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Jimbo 2020: Strangers with Candi


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Liucci’s two-cycle recruiting grades: Offense

KEY
5 - College Football Playoff level recruiting
4 - New Year’s Six bowl level recruiting but a hole or two
3 - Florida bowl level recruiting but holes
2 - Some big concerns at the position
1 - Major concerns at the position

Quarterback: 4/5 (for now)

Liucci: My prediction is that the next starting quarterback at Texas A&M wins an SEC title.

Running Back: 3.5/5 — Might be a 4/5

Liucci: Ainias and Achane can swing this one into a rock-solid 4 and they can be dynamic, impact players.

Wide Receiver: 4+/5

Liucci: I think Dylan Wright and Moose Muhammad have potential. The wild cards are Kam Brown and Chase Lane. Demas has a chance to be flat-out special. College Football Playoff – or higher – level recruiting here.

Tight End: 5/5

Liucci: No brainer. Without question. This is a 5.

Offensive Line: 3/5

Liucci: After 2021, this is going to be in the mid-4s. It will be championship-contending.

 

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2 minutes ago, Lobwedgephil said:

Liucci’s two-cycle recruiting grades: Offense

KEY
5 - College Football Playoff level recruiting
4 - New Year’s Six bowl level recruiting but a hole or two
3 - Florida bowl level recruiting but holes
2 - Some big concerns at the position
1 - Major concerns at the position

Quarterback: 4/5 (for now)

Liucci: My prediction is that the next starting quarterback at Texas A&M wins an SEC title.

Running Back: 3.5/5 — Might be a 4/5

Liucci: Ainias and Achane can swing this one into a rock-solid 4 and they can be dynamic, impact players.

Wide Receiver: 4+/5

Liucci: I think Dylan Wright and Moose Muhammad have potential. The wild cards are Kam Brown and Chase Lane. Demas has a chance to be flat-out special. College Football Playoff – or higher – level recruiting here.

Tight End: 5/5

Liucci: No brainer. Without question. This is a 5.

Offensive Line: 3/5

Liucci: After 2021, this is going to be in the mid-4s. It will be championship-contending.

 

Loochie's gonna write a biography and name it "but holes on my mind"

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Looch talking about championships without contending for the conference since joining the SEC and maybe only once in his lifetime.   Spoiler: aggy hasn't won a NC in his dad's lifetime, including the full scale cheating days--they aren't winning one now.  Hey looch, for the reality challenged, can you show us how you beat Harry Potter at quidditch?

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12 minutes ago, mdleast said:

This year is this year’s next year.

actually, this year is last year's next year. but this year wasn't as good as it was supposed to be when it was still next year. if you sign up for 9.95 we can tell you why, because there are perfectly logical reasons...

but wait til you hear how good next year is gonna be...

/looch   

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1 hour ago, Lobwedgephil said:

Liucci’s two-cycle recruiting grades: Offense

KEY
5 - College Football Playoff level recruiting
4 - New Year’s Six bowl level recruiting but a hole or two
3 - Florida bowl level recruiting but holes
2 - Some big concerns at the position
1 - Major concerns at the position

Quarterback: 4/5 (for now)

Liucci: My prediction is that the next starting quarterback at Texas A&M wins an SEC title.

Running Back: 3.5/5 — Might be a 4/5

Liucci: Ainias and Achane can swing this one into a rock-solid 4 and they can be dynamic, impact players.

Wide Receiver: 4+/5

Liucci: I think Dylan Wright and Moose Muhammad have potential. The wild cards are Kam Brown and Chase Lane. Demas has a chance to be flat-out special. College Football Playoff – or higher – level recruiting here.

Tight End: 5/5

Liucci: No brainer. Without question. This is a 5.

Offensive Line: 3/5

Liucci: After 2021, this is going to be in the mid-4s. It will be championship-contending.

 

Buddy, 2020/21 has to be your year. The schedule reverts back to standard difficulty after that. A 3/5 OL ain't gonna cut it.

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9 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Buddy, 2020/21 has to be your year. The schedule reverts back to standard difficulty after that. A 3/5 OL ain't gonna cut it.

This upcoming season is the best chance they'll have.  Next year is @ Colorado and the home game against Vandy is replaced with @ Missouri.  Neither are world beaters, but aggy will be breaking in a new QB, lots on defense, and replacing 3 shitty OL starters with 3 more shitty OL guys.

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39 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

The best is the OL. A 4 after next year. Bullshit. I look at that list and see 2 guards, maybe a C in Robinson and a bunch of bodies that will be portalled for the next batch of WRs that can't run route trees circa 1990.

Foster will likely end up there and is a legit talent.  Maybe Fatheree?  I assume they’ll finally end up with a few players on the Oline one of these days; it has to be pretty tough to consistently strike out.   
 

I’ve noticed that they’ve completely ignored AU next year (they do lose a lot) and are assuming a win in a bowl game as a given.   With their JV schedule, they could very well end up in a decent bowl against an opponent that, I don’t know, didn’t have a fuck off schedule.  Here’s to them getting routed in prime time if they stumble into a decent bowl due to their kindergarten schedule.  

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16 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

This upcoming season is the best chance they'll have.  Next year is @ Colorado and the home game against Vandy is replaced with @ Missouri.  Neither are world beaters, but aggy will be breaking in a new QB, lots on defense, and replacing 3 shitty OL starters with 3 more shitty OL guys.

@mizzu is good for how many aggie acl's? With inflation the over/under in 2020 has to be 2.

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1 minute ago, fattyflattie said:

Foster will likely end up there and is a legit talent.  Maybe Fatheree?  I assume they’ll finally end up with a few players on the Oline one of these days; it has to be pretty tough to consistently strike out.   
 

I’ve noticed that they’ve completely ignored AU next year (they do lose a lot) and are assuming a win in a bowl game as a given.   With their JV schedule, they could very well end up in a decent bowl against an opponent that, I don’t know, didn’t have a fuck off schedule.  Here’s to them getting routed in prime time if they stumble into a decent bowl due to their kindergarten schedule.  

They counted Auburn as a win all last offseason, too. Not too mention that Ole Miss and MSU have hired better coaches than Jimbo. They aren't waltzing into the last 2 weeks at 10-0 with Mond at QB behind that shitty OL and 1 fucking RB.

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4 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

They counted Auburn as a win all last offseason, too. Not too mention that Ole Miss and MSU have hired better coaches than Jimbo. They aren't waltzing into the last 2 weeks at 10-0 with Mond at QB behind that shitty OL and 1 fucking RB.

I would agree.  But State and Miss will be out talented.  That said, get up with a quick 2 scores and Jimbos run the clock bullshit might have a hard time keeping up.  Ideally, Ark will do the deed early, and we get to see how they handle a “wasted” season.   Ark and Miss would have me OD’ing again.   Horns to the playoffs and let Riley break one off in them for the coup de grace.   

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1 hour ago, Lobwedgephil said:

 

Wide Receiver: 4+/5

Liucci: I think Dylan Wright and Moose Muhammad have potential. The wild cards are Kam Brown and Chase Lane. Demas has a chance to be flat-out special. College Football Playoff – or higher – level recruiting here.

Is Higher a Super Bowl? Just how good is Jimbo?

 

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4 minutes ago, SwanderedTalent said:

I skimmed CFBinfo.com, but it looks to me like A&M's last road win over a P5 non-conference opponent was Pitt in 2002. I'd tap the brakes on assuming Colorado's a guaranteed W. 

It's a mile-high stadium, so football players used to playing at basically sea level will be out of breath quickly. So losing by 7 at Colorado is really winning by 3, at the very least.

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22 minutes ago, PHLaggie said:

It's a mile-high stadium, so football players used to playing at basically sea level will be out of breath quickly. So losing by 7 at Colorado is really winning by 3, at the very least.

<Billy>And since you can also add 7 points for the SEC logo, losing by 7 at Colorado is really winning by a blowout.</Liucci>

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Spoiler

Liucci: The biggest recruiting coups of the Fisher era in Aggieland

By Billy Liucci

February 11, 2020

43

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Jace Sternberger. 

That's the answer to the trivia question of "Who was the first recruit that Jimbo Fisher landed as Texas A&M's head coach? More than two years and a little over two full recruiting cycles later, Sternberger — who went on to earn Consensus All-American honors after a record-breaking 'one and done' season — stands out not only for being the first but also one of the best additions to the Aggie program under Fisher's guidance. 

While the head coach would like every one of his signees to pan out as well as #81 did, the fact of the matter is it's only been up from there for a Maroon & White recruiting machine that, as of last week, managed to stack the No. 3 and No. 6-ranked classes in 2019 and 2020. Two cycles, two top-six finishes for Jimbo and his hard-working staff, one that has mined not only some of the best talent the Lone Star State has had to offer over the past two cycles but also proven that they can get it done at the highest level from coast to coast.

Two cycles, two top-six finishes for Jimbo and his hard-working staff. 

There have been so many 'signature signings' since Fisher's arrival that it was difficult to put a cap on the list, but that's what I did, ranking the 'Top 12' gets for Jimbo and Co. and then listing the 'Next Ten.' A very unscientific method to be sure, but what I factored in here were how highly the prospect rated on the Ags' 'big board,' the player's national or star ranking, the level of gravity of the Ags' specific need at the position during said cycle, the teams A&M had to beat out along the way, how difficult it was to ultimately earn the commitment, what the recruit meant in terms of momentum for his particular class and how landing the prospect registered on the recruiting and college football landscape (both in-state and nationally). Bonus points for a high-profile Signing Day decision and if the battle came down to a straight-up head-to-head with a conference rival, a certain in-state recruiting adversary or a perennial college football power. What I didn't factor in was anything — good or bad — that happened on the field after the prospect signed. That's why guys like Sternberger and 2019 breakout true freshman Ainias Smith didn't quite make the cut.

So with all of that said, here you go:
 

The Top 12

1. Demond Demas‍ (Class of 2020)

Rey Romo, TexAgs

Demond Demas, the top-ranked recruit in Jimbo’s 2020 class, is poised to make an immediate impact on the field next season.

One of the more fascinating recruitments I've covered in nearly a quarter-century on the A&M beat if for no other reason than how uneventful Demond Demas' recruitment turned out to be despite the fact that he'll arrive in College Station as perhaps the most-talked-about signee in Aggie football history. Whether it was Demond's jaw-dropping junior highlight reel, his dunks, backflips and 7-on-7 exploits or the fact that a controversial eligibility ruling cost him his senior year, it seems Demas was front and center from the time he committed to Jimbo Fisher until his December signing. Thing is, for all of the attention Demond garnered, almost none of it had anything to do with his recruitment. The gifted playmaker didn't have a hat ceremony or commitment video. Rather, he shocked folks from Austin to Norman to Tuscaloosa when he committed to Jimbo Fisher in the post-game locker room following A&M's heartbreaking 2018 loss to Clemson at Kyle Field. What seemed spontaneous at the time stuck, with Demond not only remaining rock solid for the next fifteen months but also doing more work than any recruit in recent memory to ensure that the Ags' 2020 class was a great one. On top of everything else, here's the thing that Fisher and anyone being honest knows: Demas ranked among the top-30 recruits in the country and was a top-three player in Texas, but the reality is that there wasn't a more talented wide receiver prospect in the nation (he's the most talented I've scouted at the position) and he was a lay-down five-star recruit and the best the Lone Star State had to offer. Were it not for the rankings drop that came with not playing as a senior, Demas would have undoubtedly been considered one of the nation's ten best overall recruits.

2. McKinnley Jackson‍ ('20)

The Ags' latest signee is the one that drew the most attention nationally. When Fisher and the Aggies stood in the center of the ring with Nick Saban and Alabama last week, the heavyweight SEC West battle had the entire recruiting world watching. When Jackson chose the Maroon & White, it sent shockwaves throughout the league and was one of the biggest stories on National Signing Day. Of all the noteworthy recruiting coups that Fisher and his staff have orchestrated over the past 2.5 cycles, reeling in the No. 1-ranked player in Mississippi was probably the toughest. Texas A&M went right into the heart of SEC Country and beat out not only Alabama but LSU and everyone else in the league (including new coaches at Ole Miss and State) for a guy most college coaches viewed as one of the top-50 prospects in America. Mike Elko and Elijah Robinson had Jackson at the very top of the defensive wish list for quite some time, and Robinson did a remarkable job here. The Ags rolled the dice in saving a January scholarship for the 6-2, 320-pound wrecking ball and the confidence paid off with A&M signing the most coveted defender in the Deep South.

3. Bobby Brown ('18)

There have been some pretty big defensive line signings in the still-young Jimbo Fisher Era in Aggieland, but few have made a bigger statement than when the Aggies were able to rally and ink Arlington Lamar standout Bobby 'Tre' Brown six weeks into Fisher's tenure. Long story short, Texas A&M managed to sign the state's most dominant defender at a position of dire need, which was of the utmost importance. To make Brown's signing more significant was the fact that Fisher and the Aggies went toe-to-toe with Nick Saban and Alabama in a battle that was decided (at least to the public, anyway) on Signing Day. Bobby was a one-time A&M recruit that the Tide attempted to poach, so flipping the defensive tackle at the finish line proved to be a sign of things to come: That Jimbo Fisher was going to continue to be an elite recruiter and a closer in Aggieland, that he could win head-to-heads against Nick Saban in Maroon & White and that the Aggies would do an exceptional job of landing not only the best defenders Texas had to offer but also high-four and five-star defensive linemen in every cycle.

4. DeMarvin Leal (’19) / Jaylon Jones‍ ('20)

These two share a spot for a couple of reasons. Both were five-star signees. But wait, it gets better. Both were reported to be heavy Longhorn leans (or even the famed 'Texas locks') early in the process. But wait, it gets better. Both committed early and never wavered. But wait, it gets better.  Both were considered highest-value targets by Jimbo Fisher and the A&M staff before they'd even completed their junior seasons. But wait...well, you know where this is going. Both DeMarvin Leal and Jaylon Jones turned out to be the No. 1-ranked defender in the Lone Star State, the significance of which cannot be overstated. Putting it simply, if the Aggies are going to compete for and win SEC titles under Fisher, these are the in-state battles that you have to win. Leal emerged as a starter midway through his true freshman season and it might not take Jones even that long to follow suit.

5. Donell Harris‍ ('20)

We're used to seeing star basketball prospects 'reclassify,' but it's not nearly as common in football. From the moment Donell Harris decided to join the Class of 2020 ranks, he went from being considered arguably the nation's premier junior pass rusher to one of the most coveted defensive end prospects in the country. Thanks to this staff's strong Florida ties, the Ags were one of the first to make a furious push for Harris and jumped out in front early. Of course, it's all about the close, and Fisher's staff was absolutely relentless right up until Signing Day, landing a truly elite-level edge rusher (arguably the most desperate need in the '20 cycle) and beating out an 11-win Florida team in a race that literally went down to the wire. To go into the Sunshine State and pull a player of Harris' caliber is rare and something I haven't seen in 20-plus years of covering A&M recruiting. 

TexAgs

As an early enrollee out of Longview, TX, Haynes King attracted the attention of the Aggie staff very early in the recruiting process. 

6. Haynes King‍ ('20)

Fending off Georgia down the Signing Day stretch to hang on to Peach State native Zach Calzada was a very big deal in 2019, but keeping Haynes King home a year later cracks the top-10 for multiple reasons. For starters, the state champion from Longview was the first Texas quarterback to sign with Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher. Second, the battle with Tennessee was fairly epic and played out during a stretch in which King was ascending to national top-100 and even five-star status (it didn't last because of egregious ranking bias that only the most self-loathing among us would deny). Finally, Fisher and Darrell Dickey had gone 'all in' on the East Texas gunslinger so losing him to the Vols would have stung badly. The quarterback position had a very 'boom or bust' feel to it as King's decision neared last summer, and the Ags ended up hitting the jackpot.

7. Kenyon Green ('19)

A&M desperately needed an impact signee or two in the trenches during the 2019 race, and there wasn't a better o-line prospect in the state than Kenyon Green. The Atascocita product and one-time LSU commit was one of three five-stars in the Ags' top-five class, and there wasn't a higher-rated offensive lineman on TAMU's Big Board than the guy who was so talented that he won a starting job during fall camp. 

8. Derick Hunter ('19)

The Aggies weren't just fending off one Florida program here. No, at different times down the stretch, the Ags were trying to win the battle for Derick Hunter's signature by besting the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes. Fisher, Jay Graham, Elijah Robinson and Terry Price took an 'all hands on deck' approach as the four-star, national top-150 defensive tackle's recruitment neared its end, with Hunter choosing the Aggies on NSD. A lot of surprised folks in the room that day. Fisher had inked a couple of Florida prospects late in the '18 cycle, but signing a player of Derick's caliber sent shockwaves through the Sunshine State. Consider this one the first big win for the Aggies in Florida under Jimbo.

9. Leon O'Neal ('18)

During the stretch run to Fisher's first Signing Day in Aggieland, the head coach and newly-hired defensive coordinator Mike Elko found themselves in one of the country's most visible recruiting battles. The Ags battled both Clemson and Alabama for the Houston-area defender and eventually won out. There was a brief stretch in which even O'Neal himself may have thought he would be playing for Dabo Swinney, and he was just hours away from boarding a plane for Tuscaloosa before canceling a final-weekend official. Landing Leon was a big deal for Fisher and the Ags not only because he was one of the nation's top safety prospects but also because winning such a high-profile fight was particularly important at that point in time.           

10. Vernon Jackson ('18)

The 230-pound athlete from Boling suffered a career-ending injury before he could make an impact, but Vernon had star potential in Maroon & White. Jackson — who could have easily played running back, linebacker, tight end or defensive end in the SEC — was a longtime Alabama pledge who gave the Aggies a much more serious look once Fisher arrived in December. A late unofficial visit set the stage and, despite some NSD drama (a delayed signing until mid-afternoon) that led to rampant speculation that he was sticking with the Tide or even choosing Texas or TCU, Vernon ultimately chose to play tailback at TAMU.

11. Erick Young ('19)

I'll put this one as simply as I can: The Aggies desperately needed to upgrade the overall talent, athleticism and pure playmaking skill in the defensive backs room during Fisher's first full cycle at the helm. Adding Erick Young, a borderline five-star from the Houston area, felt like a must throughout the process and beating out the likes of OU, Ohio State and USC for a coveted defender was more than enough to earn a mention on this list.

12. Baylor Cupp‍ ('20)

Not as much fanfare here because Cupp was an early A&M lean, committed and was grossly underrated at the time of his commitment, but Baylor was a five star by some services and a national top-100 prospect when all was said and done. One of the highest-rated signees so far for Fisher and Co., and tight end was perhaps the Ags' most desperate area of need at the time of his signing.


The Next 10 (alphabetical)

Devon Achane‍ ('20)

The A&M backfield (and offense in general) was in desperate need of speed in this year's class, and Mr. 100 Touchdowns was identified early as the guy who could provide just that. Edging out LSU for a game-changer is never easy; doing it for a two-sport star during a fall in which the Bayou Bengals were on a national title run made a big signing bigger.

Elijah Blades ('19)

A longtime Oregon commit, no one outside of the Bright Complex (and TexAgs of course because 'we know stuff') saw the flip coming, but the nation's No. 1-ranked JUCO corner made the switch, giving the A&M secondary a day one starter.

Edgerrin Cooper‍ ('20)

This one gets extra points because of the way things played out. A&M had a couple of more pressing position needs as the early signing period wound down, but Jimbo Fisher and Mike Elko decided that Louisiana's No. 5 overall prospect was simply too good to wait on. The decision paid off, as teams like LSU, Texas and others tried to move on the former OU commit, only to find out he had already inked with the Ags.

Fadil Diggs‍ ('20)

Beating out Penn State and getting Diggs in the fold was hard enough. Fending off a late rally by Maryland made signing the New Jersey Player of the Year that much tougher.

Antonio Doyle‍ ('20)

When the defensive staff put together their Big Board early in the 2020 cycle, Antonio Doyle's name sat very high on the priority list. That didn't change when the every-down linebacker committed to the home state Missouri Tigers early, and the Ags ultimately won out, securing the signature of the state's No. 3-ranked prospect.

Antonio Johnson‍ ('20)

Don't get this one twisted, it was a straight-up head-to-head with Alabama for the No. 1 player in Illinois. The impact safety originally picked Tennessee, but a determined A&M defensive staff never backed off, as they considered Johnson one of the top defenders on the 2020 board.

Chris Morris‍ ('20)

TexAgs

Chris Morris looks to improve the Aggie OL early on in his college career. 

The fact this one didn't crack the top-10 speaks volumes as to how far the Ags have come under Fisher. A&M went into West Memphis and signed the No. 1-ranked player in Arkansas, beating out Tennessee, Alabama and OU in the process.

Akinola Ogunbiyi‍ ('20)

The Aggies originally committed the Kempner guard, lost him to Georgia and then flipped him back...one of the few recruiting losses for Kirby Smart and Co. en route to inking the nation's No. 1 haul last week.

Demani Richardson ('19)

Probably one of the five most coveted players on the A&M Big Board in 2019, Richardson chose A&M over Texas (another in the long line of falsely labeled 'Longhorn locks') early and never wavered. A day one starter who Mike Elko considered a must-have.

Dylan Wright ('19)

An important head-to-head win over Texas for the West Mesquite wideout and longtime priority target for Jimbo Fisher and Dameyune Craig. Wright was once thought of as a Longhorn lean but a terrific camp experience — one during which Dylan established himself as a 'must get' — pushed the Ags into the lead for good.

 

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13 minutes ago, TexasGolf said:

King ?  lololololol

 

10 minutes ago, Scholz said:

Haynes King sucks, fatass.

Hahaha what were King’s other best committable offers? Tenn as part of a 2 QB class and Duke? Maybe Auburn the year after they took a 5* star QB who looks like he’ll be starting for the next 2-3 years? The reality is he was passed over by pretty much every regional power and blue blood in the country. 

It’s hilarious to see them crow about his unfair drop in the ratings and talk about how great King is when his committable offer list indicates that even his final composite ranking is too high. 

Edited by Burt Macklin
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6. Haynes King‍ ('20)

Fending off Georgia down the Signing Day stretch to hang on to Peach State native Zach Calzada was a very big deal in 2019, but keeping Haynes King home a year later cracks the top-10 for multiple reasons. For starters, the state champion from Longview was the first Texas quarterback to sign with Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher. Second, the battle with Tennessee was fairly epic and played out during a stretch in which King was ascending to national top-100 and even five-star status (it didn't last because of egregious ranking bias that only the most self-loathing among us would deny). Finally, Fisher and Darrell Dickey had gone 'all in' on the East Texas gunslinger so losing him to the Vols would have stung badly. The quarterback position had a very 'boom or bust' feel to it as King's decision neared last summer, and the Ags ended up hitting the jackpot.

 

That's the good shit right there - pump it straight into my veins.

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