Texas A&M 2012 Recruiting

Texas A&M Aggies 2012 ... Head Coach: Kevin Sumlin

Texas A&M Aggies

2011 Record: 7-6

Sep. 3 SMU W 46-14
Sep. 10 OPEN DATE
Sep. 17 Idaho W 37-7
Sep. 24 Oklahoma State L 30-29
Oct. 1 Arkansas (Dallas) L 42-38
Oct. 8 at Texas Tech W 45-40
Oct. 15 Baylor W 55-28
Oct. 22 at Iowa State W 33-17
Oct. 29 Missouri L 38-31 OT
Nov. 5 at Oklahoma L 41-25
Nov. 12 at Kansas St L 53-50 4OT
Nov. 19 Kansas W 61-7
Nov. 26 Texas L 27-25
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Dec. 31 Northwestern 33-22

2010 CFN Prediction: 9-3
2010 Record: 9-4

Sept. 4 Stephen  F. Austin W 48-7
Sept. 11 La Tech W 48-16
Sept. 18 FIU W 27-20
Sept. 25 OPEN DATE
Sept. 30 at Okla St L 38-35
Oct. 9 Arkansas (in Dal) L 24-17
Oct. 16 Missouri L 30-9
Oct. 23 at Kansas W 45-10
Oct. 30 Texas Tech W 45-27
Nov. 6 Oklahoma W 33-19
Nov. 13 at Baylor W 42-30
Nov. 20 Nebraska W 9-6
Nov. 25 at Texas W 24-17
Cotton Bowl
Jan. 7 LSU L 41-24
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Texas A&M Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. RB Trey Williams
5-8, 180, Scout.com 3rd ranked, five-star running back. Williams is a home-run threat with the ball in his hands. He has excellent change of direction, acceleration, and top end speed. He's a small back, but he's tough. He isn't afraid to run into the middle of a pile between the tackles or stick his head into a blitzing defender in pass protection. He doesn't run with power, but he does run with toughness. He's outstanding in the open field and adept at finding the holes in defense.

2. QB Matt Davis
6-1, 211, Scout.com 6th ranked, four-star quarterback. After missing his junior season Davis continued to progress on the field as a senior. He is a dual-threat quarterback. He throws well on the run and has big play potential. Offensively, Matt has poise and a sense of confidence that is rare in a high school player. He is a winner and he makes everyone around him better. His accuracy suffers when he does not get his feet set, but that will improve with more protection and confidence.

3. OG Germain Ifedi
6-6, 315, Scout.com 15th ranked, four-star guard. Ifedi is a mammoth high school guard. He has long arms, and initiates contact first on many occasions. If he is able to lock on to a defender, then you can forget about it, he is going to end the play with a pancake. He is extremely good at drive blocking but still needs to work on his footwork when he is pass protection. Eventhough he does play guard in high school he could end up being a college tackle.

4. CB De’Vante Harris
5-11, 160, Scout.com 16th ranked four-star cornerback. Harris is not a big-bodied corner, but he is not afraid to come up and get physical and play a receiver step for step. He can turn and run if he is not successful on the jam and is hard to gain separation on. He is athletic and has good hands. His size makes it tougher for him to get off of blocks and make plays against the run.

5. S Kenneth Marshall
6-0, 190, Scout.com 20th ranked, four-star safety. A bit inconsistent but when he is on, he takes over a game. High energy player who plays with a lot of enthusiasm, often times getting up and pumping his fist in the air after a tackle. Does a great job of finding the ball and avoiding blocks to get there. High upside.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Skill players. The Aggies are losing a slew of stars off an offensive powerhouse, and while this year’s class isn’t likely to provide much in the way of instant help, the passing game prospects should be hot for Kevin Sumlin’s offense. The receiving corps needs talent to develop for the next few seasons, and it would be a plus if star running back prospect Trey Williams could shine immediately.

Team Concerns For 2012: The passing game. This shouldn’t be a problem with a little bit of time, but it’s not going to be Case Keenum and fireworks right away. Ryan Tannehill is gone as is Jeff Fuller, but Ryan Swope and Uzowa Nwachukwu are talented. The biggest hit is in the secondary with three starters and the top corners gone, but the 2009 and 2011 classes were loaded with secondary prospects and this year’s class appears to be strong for the defensive backfield.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: The Kevin Sumlin era could get off to a rocky start. Going off to the SEC West isn’t exactly a way to rebuild, and losing a ton of firepower won’t help with QB Ryan Tannehill, WR Jeff Fuller, and RB Cyrus Gray all off to the NFL. Christine Michael has to prove he can stay healthy enough to carry the rushing workload behind a great-looking line that gets all five starters back. The defense that was such a rock against the run and led the nation in sacks gets six starters back on the front seven including Sean Porter and Damontre Moore on the outside. The pass rush has to continue to be tremendous with three starters gone from the secondary.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 28 That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive backs. This isn’t going to be the highest-ranked of classes, only because there isn’t any superstar power compared to Texas and Oklahoma, but it’s a very, very solid haul of talent across the board. The defense got the best players including JUCO transfer LaMarc Strahan and ends Brandon Alexander and Shayvion Hatton up front, and JUCO transfer linebacker Steven Jenkins will see time immediately. The secondary got the most help, especially at safety, with Howard Matthews and Devonta Burns as good as any Big 12 defensive back recruits. Floyd Raven and DeShazer Everette are big corners who could quickly turn into safeties.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 26. That Class Was Heavy On ... Offensive linemen. Mike Sherman brought in the defensive backs last year to deal with the pass-happy Big 12, and this year he came up with the offensive line to let his skill stars shine. Cedric Ogbuehi and Luke Joeckel are two terrific tackle prospects, and Jake Matthews might be the nation's best guard recruit. Shep Klinke and Garrett Gramling aren't bad tackle prospects, either. Offensively, Jameill Showers and Matt Joeckel are strong quarterback prospects who'll get time to develop, while Ben Malena. D.J. Jones, and Mister Jones will get into the running back rotation early on. This turned out to be a good class, but it might have been considered an elite one if Oklahoma didn't steal away linebacker Corey Nelson at the last second.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 14. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive backs. Eight players were brought in to help out the secondary, and head coach Mike Sherman got a slew of really good ones. JUCO transfer Coryell Judie might be penciled into a starting corner spot right away, while four safeties, Steven Campbell, Malcolm Johnson, Colton Valencia and Charlie Thomas are all good enough to challenge for playing time from the moment they set foot on campus.

Texas Bowl
Texas A&M 33 … Northwestern 22
- CFN Thoughts on the Meineke

Texas A&M: The Aggies held NU to 52 rushing yards. … Ryan Tannehill completed 27-of-40 passes for 329 yards and a score with a pick. … Ben Malena ran 23 times for 77 yards and two scores. … Jeff Fuller caught seven passes for 119 yards and a score, and Ryan Swope caught eight passes for 105 yards. … LB Jonathan Stewart made nine tackles a sack and a forced fumble, and DE Damontre Moore made nine tackles with a sack, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Northwestern: The Wildcats kept A&M to 80 rushing yards. … Dan Persa completed 25-of-37 passes for 213 yards. … Kain Colter ran 17 times for 65 yards and as score. … Demetrius Fields caught seven passes for 73 yards. … Jeravin Matthews made 12 tackles.

(AP) HOUSTON -- Ryan Tannehill threw for 329 yards and a touchdown and Ben Malena ran for two more scores to lead Texas A&M to a 33-22 win over Northwestern on Saturday in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Northwestern led 7-3 early in the second quarter before A&M reeled off 27 straight points to take a decisive lead and then fight off a late rally to capture its first bowl victory since 2001.

Texas A&M broke a five-game bowl losing streak in a win the team dedicated to fired coach Mike Sherman and offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio, who was killed in a car accident last week.

Malena ran for 77 yards, filling in ably for Cyrus Gray, who missed his second straight game with a stress fracture in his left shoulder.

Northwestern hasn't won a bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl, a span of nine losses.

A&M won a bowl for the first time since a 28-9 victory over TCU after the 2001 season. That also came in Houston, when this game was called the Galleryfurniture.com bowl and played next door at the Astrodome.

The Aggies were up 30-7 before Brian Peters intercepted Tannehill early in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats took advantage of that mistake when Kain Colter scored on a 1-yard run for Northwestern's first points since early in the second quarter. The 2-point conversion left A&M ahead 30-15.

Colter found Tim Riley in the corner of the end zone for on a 2-yard touchdown pass to get Northwestern within 30-22 with less than six minutes remaining.

A&M responded with a clock-eating drive capped by a 31-yard field goal to secure the win. Senior Jeff Fuller, who has had a disappointing and injury-plagued year, had a key third down catch for 29 yards on that drive and finished with a season-high 119 yards receiving.

The Aggies were led by interim coach Tim DeRuyter in his last game at Texas A&M before leaving to become Fresno State's coach. The Aggies hired former Houston coach Kevin Sumlin earlier this month to replace Sherman, but he wasn't involved in bowl preparations.

Texas A&M wore helmet decals honoring Villavisencio, who died Dec. 22. The black and white decal, which says `Joey V.,' had his No. 67 and the Texas A&M logo. There was a moment of silence for Villavisencio before the game and fellow offensive lineman Danny Baker wore his number and greeted his father before the game.

Texas A&M erased a 7-3 second quarter deficit thanks to touchdowns by Malena and Fuller and a field goal by Randy Bullock to lead 20-7 at halftime.

Malena's second touchdown came on a 19-yard run early in the third quarter that made it 27-7. Another field goal by Bullock, this one from 47 yards, pushed A&M's advantage to 30-7.

The Wildcats alternated quarterbacks for much of the day with Dan Persa leading the more traditional offense and Colter directing the wildcat offense. But neither player could generate much offense while often under heavy pressure from the Aggies, who finished with eight sacks.

Texas A&M's offense got rolling in the second quarter when Tannehill found Ryan Swope, who was a high school running back, on a short pass that he took 37 yards to the 1. Swope tight-roped the sideline and avoided a half dozen tacklers before he was brought down.

Malena scored a play later to put A&M on top 10-7.

Northwestern took a 7-3 lead in the second quarter when Venric Mark scored 2-yard option run.

Mark provided another highlight for the Wildcats on a nifty 47-yard punt return where he spun away from a pair of tacklers before hurdling another one before being pushed out of bounds in the second half.

Nov. 24 Texas 27 … at Texas A&M 25
CFN Analysis: How do you get over this? It was yet another collapse in the final moments and yet another disappointment in a disappointing season. Yeah, the Aggies could easily be 11-1 instead of 6-6, but losing late is part of this team and what it does. … One slight problem with the Aggie defense – TACKLING. It didn’t seem to want to do enough of it. … Jeff Fuller might have caught seven passes for 107 yards and a score, but it could’ve been a much bigger game. Ryan Tannehill was targeting No. 8 all game long, while Ryan Swope – with three catches for 33 yards – was non-existent. … If Tannehill really is an NFL prospect, he needed to be better. The three picks were disastrous. … Ben Malena tried, but the offense desperately missed Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael for the ground game. 

Nov. 19 at Texas A&M 61 … Kansas 7
CFN Analysis: This is exactly what you do if you’re Texas A&M and have a huge rivalry date in a short week. This was a performance the team desperately needed with Ryan Tannehill nearly perfect completing 21-of-26 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns and Ryan Swope continuing to put together a great season with nine catches for 137 yards and two scores. … The A&M defense allowed completions, but it didn’t give up any yards after the catch. The Aggies destroyed the KU backfield with six sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Damontre Moore was unstoppable with two sacks, two forced fumbles, and eight tackles. … This might have been a disappointing season so far, but A&M is going bowling. A win over Texas would erase most of the pain from all the tough losses.    

Nov. 12 at Kansas State 53 … Texas A&M 50 4OT
CFN Analysis: Texas A&M had the lead in the fourth quarter. You know how it ended. … Cyrus Gray did a terrific job of picking up the slack for the loss of Christine Michael with 218 yards and two scores, making up for a mediocre game from Ryan Tannehill. The A&M O line did a good job, but Tannehill was off until overtime. … The defensive line had a rough time with Collin Klein and the KSU running game, but Damontre Moore was fantastic, making 12 tackles with two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. … Mike Sherman must not have been noticing that his defense couldn’t come up with a stop. He’ll be second-guessed the rest of the year for going for the field goal in the fourth OT over trying for a touchdown. … On a three-game losing streak, the Aggies should get the sixth win needed for a bowl against Kansas next week, but it’ll take a win over Texas to get to 7-5 before bolting to the SEC.

Nov. 5 at Oklahoma 41 … Texas A&M 25
CFN Analysis: The Texas A&M defense did a decent job of keeping the OU offense from blowing up, but the offense kept screwing up with four turnovers and seven penalties to OU’s three. Ryan Tannehill did his best to bomb away, throwing for 379 yards and two scores, but it took 63 passes to do it. Christine Michael ran well, but Cyrus Gray never got on track running for 29 yards on just nine carries. A&M needs to get the pass rush going to be successful, but it only came up with one sack and it didn’t do enough to pressure Landry Jones to force mistakes. The season is quickly going into the abyss with two straight losses and a date at Kansas State coming up next. Kansas is still on the schedule to assure a bowl bid, but with Texas also to play, 6-6 is more than possible.

Oct. 29 Missouri 38 .. at Texas A&M 31 OT
CFN Analysis: Once again, Texas A&M couldn’t close. Up 28-17 in the fourth quarter, the running game should’ve been good enough power away and control the clock, and Ryan Tannehill is good enough to keep the chains moving, but the offense failed to get on the board until the final seconds when Randy Bullock forced overtime with a field goal. The offense couldn’t find any rhythm as Tannehill got cold, and while Christine Michael ran well, Cyrus Gray couldn’t get loose outside of one big dash. The defense can’t tackle, missing easy stops time and again, and Missouri was able to do whatever it wanted in key moments. The Aggies needed this with road trips to Oklahoma and Kansas State up next. 5-5 isn’t out of the realm of possibility going into the Kansas game. 

Oct. 22 Texas A&M 33 … at Iowa State 17
CFN Analysis: It might not have been the prettiest of performances for the high-octane Aggies, but it was still a decent win on the road. Things weren’t quite clicking, but A&M kept working the running game with Cyrus Gray running for 125 yards and Christine Michael continuing to look great running for 142 yards and a score. It’s not a bad thing that the offense didn’t work like normal but it still was almost perfectly balanced with 263 passing yards and 247 running. The pass defense continues to be an issue, and now the offense has to gear it up with Missouri and Oklahoma up next. The O got a week off, but the shootouts are on the horizon. 

Oct. 15 at Texas A&M 55 … Baylor 28
CFN Analysis: Texas A&M looked like it was about to buckle again. The Aggies gave up a late third quarter touchdown to Terrance Ganaway to make it 34-28 A&M, and then a funny thing happened; A&M didn’t gag. Instead, Ryan Tannehill answered with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Swope to kickoff a run of 21 unanswered points for the win. Tannehill threw for six scores, Swope went ballistic with four scoring grabs, and A&M got the win in the shootout with 681 yards of total offense. Basically, A&M outbombed the Bears, and it should be able to do that against Iowa State and Missouri, but it won’t be able to against Oklahoma in three weeks. 
 
Oct. 8 Texas A&M 45 … at Texas Tech 40
CFN Analysis: It was close, but Texas A&M finally held on in the second half. The secondary continues to be a complete and utter disaster as Texas Tech fired away in the second half and made it very, very interesting in the final moments. Like the two collapses against Oklahoma State and Arkansas, the running game should’ve been able to close out the game with ease. Cyrus Gray was running well, and Christine Michael pounded away for a tough 52 yards, but the offense couldn’t get control of the game. There’s way too much talent and way too much explosion to only come up with one touchdown in the second half against a defense as lousy as Texas Tech’s – the other second half touchdown came from the special teams on a blocked field goal. With Baylor up next, the Aggies had better come up with a huge first half cushion, and it needs to do even more to come up with big plays through the air. Jeff Fuller can’t just catch one pass for 12 yards.  

Oct. 1 Arkansas 42 … Texas A&M 38
CFN Analysis: It’s gut check time for the Aggies after a second straight second half collapse. The secondary hasn’t even been close over the last two weeks with Tyler Wilson bombing away for Arkansas a week after Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden went ballistic. The running game was terrific with Christine Michael coming up with a special 230-yard, three touchdown performance, and Ryan Tannehill was excellent, but this was a total team fold in the second half with just a field goal over the final 30:09. With Texas Tech’s passing game up next and Baylor to follow, the secondary needs to get better safety play and tighter coverage in a hurry. The pass rush is there, but the defensive back play isn’t. 

Sept. 24 Oklahoma State 30 … at Texas A&M 29
CFN Analysis: Just when A&M needed to get the running game going to turn the momentum back around, it couldn’t do it. Ryan Tannehill tore off 65 of the team’s 162 rushing yards in the first 1:01, and then Oklahoma State dominated up front for most of the rest of the game. The mistakes were the big problem, turning it over four times and with ten penalties for 82 yards, but even with all the errors and even with all the problems, there were still chances to pull off the win. Tannehill threw well, the defense was fine against the run, and the banged up secondary tried to gut it out. It’s a very, very, very long Big 12 season, but confidence might be a problem with Arkansas up next before the date at Texas Tech. 

Sept. 17 at Texas A&M 37 ... Idaho 7
CFN Analysis: The pass rush continues to be stellar, and the offensive line is playing at a high level. Now it’s time to take on the big dogs. It would’ve been nice if there were a few more points put up on the board against Idaho – considering Oklahoma State and Arkansas are up next – but the game was never in doubt with Cyrus Gray running for 101 yards and two scores and Ryan Tannehill nearly perfect with 337 yards and two scores and a pick. There wasn’t any heavy breathing in the layup, and now it’s time to focus on doing something big with huge game after huge game throughout the rest of the season, and the offensive balance is there to go along with a defense that tackled better after a rough first half against SMU.  

Sept. 4 at Texas A&M 46 … SMU 14
CFN Analysis: 21-of-26 passing for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Tannehill was nearly perfect against the SMU secondary, and the running game was just as effective with the 1-2 punch of Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael rolling for over six yards per carry. The defense struggled to stop the SMU ground game and didn’t hit well enough, and the secondary had a few holes in the first half, but everything clamped down in the second half and the Aggies played like they’re supposed to. SMU is a good team and A&M had no problems putting it away. Now comes the layup against Idaho before the showdowns against Oklahoma State and Arkansas, but the offense already looks ready to roll. 

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Defensive backs. This isn’t going to be the highest-ranked of classes, only because there isn’t any superstar power compared to Texas and Oklahoma, but it’s a very, very solid haul of talent across the board. The defense got the best players including JUCO transfer LaMarc Strahan and ends Brandon Alexander and Shayvion Hatton up front, and JUCO transfer linebacker Steven Jenkins will see time immediately. The secondary got the most help, especially at safety, with Howard Matthews and Devonta Burns as good as any Big 12 defensive back recruits. Floyd Raven and DeShazer Everette are big corners who could quickly turn into safeties.

Five Texas A&M Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. S Howard Matthews
6-2, 200, Scout.com’s 13th ranked safety. Plays wide receiver and safety, safety is his projected position. He is a speedy player with long strides and he has a knack for making plays all over the field. He is a leader on the field and directs traffic on defense. He is a safety who could spin down into a linebacker slot if he gets thicker. Plays very smart football, has good instincts for what is going on and anticipating where the play will be.

2. DE Shayvion Hatten
6-5, 270, Scout.com’s 29th ranked defensive end. An aggressive lineman that has a quick get off the ball and a nice wingspan. He plays in a pretty balanced offense and seems to be equally adept at pass blocking and run blocking assignments. He also plays the game with a a mean streak. He has a nice frame to add weight and will likely play at over 300 pounds in college. He could play inside or outside. Also an excellent defender and could easily end up on that side of the ball in college.

3. S Devonta Burns
6-0, 200, Scout.com’s 21st ranked safety. Burns is a lightning in a bottle type of player who loves to put pressures on offenses off of the blitz. He approaches the point of contact with reckless abandon and is able to save his team yards by making tackles behind the “zero point”. He is also a factor on special teams as he gets down the field quickly and forces the play. He will need to work on his coverage skills, but he will be a clear factor in the box.

4. QB Johnny Manziel
6-0, 175, Scout.com’s 22nd ranked quarterback. Great athlete playing quarterback, who also has an above average arm and can zip the short and intermediate routes. At times Manziel tries to do too much and will try to make something out of nothing, this causes turnovers at times. Does not have a great feel for the rush but when he sees it he can get out of it with ease. Deadly running the ball, he has above average speed and moves.

5. DE Brandon Alexander
6-6, 240, Scout.com’s 24th ranked defensive end. Alexander is a long and tall defensive end that has great quickness and the ability to stay low to blow past offensive linemen. He has a long wingspan and can reach out and snag ball carriers from a distance. He has the penchant for making a big play. Because of his frame he would be the perfect fit to be a big defensive end a 3-4 type of scheme, but could play in any defense.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Brandon Alexander LB 6-6 240 Fr. Brenham, Texas/Brenham
Donnie Baggs LB 6-1 205 Fr. League City, Texas/Clear Springs
Taylor Bertoler PK 5-9 165 Fr. Reading, Penn./Exeter Township
Devonta Burns DB 6-0 200 Fr. Arlington, Texas/Martin
Joseph Cheek OL 6-7 271 Fr. Seguin, Texas/Seguin
Ben Compton OL 6-4 310 Fr. Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood
Mike Evans WR 6-5 180 Fr. Galveston, Texas/Ball
Deshazor Everett DB 6-0 170 Fr. DeRidder, La./DeRidder
Johntel Franklin DB 6-2 200 Jr. Milwaukee, Wisc./Madison/Victor Valley (Calif.) CC
Nathan Gutekunst OL 6-6 290 Fr. Humble, Texas/Atascocita
Shayvio Hatten DL 6-4 250 Fr. Daingerfield, Texas/Daingerfield
Steven Jenkins LB 6-2 205 So. Pensacola, Fla./Pine Forest/Coffeyville (Kan.) CC
Drew Kaser P 6-3 210 Fr. Strongsville, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit
Johnny Manziel QB 6-1 180 Fr. Kerrvile, Texas/Tivy
Howard Matthews DB 6-2 200 Fr. League City, Texas/Clear Springs
Chance Nelson WR 5-10 170 Fr. Baytown, Texas/Sterling
Will Randolph RB 5-9 175 Fr. Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove
LaMarc Strahan DL 6-4 365 So. Humble, Texas/Blinn (Texas) JC
Tyrell Taylor LB 6-4 205 Fr. Houston, Texas/Galena Park
Shaun Ward LB 6-2 225 Fr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson
Darzil Washington LB 6-3 226 Fr. Edgard, La./West St. John