Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
Texas A&M Announces 2017 Football Signees
Feb 01, 2017 | Football
Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin announced the 27-member 2017 Signing Class at a press conference on Wednesday inside Kyle Field.
How important was it for you to add defensive line help immediately?
We set out at the beginning to increase not only our front but the profile of our front, to be bigger on the offensive line. I think we achieved that, with a full set of linemen. And then to get a better range of bodies, bigger bodies…not just mass, but length, and increase the profile of the front. There were some tough decisions made toward the end of recruiting based on that, but it worked out for us. You look at the size of a few of these guys, with (Jayden) Peevy and Josh Rogers, they're long, more Kingsley Keke-looking guys. Kingsley was not as highly recruited as some of the other guys but he's been highly effective in the SEC. So from that standpoint, and really, with losing two really elite defensive ends, to get out and zip into junior college and get one of the top pass rushers in the country (Micheal Clemons) and another highly-recruited and high-motor guy in Tyree (Johnson) to fill those needs. From our standpoint, just looking through the whole class, I think what we set out to do in front with offensive and defensive lines and then a complete set of linebackers with two of them already on campus, that was the first priority.
Four of the key guys were all committed to Baylor at one point in time. When they slowly started decommitting did you think there would be a way to get all four of them and be a big part of this class?
No. We treated them individually. We'd had relationships with all of them at one time. Some were committed to other places besides Baylor, actually. You look at Jhamon Ausbon's recruitment, and it was quite different than Kellen Mond's recruitment. It may have helped that they were roommates at IMG, and Kellen was in his ear all the time. That didn't hurt. But we treated them all differently. We had those relationships with those guys. It goes back to what I talked about at the last press conference we had. The things that are important to this class, I think it says a lot about these guys and their families. I think it says a lot about this coaching staff that these guys trusted us. We built that trust over time, not just with what happened last summer at Baylor. To have 26 guys that were really committed last year hold through that amount of time says something about the relationships that were built a long time ago. Not to lose any of those guys and add another guy today says volumes about these guys and their character and what they really want. And they want to be an Aggie. Nine of them being here already doesn't hurt, with workouts going on. Two weekends ago, our official visit weekend, we had guys in here, 12 of them were committed and 9 of those guys were already on campus. So that's 21 guys committed on one visit, with nine in school already. The camaraderie of these guys and their communication between each other became big. This is a close group. You can see it from the outside through social media but you get a better feel from the inside just talking with them.
The two area kids, Devin Morris and Roshauud Paul, have played a multitude of positions. You settled on cornerback for one and wide receiver for the other. Talk about what you see specifically from them moving forward.
It's kind of interesting. Devin was one of the first guys we targeted early last year, in January of a year ago. He was right down the road in Caldwell, just an athletic, long-limbed guy. He's a guy that was an early commit and really wanted to stay closer. Very, very talented. And then you've always got to look at Mr. Football in the state of Texas, I'll just put it that way. That guy can usually play ball. We have to figure out where to put him. He's going to start out on offense. He's electric. Anyone who's watched their last three state championship runs that they've had with the ball in his hands is something else. He's got returnability, he's got a lot of things that have an upside. He's a guy that will benefit by being here early and the ability to get into the offense, go through spring football as he makes the transition to receiver. And we'll see what happens there. Certainly he's been a very, very dynamic player at the high school level. Last time I checked they don't hand out that Mr. Football award to just anybody. He's a pretty good player.
Take us through the recruitment of Kellen Mond and what you see out of him where he may be able to compete for the position in the fall.
We had Kellen in camp a few years ago. He was extremely impressive. Our quarterback situation his sophomore year going into his junior year was a lot different then than it is now. It also kind of helped through the transfer cycle with Trevor Knight being from same high school that Kellen Mond was. We had a lot of communication going on there with David Wetzel, the high school coach. He had left the state and gone to IMG. We were actively recruiting a couple of guys there. Our relationship got back up with his dad and with Kellen. He watched Trevor, and he's got great respect for Trevor Knight. As our conversations got more and more, I think he started paying attention about coming back home and playing a little closer. You know, the opportunity is there for him, particularly as early graduate. Nick Starkel has done a great job in the offseason. He's really worked hard physically. He's got great tools. Connor Blumrick got hurt this year. But all three of those guys were Elite 11 quarterbacks. They have the ability to be good players. With Jake Hubenak being here, we've got four guys right now. We'll start practicing and start weeding things out. He's here to compete. He's said that. Connor is a little slowed by the injury but he'll get going here a little bit later. Jake and all our other guys will be in the mix. I'll say this about Kellen. Once he made his decision, he made it. He did a heck of a job also of being a voice for us with a lot of other recruits, in particular the nine guys that are here already as early enrollees.
Having Johnny Manziel in town, was that something the program coordinated or did he do that on his own, and did that add to the day?
I don't know if it added anything to day. He was in my office this morning. It's kind of a hectic deal because we have the fax machine going and got the phone going and then there's Johnny. I knew he was in town. He came by and wanted to work out and do some stuff today. What I've said before is that Johnny's an Aggie. He's always going to be an Aggie. And we're always going to be here for him. We had a conversation that was pretty pointed and pretty direct and really sincere. And where he is right now is in a good place. I think his ability to maintain being in that place is not just on him but is on everyone around him to support him. That's where I come in, that's where people in his life come in. Him being here and being the way he was this morning and being sincere, we're always going to be here for him.
Are you hearing some early returns in the weightroom from these nine players who are already on campus?
I've got to hear them because I've been gone up until last weekend. These are the first really two days I've been in the office this week. We'll be really hitting it with these guys starting next week as a coaching staff, communicating with our strength staff right now in what's changed and some of their viewpoints. I'll be able to answer that a little bit better after a little while. Some of these guys just got here. Some guys are further ahead, just like anyone else. You've got a training facility like IMG, it's a little bit different than say Bremond. Guys come in at different levels. We start spring football a month from today, March 1st. We've got another real four-week cycle of lifting and conditioning and I'll have little better feel for it at that point.
Talk about Anthony Hines, and he's talked about relationships and how you were able to create a family atmosphere.
He's a guy…it's kind of interesting. When they start bringing a guy over from the middle school to play varsity football you better pay attention to who that guy is. Obviously we have great relationships in the Plano school district and Plano East. But I think it was solidified by John Chavis and his relationships with Mr. Hines and Anthony. He's a guy we'd targeted this time a couple years ago. He kept coming to our games, our junior days, all kinds of different things. To be honest with you, we sat there on the last visit and I said you've been here so many times, you've asked all the questions, you and your mother and your dad and your sister and everyone in family. So I don't know what to tell you. I have nothing else. You have all the information. He laughed and said I sure do. I will call you in a week and I know what I want to do. That was a relationship-based recruitment over years but also I think his trust and the family's trust in John Chavis went a long way for Anthony Hines to be here. He's another guy who's here right now. I just passed him in the hallway. He's working like crazy and wanting to be on the field next year.
Last year there was a kid who committed jumping out of plane, this year a kid committed on the Eiffel Tower. What do you make of the spectacle today has become?
None of those guys came here did they? (laughing) There you go. I don't watch all that. I get it. We've had a couple commitment videos this year. You know, every year there's something. Because of social media, everyone has an opinion, whether it's right or wrong. Everyone can be an actor if they want to, I guess. I don't really get caught up in that. I guess if it's your school he's committing to, you really don't care. If you're just one of the schools that kind of flies by the screen till they get to the end, it'll kind of bug you. But we really hadn't had too much of that.
For those of us who grew up in Houston there's a last name on here that just jumps out at you. As an NBA fan how fun was it to be in that house and see those rings?
Yeah. My wife said how tall is he? You forget how big Big Shot Bob is. He's a big man. That Christmas tree has to be pretty tall for him to be in there. He and Keva are fantastic people. I spent a lot of time on Camron's official visit with Bob just talking about his mindset. When you're around a guy who has seven championships, from three different teams, from three different coaches who I consider to be great coaches, and a guy who played meaningful minutes in championship play…they don't call him Big Shot Bob for nothing. (You talk about) How that came about and what that mindset is, team chemistry, things like that. It was good for me, just to talk with him. I know it kind of slighted Camron a little bit that I was over there talking with dad the whole time (laughing). Camron is very athletic. It was important in our class with two guys who are tight end-body prospects and guys who are going to be here that give us options offensively. Real tight ends, not guys we're moving to that. Because that's a direction we want to go. We want to give ourselves some more options. We want to give ourselves some more blocking surfaces, some other pass catchers, some different formations. It was big in recruitment. He's another guy people came after hard the last few weeks. There were a lot of people in his house and a lot of confusing things. Camron's going to come in here, he looked to me he was about 255, 260 (pounds) the other day. He looks great. He will come in here and be ready to go.
You've pulled another top-rated class. What about this class makes you think able to translate that on the field where at the end of the season you're ranked the same way on the field as you are in recruiting?
These guys have a chemistry that is really, really good. You don't have a class that stays together without a bunch of guys decommitting or going other places or doing something crazy today. That didn't happen. These guys have been recruited and have relationships not only with us but with each other already that is of a championship mindset. They want to be good. They want to play for it all. They communicated with each other that way. The fact that 9 of them were early graduates speaks of that too, because you've got to get some things done in high school and be kind of focused to get that done. It's probably our most complete class across the board since we've been here, with the exception of specialists--but all kickers and punters are pretty young. We had the ability to go across the board at all positions and really double up on those positions on a big class that has guys that are going to hit the field next year and also some guys that may redshirt and build depth at those positions.
| Jhamon Ausbon | WR | 6-2 | 220 | Houston, Texas / IMG Academy (Fla.) |
| Connor Blumrick | QB | 6-5 | 200 | Pearland, Texas / Pearland |
| Camron Buckley | WR | 6-2 | 185 | Cedar Hill, Texas / Cedar Hill |
| Keldrick Carper | ATH | 6-2 | 175 | Plain Dealing, La. / Plain Dealing |
| Micheal Clemons | DE | 6-5 | 240 | Garland, Texas / Sachse / Cisco JC |
| Carson Green | OL | 6-6 | 272 | Southlake, Texas / Southlake Carroll |
| Anthony Hines III | LB | 6-3 | 220 | Plano, Texas / Plano East |
| Jared Hocker | OL | 6-6 | 301 | North Richland Hills, Texas / Birdville |
| Camron Horry | TE | 6-5 | 261 | Katy, Texas / Taylor |
| Devodrick Johnson | LB | 6-2 | 211 | Dallas, Texas / Kimball |
| Tyree Johnson | DE | 6-4 | 247 | Washington, D.C. / St. John's College (DC) |
| Hezekiah Jones | WR | 5-11 | 168 | Stafford, Texas / Stafford |
| Myles Jones | CB | 6-4 | 175 | Magnolia, Texas / Magnolia West |
| Jacob Kibodi | RB | 6-2 | 198 | Baton Rouge, La. / Christian Life Academy |
| Santino Marchiol | LB | 6-3 | 224 | Centennial, Colo. / IMG Academy (Fla.) |
| Keynel McZeal | TE | 6-2 | 220 | Port Neches, Texas / Port Neches-Groves |
| Kellen Mond | QB | 6-2 | 191 | San Antonio, Texas / IMG Academy (Fla.) |
| Dan Moore, Jr. | OL | 6-5 | 315 | Beaumont, Texas / West Brook |
| Devin Morris | CB | 6-1 | 180 | Caldwell, Texas / Caldwell |
| Roshauud Paul | WR | 6-0 | 170 | Bremond, Texas / Bremond |
| Jayden Peevy | DT | 6-6 | 279 | Bellaire, Texas / Bellaire |
| Grayson Reed | OL | 6-5 | 305 | Cypress, Texas / Cypress Creek |
| Debione Renfro | CB | 6-2 | 183 | Pearland, Texas / Pearland |
| Ondario Robinson | DE | 6-3 | 236 | Hutto, Texas / Hutto |
| Joshua Rogers | DT | 6-5 | 277 | Houston, Texas / Houston Christian |
| Derrick Tucker | S | 6-1 | 189 | Manvel, Texas / Manvel |
| Adrian Wolford | OL | 6-4 | 323 | Meeker, Okla. / Meeker |
How important was it for you to add defensive line help immediately?
We set out at the beginning to increase not only our front but the profile of our front, to be bigger on the offensive line. I think we achieved that, with a full set of linemen. And then to get a better range of bodies, bigger bodies…not just mass, but length, and increase the profile of the front. There were some tough decisions made toward the end of recruiting based on that, but it worked out for us. You look at the size of a few of these guys, with (Jayden) Peevy and Josh Rogers, they're long, more Kingsley Keke-looking guys. Kingsley was not as highly recruited as some of the other guys but he's been highly effective in the SEC. So from that standpoint, and really, with losing two really elite defensive ends, to get out and zip into junior college and get one of the top pass rushers in the country (Micheal Clemons) and another highly-recruited and high-motor guy in Tyree (Johnson) to fill those needs. From our standpoint, just looking through the whole class, I think what we set out to do in front with offensive and defensive lines and then a complete set of linebackers with two of them already on campus, that was the first priority.
Four of the key guys were all committed to Baylor at one point in time. When they slowly started decommitting did you think there would be a way to get all four of them and be a big part of this class?
No. We treated them individually. We'd had relationships with all of them at one time. Some were committed to other places besides Baylor, actually. You look at Jhamon Ausbon's recruitment, and it was quite different than Kellen Mond's recruitment. It may have helped that they were roommates at IMG, and Kellen was in his ear all the time. That didn't hurt. But we treated them all differently. We had those relationships with those guys. It goes back to what I talked about at the last press conference we had. The things that are important to this class, I think it says a lot about these guys and their families. I think it says a lot about this coaching staff that these guys trusted us. We built that trust over time, not just with what happened last summer at Baylor. To have 26 guys that were really committed last year hold through that amount of time says something about the relationships that were built a long time ago. Not to lose any of those guys and add another guy today says volumes about these guys and their character and what they really want. And they want to be an Aggie. Nine of them being here already doesn't hurt, with workouts going on. Two weekends ago, our official visit weekend, we had guys in here, 12 of them were committed and 9 of those guys were already on campus. So that's 21 guys committed on one visit, with nine in school already. The camaraderie of these guys and their communication between each other became big. This is a close group. You can see it from the outside through social media but you get a better feel from the inside just talking with them.
The two area kids, Devin Morris and Roshauud Paul, have played a multitude of positions. You settled on cornerback for one and wide receiver for the other. Talk about what you see specifically from them moving forward.
It's kind of interesting. Devin was one of the first guys we targeted early last year, in January of a year ago. He was right down the road in Caldwell, just an athletic, long-limbed guy. He's a guy that was an early commit and really wanted to stay closer. Very, very talented. And then you've always got to look at Mr. Football in the state of Texas, I'll just put it that way. That guy can usually play ball. We have to figure out where to put him. He's going to start out on offense. He's electric. Anyone who's watched their last three state championship runs that they've had with the ball in his hands is something else. He's got returnability, he's got a lot of things that have an upside. He's a guy that will benefit by being here early and the ability to get into the offense, go through spring football as he makes the transition to receiver. And we'll see what happens there. Certainly he's been a very, very dynamic player at the high school level. Last time I checked they don't hand out that Mr. Football award to just anybody. He's a pretty good player.
Take us through the recruitment of Kellen Mond and what you see out of him where he may be able to compete for the position in the fall.
We had Kellen in camp a few years ago. He was extremely impressive. Our quarterback situation his sophomore year going into his junior year was a lot different then than it is now. It also kind of helped through the transfer cycle with Trevor Knight being from same high school that Kellen Mond was. We had a lot of communication going on there with David Wetzel, the high school coach. He had left the state and gone to IMG. We were actively recruiting a couple of guys there. Our relationship got back up with his dad and with Kellen. He watched Trevor, and he's got great respect for Trevor Knight. As our conversations got more and more, I think he started paying attention about coming back home and playing a little closer. You know, the opportunity is there for him, particularly as early graduate. Nick Starkel has done a great job in the offseason. He's really worked hard physically. He's got great tools. Connor Blumrick got hurt this year. But all three of those guys were Elite 11 quarterbacks. They have the ability to be good players. With Jake Hubenak being here, we've got four guys right now. We'll start practicing and start weeding things out. He's here to compete. He's said that. Connor is a little slowed by the injury but he'll get going here a little bit later. Jake and all our other guys will be in the mix. I'll say this about Kellen. Once he made his decision, he made it. He did a heck of a job also of being a voice for us with a lot of other recruits, in particular the nine guys that are here already as early enrollees.
Having Johnny Manziel in town, was that something the program coordinated or did he do that on his own, and did that add to the day?
I don't know if it added anything to day. He was in my office this morning. It's kind of a hectic deal because we have the fax machine going and got the phone going and then there's Johnny. I knew he was in town. He came by and wanted to work out and do some stuff today. What I've said before is that Johnny's an Aggie. He's always going to be an Aggie. And we're always going to be here for him. We had a conversation that was pretty pointed and pretty direct and really sincere. And where he is right now is in a good place. I think his ability to maintain being in that place is not just on him but is on everyone around him to support him. That's where I come in, that's where people in his life come in. Him being here and being the way he was this morning and being sincere, we're always going to be here for him.
Are you hearing some early returns in the weightroom from these nine players who are already on campus?
I've got to hear them because I've been gone up until last weekend. These are the first really two days I've been in the office this week. We'll be really hitting it with these guys starting next week as a coaching staff, communicating with our strength staff right now in what's changed and some of their viewpoints. I'll be able to answer that a little bit better after a little while. Some of these guys just got here. Some guys are further ahead, just like anyone else. You've got a training facility like IMG, it's a little bit different than say Bremond. Guys come in at different levels. We start spring football a month from today, March 1st. We've got another real four-week cycle of lifting and conditioning and I'll have little better feel for it at that point.
Talk about Anthony Hines, and he's talked about relationships and how you were able to create a family atmosphere.
He's a guy…it's kind of interesting. When they start bringing a guy over from the middle school to play varsity football you better pay attention to who that guy is. Obviously we have great relationships in the Plano school district and Plano East. But I think it was solidified by John Chavis and his relationships with Mr. Hines and Anthony. He's a guy we'd targeted this time a couple years ago. He kept coming to our games, our junior days, all kinds of different things. To be honest with you, we sat there on the last visit and I said you've been here so many times, you've asked all the questions, you and your mother and your dad and your sister and everyone in family. So I don't know what to tell you. I have nothing else. You have all the information. He laughed and said I sure do. I will call you in a week and I know what I want to do. That was a relationship-based recruitment over years but also I think his trust and the family's trust in John Chavis went a long way for Anthony Hines to be here. He's another guy who's here right now. I just passed him in the hallway. He's working like crazy and wanting to be on the field next year.
Last year there was a kid who committed jumping out of plane, this year a kid committed on the Eiffel Tower. What do you make of the spectacle today has become?
None of those guys came here did they? (laughing) There you go. I don't watch all that. I get it. We've had a couple commitment videos this year. You know, every year there's something. Because of social media, everyone has an opinion, whether it's right or wrong. Everyone can be an actor if they want to, I guess. I don't really get caught up in that. I guess if it's your school he's committing to, you really don't care. If you're just one of the schools that kind of flies by the screen till they get to the end, it'll kind of bug you. But we really hadn't had too much of that.
For those of us who grew up in Houston there's a last name on here that just jumps out at you. As an NBA fan how fun was it to be in that house and see those rings?
Yeah. My wife said how tall is he? You forget how big Big Shot Bob is. He's a big man. That Christmas tree has to be pretty tall for him to be in there. He and Keva are fantastic people. I spent a lot of time on Camron's official visit with Bob just talking about his mindset. When you're around a guy who has seven championships, from three different teams, from three different coaches who I consider to be great coaches, and a guy who played meaningful minutes in championship play…they don't call him Big Shot Bob for nothing. (You talk about) How that came about and what that mindset is, team chemistry, things like that. It was good for me, just to talk with him. I know it kind of slighted Camron a little bit that I was over there talking with dad the whole time (laughing). Camron is very athletic. It was important in our class with two guys who are tight end-body prospects and guys who are going to be here that give us options offensively. Real tight ends, not guys we're moving to that. Because that's a direction we want to go. We want to give ourselves some more options. We want to give ourselves some more blocking surfaces, some other pass catchers, some different formations. It was big in recruitment. He's another guy people came after hard the last few weeks. There were a lot of people in his house and a lot of confusing things. Camron's going to come in here, he looked to me he was about 255, 260 (pounds) the other day. He looks great. He will come in here and be ready to go.
You've pulled another top-rated class. What about this class makes you think able to translate that on the field where at the end of the season you're ranked the same way on the field as you are in recruiting?
These guys have a chemistry that is really, really good. You don't have a class that stays together without a bunch of guys decommitting or going other places or doing something crazy today. That didn't happen. These guys have been recruited and have relationships not only with us but with each other already that is of a championship mindset. They want to be good. They want to play for it all. They communicated with each other that way. The fact that 9 of them were early graduates speaks of that too, because you've got to get some things done in high school and be kind of focused to get that done. It's probably our most complete class across the board since we've been here, with the exception of specialists--but all kickers and punters are pretty young. We had the ability to go across the board at all positions and really double up on those positions on a big class that has guys that are going to hit the field next year and also some guys that may redshirt and build depth at those positions.
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
ATH
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ FootballOne-on-One: Adam Cushing
Thursday, September 11
The Aggie Football Hour (Ep 3)
Wednesday, September 10
The Pulse #12.2 | Family Over Everything
Wednesday, September 10
One-on-One: Will Lee III
Wednesday, September 10
