

    i wouldnt attribute it 100% to the SEC.

    i think for the first time we've got a staff that understands and values the recruiting process. one of my biggest frustrations with sherman was his "if we do 5 star coaching they'll be 5 star players" ******** mantra. the simple truth is that some players are better athletically than others...and those that are better athletically are going to perform at a higher level. conversely, those who have a ceiling are going to struggle. pretty simple. sherman brought a stubborn NFL mindset to recruiting and only really figured it out right before he got canned.
     
  5. horn4jc

    horn4jc 1,000+ Posts

    Still early. They may get a little bump in recruiting with the novelty of the SEC. But when the season starts and if they falter, like they always seem to, that will wear off quickly. Also, many players in the past have committed to A&M to ensure a full scholarship. But when a better program comes calling, they de-commit and go elsewhere.

    At the end of the day, players commit to teams, not conferences. Not buying the selling point of "you get to play with the best in the SEC." Players don't just want to play with the best, they want to win. No one wants to go to team to get their face kicked in game in game out regardless of the conference.
     
  6. I35

    I35 5,000+ Posts

    It seems like every year their current class is their best one. Every year is their year. This is Aggies we're talking about here.
     
  7. Third Coast

    Third Coast 10,000+ Posts

    Texas having fewer scholarships available and therefore being more selective, is bound to help them with in state prospects.
     
  8. dalhorn1

    dalhorn1 1,000+ Posts

    i agree horn4jc. if players wanted the "SEC" atmosphere as their priority, then Vanderbilt and Ole Miss would've been competitive and chock full of top level Texas talent.

    In 3-5 years, I think it will be a safe assumption to compare aggy's final standing in conference with a diminishing recruiting class compared to what they're starting out of the gates with.
     
  9. Dirty Martin

    Dirty Martin 500+ Posts

    I'm with Prop Joe on this. Sumlin and his staff have far more to do with their recruiting success than does the move to the SEC. He is putting together a nice class. Let's give credit where credit is due.
     
  10. coolhorn

    coolhorn 2,500+ Posts

    Prop Joe is right in that Sumlin and staff are more active recruiters than the shermanator's staff was. There's also the appeal of a whole new staff for some players, and probably some SEC curiosity is driving the early ag commits too.

    Not to rain on agricultural's parade, but it's early, and unless Sumlin miraculously makes hay in the SEC, mounting losses will drain recruits enthusiasm. At least a couple of ag recruits are probably waiting out offers from more favored schools, and while there are more numbers in their class for early in the recruiting cycle, there seems to be some significant low hanging fruit. That philosophy didn't work that well for Mack, and it won't for aggy either.

    Bottom line if I'm prop or any of the rational ag fans posting here, I'd enjoy the difference in Sumlin's approach, but I wouldn't start counting on a top ten class just yet, and certainly not because of SEC membership.
     
  11. Trusted Insider

    Trusted Insider 1,000+ Posts

    Very good class so far. I still think Sumlin was a poor hire (and there were no other candidates, either because of how despicable that University was in their handling of Sherman or because Sumlin was offered before his last game st UH). I guess it's irrelevant because this is a recruiting thread and they're doing better than ever but I'm seriously curious if Sumlin can coach against legit competition.
     
  12. coolhorn

    coolhorn 2,500+ Posts

    What Sumlin does over the next two years isn't gonna change what's gonna happen with agricultural. If he wins some games against SEC competition, he'll move on to a better job. If he does what's expected, agricultural will move him on. Either way, Sumlin's a short-term answer. I do think Sumlin's coached at enough places that he's not as wed to the spread offense as some people think. He'll likely be forced to change to something else by SEC competition.
     
  13. everybodygodeep

    everybodygodeep 500+ Posts

    They have to back it up n the field or it will be meaningless.
     
  14. Smackie

    Smackie < 25 Posts

    I do not think that you will see many de-commits from this group. Sumlin has really put together a coaching staff that is good at recruiting and they will hold this class together. Also if you can go look at film of Joas Aguilar. This kid is a beast of an offensive lineman.
     
  15. OldHippie

    OldHippie 2,500+ Posts

    I am surprised at my own reaction to the A&M initial success in recruiting this year. Usually I see recruiting in relation to how the two classes will shape up on the field against each other. This year, these UT and A&M classes will probably never face each other in direct competition (except possibly in a bowl) and I am actually happy to see the Ags doing well. I wonder if recruits might see it the same way. They may no longer wonder which side of this game do I want to play on, but rather, the teams become more of an apples vs. oranges kind of choice.

    Two other things that may play a role are the two very strong most recent classes at UT may make early playing time seem much more difficult at UT for this class, and, the smaller class being brought in by the Horns may reduce pressure on the recruiting pool as a whole.

    And to top it all off, with OU being less of a factor initially, the whole recruiting process seems much different this year.
     
  16. Burnt Orangeman

    Burnt Orangeman 1,000+ Posts

    I really think having a quality African American head coach is helping them.

    Who did they get for D coordinator?

    I actually wish A&M well in the SEC. I never did hate them myself. I even grew to like them in the Slocum/Bucky Richardson era.
     
  17. Hook 'Em Danno

    Hook 'Em Danno 1,000+ Posts

    Way too early to tell. They are off to a good start in terms of getting some early commits, but no one has signed a LOI yet. It's a long way to February 2013 (same can be said for Texas).
     
  18. Clean

    Clean 5,000+ Posts

    They're doing quite well. There's usually an upswing in a program when a new regime takes over. I seem to recall Mack recruiting a top ten class his first year despite a late start. I'm sure having a relatively young, black coach helps, as does the prospect of playing in the SEC.

    But, as we have painfully learned over the past two years, success in recruiting and success on the field are two different things. Ultimately it will all depend on their being able to compete and win some big games.
     
  19. PropositionJoe

    PropositionJoe 2,500+ Posts


     
  20. IdahoanHorn

    IdahoanHorn 250+ Posts


     
  21. majorwhiteapples

    majorwhiteapples 5,000+ Posts

    I don't think it is so much that he is African American as he is not the crusty ole white Aggiesque coach that they have retreaded throughout their history

    Sumlin's youth is also a plus.

    I question the recruits, are the academic requirements the same between the SEC and the Big XII, are these guys making the grades and will be able to pass classes at ATM?

    I think Sumlin is taking a leap of faith that he can keep these kids elegible.
     
  22. H-D Rider

    H-D Rider 1,000+ Posts


     
  23. PropositionJoe

    PropositionJoe 2,500+ Posts

    i agree that we're not a top tier job right now...but i think the question of whether he'd move would be based on whether we could pay him to stay.

    if he wins at a level that draws interest from the schools you listed, then i think he'd be willing to stay. again, no guarantees, but i think it's possible.

    also take a look at where those other schools drew their coaches from. USC is the only one that pulled a coach from an upper tier program...and it was because kiffen had a history with USC. (and i know i might get some flack for that, but at least in my mind A&M has the potential to be an upper tier job)...bama/ohio state got coaches who werent in college football at the time, ND got their coach from cincinnatti, and the horns got their coach from UNC.

    and remember that bama tried to get richrod from west virginia before "settling" on saban. i dont know that larger programs are poached as much for college football jobs.

    i might receive flack for this as well i but i put A&M ahead of UNC and cinncinnatti at least in potential for success.

    another point is that sumlin, despite his northern roots, has spent the last 10 years or so coaching in the south, including a successful-ish stint at A&M as OC. i think he wants to be here, which makes a difference in the decision making process associated with taking other jobs.
     
  24. I35

    I35 5,000+ Posts


     
  25. Trusted Insider

    Trusted Insider 1,000+ Posts

    I'm with BO to some degree. I really only started hating Aggy when they started sucking off Alabama, et al and being happy to do it. Growing up I rooted for all Texas teams after the 'horns. I think after A&M settles in the SEC and the slobfest that is going on with their fanbase subsides (and they see that the SEC fans are much more unpleasant than we ever were) I'll go back to being more indifferent.
    I also think if Sumlin wins he will stay. They'll erect a statue faster than Alabama if he's successful and he will be a hero for bringing them to new heights (all a big if). Aside from the fact that the A&M brass might fire you through Twitter or copout on paying you your deserved salary (didn't sign the contract????) it is easily as attractive a job as the mid level SEC and Big 12 schools, imo.
     
  26. hornitas

    hornitas 250+ Posts


     
  27. JJxvi

    JJxvi 100+ Posts

    A successful coach could leave A&M for a better college job, but I don't think its likely. When A&M thinks they have a winner, the pay is among the tops in the country. There is actually more recent evidence of a coach leaving Alabama for A&M (like I said, it can happen to anybody if circumstances line up right)
     
  28. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    How funny!
     
  29. OrangeClad

    OrangeClad 250+ Posts

    Come on, Joe. You are one of the most rational Ags I see on the internet. But, you've got to know who you are. College Station is not and has never been a final resting spot. To be fair, A&M has far exceeded what it should be with it's rich traditon, relative success over the years and the tremendous fan support it gets.....for what it is. College Station isn't any different than Lubbock, Las Cruces, Oxford, MS or Lexington, KY and A&M does not have the track record of a USC, Notre Dame, Meatchicken, or even UT. College Station is just not a home for a juggernaut program with their automated recruting and not too many coaches are going to turn down an offer from one. A&M isn't going to pay anybody millions more per year to stay and so they will go.

    That's all ok, so long as you know who you are and stategize accordingly.
     
  30. LikeMike

    LikeMike 500+ Posts

    Five recruits, not yet signed, and we are offering Sumlin the USC job?
     

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