re: Official 2018 Recruiting Thread

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White made it official

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Texas A&M has 14 commitments – 10 that have signed and four that have not. Here is where things stand with a number of the top remaining targets.

We’ll start off with the potential bad news. At a position of need, A&M may be fighting an uphill battle to hold on to defensive end commit Tyree Wilson. Where he potentially ends up, though, depends on who you ask. Some people in East Texas think he is TCU-bound. Some schools feel he could commit to Arkansas on his official visit mid-month. If he has not switched his pledge by the end of the month and still makes the visit to Texas, the Longhorns could even possibly sway him but they have some ground to make up. Wilson is not for sure gone but A&M is going to have to work very, very hard to keep him in the fold. If I were to make a prediction today, it would be that he ends up elsewhere, though. As for the Manvel trio, I expect them all to sign with A&M, if A&M wants them to sign. Arkansas is making a play for Brian Johnson and Deneric Prince and that could be an option for them but if Fisher and Co. want them in the class, look for them to join Jalen Preston in inking with the Aggies in February.

One player that was actually very close to an A&M commitment recently was Yoakum wide receiver Joshua Moore. However, the Aggies simply don’t have room to take another outside receiver and aren’t convinced he can play corner. Barring a last-minute change of heart by Fisher and Co., don’t look for him to end up at A&M with his twin brother. Texas is making a late push and he is visiting Austin this coming weekend but both Florida State and Oregon have positioned themselves well too.

A&M’s lone remaining target at wide receiver is Houston Episcopal slot Jaylen Waddle. The nation’s top slot receiver is an Aggie-Tide battle and we still continue to hear that A&M has a very big lead. Waddle plans to wait until National Signing Day on Feb. 7 to announce but things look good for the Aggies.

A&M is also still in very good shape with national top 100 safety Leon O’Neal. More than one player at the Army Bowl said the former Aggie commit was recruiting them and it’s a good assumption that is was on behalf of A&M. The timing of O’Neal’s commitment isn’t as set as Waddle’s but we should know beforehand when he plans to do it. He has talked about a potential Clemson visit but I doubt that actually happens. There is still some confusion as to if O’Neal’s recent visit to A&M was an official or not but, either way, I’d bet he makes it up to Aggieland at some point again this month.

There has been a lot of talk lately about four-star defensive end Joseph Ossai, the state’s top-ranked pass rusher. I can only speak for my sources and the digging that I have done but everything I have been told is that no commitment has been made and that things still look good for A&M. Ossai still plans to wait until Signing Day to publicly announce his commitment and the thinking with a lot of people around him right now is that it will likely be the Aggies, though Texas has never given up and is doing its best to land him. Elko and Montgomery will need to quickly make their way to Oak Ridge after the dead period ends this coming Friday. Even though Ossai had Notre Dame in his final three and took a visit to South Bend, Elko was not his recruiter so it will basically be a new relationship they have to form. Ossai and his sister still plan to attend the same school but, talking to a source on Monday night, it does not sound like she plans to enroll this semester anymore. So, that won’t be able to be used as a potential spoiler.

This weekend will be a big one for A&M fans to watch as five-star cornerback Isaac Tayor-Stuart uses his official visit to USC. He has long publicly listed A&M and Alabama as his top two but people connected on the West Coast have always said the Trojans were the team to watch. That being said, the Army Bowl was a great set-up for A&M in that Taylor-Stuart and O’Neal were practically inseparable. Lots of USC commits were also in his ear but he and O’Neal really bonded at the Opening over the summer. Fisher had planned to use his in-home in December but was unable to before the dead period began and that is actually probably a good thing. The head coach has spoken with the five-star corner a lot but their first meeting will come at some point after his visit to USC and could help mitigate any momentum the Trojans gain.

Nothing much has really changed with four-star California defensive end Jeremiah Martin. Though he has a potential visit set up to Washington, he seems to want to leave the West Coast and everybody believes it is an A&M/Oklahoma battle. In talking with several West Coast folks during the Army Bowl week, there seemed to be a lot of thought that the Aggies were the leaders for him.

A&M is still after Texas defensive tackle commit Keondre Coburn but, as of now, he has not set up official visits to anywhere. He has taken his trip to Austin but that is it so far. A&M needs to get him on campus and make sure guys like Max Wright and O’Neal also make their way to town unofficially that same weekend.

Boling athlete and Alabama commit Vernon Jackson plans to visit A&M, TCU and Texas but I’m not sure there are dates set for the first two schools just yet. I believe Texas is expecting him one of the final two weekends. Nothing has changed much with him and the longer he goes as an Alabama commit, the more likely I think he is to stick with his pledge. However, the Aggies should at least get a shot to make an impression on him with an official.

Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo is a typical Katy kid in that he doesn’t talk much about recruiting. With him having taken no visits and a lot of offers having just come in, the process is almost brand new to him. Ojomo plans to release a top group soon, as well as his visit dates, and it is a good bet that A&M, Oregon and Texas make the cut. The Aggies are also still keeping a close eye on Katy Taylor defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia, who has seen a bunch of new offers as of late. He was offered by Notre Dame under Elko.

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