re: Official 2018 Recruiting Thread

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Perroni: Texas A&M recruiting weekends

After almost a month hiatus, the recruiting calendar is back in full swing. The 'dead period' ended at midnight as the day switched from Thursday to Friday this week, meaning that coaches can be on the road again and players can take official visits. The current period lasts through Feb. 4 and then it becomes a dead period again just before Signing Day.

Texas A&M's visitor list this weekend is admittedly light but that might not be the worst thing in the world. The Aggies still need to fill out their coaching staff and, with four weekends left before signing day, a lot of schools try to position themselves to get the final visit.

This weekend, the lone scheduled visitor right now is River Ridge (La.) John Curtis tight end Glenn Beal. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder has a final Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M. However, the first two may not have room for him. Beal has only visited Tennessee so far so he is understandably very high on the Vols. This weekend will be the Aggies' chance to impress him and cut into that lead.

One other tight end - Matt Alaimo of New Jersey - is tentatively scheduled to visit next weekend. He could possibly commit to Auburn this weekend, though, and shut things down.

Another - Leonard Taylor of Ohio - will be at Louisville this weekend but, prior to the trip, is supposed to receive a visit from Tim Brewster and set up a visit to A&M. Next weekend, Jan. 19-21, has several visitors set already.

In addition to Alaimo, three of the Aggies' four unsigned commitments will be in town. They are the Manvel trio of Jalen Preston, Brian Johnson and Deneric Prince. National top 100 wide receiver Jacob Copeland out of Florida has scheduled a visit, too, though Alabama is consider the current favorite.

Another running back - former Florida State fullback commit Charles Strong - is also set to be in College Station. The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder also has trips to Ole Miss and Arkansas planned for the following weekends.

The other big name on the list is junior college defensive end Dorian Gerald. The former Tennessee pledge is very high on Florida right now and is set to visit the Gators the final weekend but it will not hurt to get him on campus.

The following weekend, Jan. 25-27, has one visitor scheduled as of now but it is a big one. A&M only has one quarterback target out there and it is James Foster out of Alabama. The four-star dual-threat is scheduled to be in Aggieland that weekend. Foster has not taken any visits yet. He will be at LSU, the perceived leader, this coming weekend and then Alabama the following. Foster will close things out with a trip to Florida State the final weekend prior to signing day.

A&M's final weekend, Feb. 2-4, will see the Aggies host Boling athlete and current Alabama pledge Vernon Jackson. It is big for the Aggies to get the final visit there. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder will be at Texas this coming weekend, Alabama the next and TCU the one after. There is definitely some momentum in A&M's favor with him.

As the new assistant coaches, as well as Jimbo Fisher, hit the road over the next few weeks, there will definitely be some names added to each of the upcoming weekends. Some possible names are defensive tackle Keondre Coburn, defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, running back Jashaun Corbin, wide receiver Geordon Porter, tight end Spencer Webb and linebacker Javontae Jean-Baptiste. There will be other linebackers emerge as well. For now, though, there are still some big visits for A&M fans to watch

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Preferred walkon

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Former Houston Christian quarterback Shane Johnson, who is now at Snow College in Utah, has committed to the Aggies as a preferred walk-on. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore had previously committed to Kent State but did not sign in December.
Johnson helped lead Snow to a 10-1 record this season, throwing for 2,135 yards and 20 touchdowns while running for another 577 yards and seven scores. He will have three years to play two in Aggieland.

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Texas A&M VIP recruiting notes

The dead period is now over, and expect the Texas A&M coaches to jump back on the prowl once again.

As our Steve Wiltfong first reported, defensive coordinator made a trip to the Houston area to visit 4-star safety Leon O'Neal Jr. today. It's a smart move, as O'Neal has the Aggies, Oklahoma, Georgia and Clemson in his top four. The good news for the Aggies is that O'Neal, who originally was planning an official visit to Georgia this weekend, has decided against it. This is a recruiting race that seems to strongly favor Texas A&M. The biggest competition, arguably, is Oklahoma -- which has already poached 4-star linebacker DaShaun White from the Aggies.

Dorian Gerald
GigEm247 first reported College of the Canyons (California) 3-star defensive end Dorian Gerald setting his official visit to Texas A&M the weekend of Jan. 19. Gerald is the nation's top-ranked JUCO strong-side defensive end -- and he's a major need for an Aggies program looking to beef up its defensive line class. Florida made a stop to visit Gerald today, and the Gators will host Gerald on an official visit the weekend of Feb. 2. Tennessee was once a heavy favorite in this race, but the Aggies, the Gators, Ole Miss and Louisville all like the positions they are in. Gerald said he plans on announcing a top five "very, very soon."

Brian Williams
In speaking with those close to 5-star 2019 defensive back Brian Williams, the Aggies are now a legit front-runner and major contender in landing him. Williams is the nation's No. 1 safety and No. 13 player overall. The reason for the rise in interest? Mike Elko. Williams was very interested in Notre Dame when Elko was there, as Elko is a defensive coordinator who has a true appreciation for building secondary units. Williams, per the source, wasn't considering Texas A&M under the old staff, but he has a great relationship with Elko and has tons of respect for coach Jimbo Fisher. Notre Dame is still a player in Williams' recruiting race, as are Stanford and Texas. Oklahoma also is a team to watch. The advantages for Texas A&M are proximity and educational value. Texas A&M is roughly three hours away from his home, and he has interest in majoring in engineering. Look for Williams to commit after making spring traveling plans. He isn't someone who enjoys the limelight, so a commitment could come unexpectedly. Williams would be a monster get for the Aggies.

Javontae Jean-Baptiste
Linebackers are still a much-needed priority for Texas A&M, and the Aggies are working to land New Jersey 4-star Javontae Jean-Baptiste. He picked up an offer from Texas A&M on Tuesday. That same day, however, Jean-Baptiste scored an offer from Ohio State, and he's set up an official visit to Columbus next weekend. This doesn't look like a recruiting battle the Aggies will win; however, if the Aggies can somehow pull it off, they'll get a 6-foot-5, 215-pounder who recorded 88 tackles and 11.5 sacks this past season. Ohio State is trending, but you can bet Fisher and his staff will continue fighting.

Nicholas Bolton
And speaking of linebackers, 3-star Nicholas Bolton is still available if the Aggies want to extend an offer. The former Washington commit said he hasn't heard much from the new staff, but he is still interested in playing for the Aggies. Bolton is listed at 6-foot and 232 pounds, and his height has played a role in him not getting additional offers. TCU has shown interest in him as of late, and he is working on setting up an official visit to Indiana and possibly Utah. Bolton had 111 tackles during his junior season. He ended his senior season with more than 130 tackles. He bench presses 350 pounds, and he's run the 40-yard dash for Kansas coaches in 4.57 seconds

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In speaking with those close to 5-star 2019 defensive back Brian Williams, the Aggies are now a legit front-runner and major contender in landing him. Williams is the nation's No. 1 safety and No. 13 player overall.

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GB15 @G__beal
Big announcement monday????

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Perroni CB him to A&M

Beal came into the visit weekend with Tennessee as his leader but, as expected, I am hearing A&M has made a huge impression since the Vols are the only program he had previously visited. Beal has a top five but Alabama and LSU are not really options right now so it's A&M, Ole Miss and Tennessee. He has an official set to Ole Miss next weekend but A&M feels good about where they stand. Beal could very well be the TE in the class. I don't think he will commit before leaving but I'm also not ruling it out.

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WTF happened with Ossai? Mods on TA made it clear keep Terry you keep Ossai. Now Ossai seems like a tu lock.

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