Kevin Sumlin is now tasked with constructing his 2018 class under the same gloomy shadow that hovered over Charlie Strong’s final season in Austin — will he be the coach after next season?
Texas A&M Athletic Director Scott Woodard made the expectations for next season very clear on a recent appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show, saying, “Coach [Sumlin] knows he has to win, and he has to win this year. And we have to do better than we’ve done in the past.”
As warm as his seat may be, Sumlin and his staff have been a few degrees hotter on the recruiting trail as of late, picking up six commitments throughout June to give Texas A&M the nation’s No. 12-ranked recruiting class at the start of the dead period.
Beginning with the dual-commitments of four-star safety Leon O’Neal Jr. and four-star strong-side defensive end Max Wright on June 2, nearly half the Aggies 2018 haul has been added to the mix within the past 25 days. Prior to June’s surge of pledges, kicker Seth Small served as the lone class of 2018 addition since December 2016, so June certainly proved to be a much-needed momentum boost on the recruiting trail, to say the least.
To date, Texas A&M has put together a fairly balanced 13-man class:
- Leon O’Neal Jr. – 4-star S
- Max Wright – 4-star SDE
- Luke Matthews – 4-star OG
- Jordan Moore – 4-star S – Yoakum
- Barton Clement – 4-star OG – Fort Bend Marshall
- Colton Blanton – 4-star OT – Cy Ranch
- Cade Fortin – 3-star QB -North Gwinnett (Ga.)
- Montel Parker – 3-star WR – Dickinson
- Dominic Livingston – 3-star DT -Aldine Davis
- Brian Johnson – 3-star OLB – Manvel
- Deneric Prince – 3-star RB – Manvel
- Tyree Wilson – 3-star WDE – West Rusk
- Seth Small – 3-star K – Katy
A name many expected to be included as of June 18 was Joshua Moore, an elite wide receiver and the brother of safety commit Jordan Moore. Of course, in today’s age of recruiting, no commitment is set in stone until a signature is faxed in, but Moore sided with Nebraska over the Aggies on Father’s Day, placig heightened pressure on Sumlin and his staff to reel in other key targets at the position.
To that end, Texas A&M is in a great position with both Jalen Preston and Jaylen Waddle. The latter is far less of a sure thing, especially after Texas lost a pledge from slot receiver Justin Watkins on Sunday, although Waddle did recently name Texas A&M his leader. At the very least, Preston is expected to join teammates Manvel Brian Johnson and Deneric Prince in College Station.
Joseph Ossai, Mustapha Muhammad and Terrace Marshall headline the other elite targets Texas A&M remains in the mix with, but as is, following an impressive run of pledges throughout June, Sumlin and his staff should feel good about where they stand entering the dead period. More notably, guys like O’Neal, Moore and Wright are the kinds of personalities other recruits gravitate to, which should help Texas A&M close with another top 15 class nationally.
Just how good this class can be will largely be determined by whether or not Sumlin can finally get the Aggies over the 7-5 hump they’ve met each of the last three seasons.
Texas A&M’s class currently ranks No. 12 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC, trailing just Tennessee and LSU.
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