August 04, 2006
Texas A&M Head Football Coach Dennis Franchione will welcome 105 Aggie football players to campus on Sunday, Aug. 6. The players are expected to be on campus in time for a team dinner that night.
?This is a very difficult time of the year for me as a head coach,? Coach Fran explained. ?We preach to our young people about the importance of team, and that includes walkons and everyone. We have many deserving young men who have worked hard in the spring and summer, but they will not be able to report on Sunday because the NCAA mandates only 105 can report before school starts. We have to balance our depth chart in order to practice.?
In addition to placekicker Matt Szymanski, who announced he was enrolling at A&M earlier this summer, Franchione announced two more late additions to the Aggie roster. Accepting scholarship offers from Texas A&M were sophomore Will Harris and freshman Corey Gibas. Harris is a defensive back from Lakewood (Ohio) High School by way of Solano (Calif.) Junior College and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Gibas is a deep snapper from Charter Oak High School in Covina, Calif. Szymanski decided to forego his senior season at A&M Consolidated High School and join the Aggies this fall.
Pierre Fleurinor, Lee Grimes, William Morrisey and Trey Ross are scholarship players and they will not be a part of the 105 players reporting.
?Pierre has been battling an illness this summer and we want him to get healthy,? Coach Fran said. ?Lee is still rehabbing his knee. We expect both of these young men to join the squad when school begins. William is taking a leave of absence to attend to some personal issues and we do not know if he will return this year. Trey has decided to transfer.?
The Aggies open fall camp on Monday with practice beginning at 4:30 p.m. All fall practices are closed to the public. Texas A&M opens the 2006 campaign against The Citadel on Sept. 2 with kickoff set for 6 p.m. at Kyle Field.