August 05, 2002
Texas A&M football coach R.C. Slocum welcomed 20 scholarship freshmen and nine invited walkons to campus Monday as the Aggies make preparations for the first freshman practice scheduled for Tuesday morning.
The 29 players spent Monday moving into the dormitory and meeting their teammates before receiving medical evaluations and equipment fitting at Kyle Field.
"This is an exciting time and a turning point in a young man's life," Slocum said. "Many of them are leaving home for the first time. They are off at college and it's fun for us to have them here as a part of our program."
Slocum says this is one of the most talented freshman classes he has had and he couples that with an overall team talent level that he says is one of the best.
"This is a talented group," Slocum said. "We have quite a number of individuals that when you look at them, you can say, 'that's a talented athlete.' This is one of the more athletic groups we've had here. Talent level has a lot to do with the potential of your success. I think the overall talent level on this team is higher than it was a year ago."
Not reporting with the previously inked freshmen was Nick Rhodes, a wide receiver from Brownwood, Texas. Rhodes recently underwent shoulder surgery and may not be able to compete this fall.
"(Rhodes) can come when school starts," Slocum said. "Even if we were start his rehab here he would count against our 105 limit. He's not ready to practice and now we are thinking of him in terms of a red-shirt candidate."
Slocum also announced the addition of wide receiver Anthony Wright to the scholarship list. Wright, who originally signed a letter of intent with Colorado, is a 6-foot-3, 200 pound, true freshman from Klein Forest High School in Houston.
"(Wright's) eligible to play," Slocum said. "He signed initially with Colorado and in light of a situation they had there, they released some players. I've checked on his involvement and he was just in a bad place at the wrong time."
As a senior, Wright garnered SuperPrep All-America honors, as the magazine ranked him as the No. 27 receiver in the nation. Rivals.com pegged him as the No. 30 receiver in the land, while Prep Football Report selected him to its preseason All-America squad and to its postseason all-southwest team.
During last season, he caught 50 passes for 754 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 15.9 yards per catch, and in addition he rushed 25 times for 211 yards and another score. He also returned 10 kickoffs for 192 yards.
Slocum also announced that he will be inviting fans to watch the Aggies workout at the grass practice fields over the next three weeks leading to game week. He will be incorporating a similar policy that has been used the past several years during spring training. Fans should check for the specific practice schedule daily on AggieAthletics.com.
Freshman players will participate in two practices on Tuesday at 8:40 a.m. and at 4:30 p.m. at the grass practice facility.