re: Official 2018 Recruiting Thread

Also looks like some crystal balls are rolling in for Waddle

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Brian Perroni VIP Texas A&M's 10 most-wanted targets

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Texas A&M has 15 commitments in the class of 2018 with 10 of them having signed already. Though some other targets will emerge before Feb. 7, here are currently the 10 most important recruits left on the board for the Aggies.

1. CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart, San Diego (Calif.) Helix: One only had to watch the Belk Bowl to see how much the Aggies need help at cornerback. A five-star, Taylor-Stuart lists A&M and Alabama as his co-favorites, though most think the Aggies lead. A&M will have to weather both Alabama and USC official visits coming up, though.

2. DE Joseph Ossai, Conroe Oak Ridge: The state’s top-ranked pass-rusher, Ossai is officially down to a final two of A&M and Texas. He is a heavy Aggie lean but, as of now, does not plan to announce until Feb. 7. With Landis Durham being the only DE with a ton of reps – though Micheal Clemons had a few as well – returning, the position is incredibly important.

3. DT Bobby Brown, Arlington Lamar: This one is going to be crazy to follow in the next few weeks. A former A&M commit, Brown switched to Alabama last week but did not sign. You can bet that A&M will be working on him up until he sends his fax to one of the two schools on Feb. 7.

4. WR Jaylen Waddle, Houston Episcopal: So wide receiver is not exactly a huge need for the team but Waddle is too electric in open space to not have this high. He is the top slot in the nation and would make the expected loss of Christian Kirk to the NFL a little easier to take. This is an A&M/Alabama battle with the Aggies in good shape.

5. DT Keondre Coburn, Spring Westfield: A Texas commit, Coburn did not sign early and is still looking strongly at Texas A&M as well as TCU. The Aggies need defensive tackles and the 6-1/330 Under Armour All-American would likely see early playing time. He has been very receptive to the new staff, especially Tim Brewster.

6. S Leon O'Neal Jr., Houston Cy Springs: Like Waddle, the former A&M national top 100 commit is not at the biggest position of need for the Aggies, but he is an important recruit regardless. Even if not for his on-field talent, getting O’Neal back in the fold would be a huge PR win for Fisher and Co. as most thought when he opened things up that he would be headed to Oklahoma or Clemson. A&M is in good shape here.

7. DE Jeremiah Martin, San Bernardino (Calif.) Cajon: While Ossai will be likely be more of a pass-rusher at the next level, the 6-5/240 has proven to be very effective at it in high school, racking up quite a few sacks over the years. He currently has a top two of A&M and Oklahoma with both schools feeling cautiously optimistic.

8. ATH Vernon Jackson, Boling: Even if you don’t know exactly where to play the 6-3/245 Alabama commit, you know you will find a place. A&M likes him as a running back and he ran roughshod over some very good teams in the playoffs. He could also be a linebacker or defensive end and showed a lot more aggression on that side of the ball as a senior. He will officially visit A&M and TCU but will be tough to sway from the Tide.

9. QB James Foster, Montgomery (Ala.) Lanier: The 6-3/210 dual-threat QB should probably be higher on this list but it’s really unclear at this point how much interest has been reciprocated by Foster. He wants to take a visit to Aggieland but plays things pretty close to the vest other than that. LSU has long been thought to be the leader and you will see a lot of teams that still need QBs make a run at him as one of the top unsigned guys left.

10. RB Jashaun Corbin, Rockledge, Fla.: The all-purpose back was a one-time FSU pledge that Fisher and Co. are still very high on. He would provide speed in the backfield but it will be hard to get him out of the Southeast

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How solid is Texas A&M commit Jalen Preston? Gigem247

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Manvel (Texas) High School 4-star wide receiver Jalen Preston is still committed to Texas A&M, but he's yet to meet all of the coaches with the new staff. Until that happens, he said, considering himself a "100 percent commit" is not something set in stone.

"I'm 80 percent right now, until I take my official visit and get to meet all the coaching staff," Preston told reporters as he arrived in Orlando, Florida, Saturday for the Under Armour All-America Game. "I haven't met all the coaching staff. I've talked to them over the phone but haven't met them yet."

For those who quickly jump to panic mode, the fact that he's still strongly committed should hold some weight. And with Preston still with all five official visits available for use -- including one to Texas A&M -- the "80 percent" could skyrocket with a great trip to College Station.

Preston committed to Texas A&M on July 29, back when Kevin Sumlin was the head coach and Clarence McKinney was his primary recruiter. Now that Jimbo Fisher is running the show, Preston said he is excited about meeting the new staff. Preston said an official visit could come either the weekend of Jan. 12 or Jan. 19.

As for the contenders, Preston said he's been hearing a lot from Florida, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas. He told reporters he may take an official to Arkansas, Florida and possibly Oklahoma, but nothing has been set in stone.

Preston already was a big name in the 2018 recruiting cycle as a top-100 nationally ranked player overall and a top-20 wide receiver. His resume was padded with an outstanding performance at the UIL Class 5A Division I state championship game. In front of nearly 25,000 at AT&T Stadium, Preston caught five passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns and made a catch from a desperation heave with no time on the clock that ended up being a yard short of a game-winning touchdown in a 53-49 loss to Highland Park.

Preston finished the year with 42 catches for 876 yards and 10 touchdowns for Manvel. He also rushed for six touchdowns and had both a kickoff return and punt return for a score.

Keeping Preston committed and ultimately signing him in February is a priority for Texas A&M. Preston told reporters that while he was "a little disappointed" in the firing of Sumlin, he's been impressed with Fisher.

"I got to meet Coach Jimbo Fisher, and he's a great guy. He's one of the coaches who has a national championship," Preston said. "That's what we're talking about getting, a national championship."

Florida is a school to keep an eye on, as Preston has been in contact with another Under Armour All-American, Gators quarterback signee Emory Jones. The Gators signed 13 during the early signing period and only have one true wide receiver committed in Delray Beach, Florida, 3-star Corey Gammage, who is expected to sign a national letter of intent in February.

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4-star Joshua Moore discusses A&M, upcoming visits. Gigem247

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Yoakum, Texas, 4-star wide receiver Joshua Moore arrived in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday for Under Armour All-America Game preparation, and he's expected to be a go-to option on offense in Thursday's game. A former Nebraska commit and the younger twin brother of Texas A&M signee Jordan Moore spoke to reporters, however, about potentially being more than just a receiver at the next level. "I have a few schools that have offered me for DB instead of just wide receiver," Moore said. "Florida State wants me at athlete. Cal's offered me for DB. Tennessee's offered for DB. West Virginia's offered for DB."

As good as he was on offense for Yoakum, Moore showed throughout the season that he is an aggressive cornerback, as well. To add, Moore can be used on special teams as a punt returner and kickoff returner. As the nation's No. 86 player and No. 17 wide receiver in the 2018 class, Moore on Saturday emphatically supported seeing time on both sides of the field if a school is in favor of it. He also reiterated his intentions for taking his time with the recruiting process. He's taken two official visits already -- to Nebraska (weekend of Oct. 7) and Alabama (weekend of Oct. 21) -- and he has three remaining.

Moore said he will take an official visit to Florida State the weekend of Jan. 19 and to Oregon the following week. Oregon, he said, wants to take him as an athlete. The fifth visit is up in the air and could be granted to Texas A&M, Tennessee, Cal or Texas.

Moore's 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions lean heavily on him joining his brother at Texas A&M, but if the Aggies don't see Moore on an official visit, it wouldn't be the worst thing for Jimbo Fisher and his staff. "I've been to College Station numerous times already, from the beginning of my process until now," he said. "There's not really anything I haven't seen in College Station. I've stayed there a couple weekends with some guys on the team. There's nothing I haven't seen already." Moore added: "They came down for a home visit. We had a great talk with my mom and my dad. I'm looking forward to going down there again and meeting everyone else.

" The versatility of Moore is what makes him an attractive target. At 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, he caught 28 passes for 431 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed 35 times for 453 yards and five touchdowns for a Yoakum team that advanced to the state semifinals. Moore even threw the ball some, completing 4 of 7 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Moore told reporters that he could finalize a decision around late January or the beginning of February.

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Most likely, I read it somewhere the brothers want to play together. His brother already singed with ATM.

Interesting article, Harold Joiner, a 6’3 215 pound RB, named us one of his top schools. 247 doesn’t show he even has an offer from A&M. LINK

Isaac Taylor-Stuart tweet

Many of our commits have been using the hashtag #makethemove when tweeting at uncommitted targets they want to join them. I hope this means what I think it could mean. Although, after my Josh Lambo thread, idk

dont get your hopes up. these kids love to troll as much as we do and they love the attention. everytime i see one of our recruiting guys retweet something like that i just smh.

Plenty of CBs rolling on ITS for the good guys the last couple days

We also got a CB from peroni for Josh Moore today