COLLEGE STATION--Texas A&M basketball coach Billy Kennedy inked a consensus top-five signing class Wednesday, one which is ranked No. 2 by many of the major recruiting services and widely regarded as the best class in the history of the program.
| Tyler Davis | Fr. | C | 6-10 | 270 | Plano, Texas (Plano West HS) |
| Admon Gilder | Fr. | SG | 6-3 | 185 | Dallas, Texas (Madison HS) |
| DJ Hogg | Fr. | F | 6-7 | 195 | Plano, Texas (Plano West HS) |
| Elijah Thomas | Fr. | C/F | 6-9 | 240 | Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster HS) |
What They're Saying | Press Conference Quotes | Signing Day Central
Tyler Davis
“Tyler is the first guy who committed to us in this class and really got this whole thing going,” Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. “He's from a great family and great school at Plano West. On the court he's a big body guy who can score around the basket and also step out and make a 15-footer. He does so many things well. He's got a great motor and can pass the ball, but one of the biggest things I like about him is he's got a nastiness and a toughness about him on the court.”
Ranked as five-star prospect by Scout and a four-star prospect by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals, Davis is also regarded as the No. 20 player in the country by ESPN and No. 25 by Scout. Additionally, he is an ESPN Top 100 recruit who is considered the No. 7 center recruit in the country by 247, ESPN and Scout.
“What I like about Tyler Davis is his toughness and his ability to lock down his area from a rebounding stand point,” Evan Daniels, Scout.com director of basketball recruiting, said. “He's an enforcer in the paint but you can also throw him the ball and he can bully some guys and score in the paint. He's a guy that's really going to impact the Aggies' front court.”
Davis attended Frisco Liberty High School as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Plano West High School for his junior year. Will be hitting the court for the first time this season for the Wolves after sitting out last season per UIL rules.
During AAU competition, Davis is a member of the Texas Titans, where he averaged 15.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and just under two blocks per contest while helping the Titans make a final four appearance in the 2014 Nike Elite Youth Basketball playoffs. Played AAU alongside current Aggies Avery Johnson and Alex Robinson.
Played for the USA West Team at the 2014 Nike Global Challenge and also competed in the LeBron James Skills Academy.
Davis chose Texas A&M over Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas.
Admon Gilder
“Admon is a combo guard who can really score,” Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. “He's in the mold of Dominique Kirk and Donald Sloan, a guard who can play any of the one, two or three spots. He's won two state championships, so he's a winner who does everything on the court well.”
A prolific scorer, Gilder is considered a four-star prospect by 247 Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout. The Dallas native is a member of ESPN's Top 100 and is ranked by the outlet as the No.6 prospect in Texas as well as the No. 17 shooting guard in the country.
“He's a guy that can really shoot the basketball,” Evan Daniels, Scout.com director of basketball recruiting, said. “He's wired to put up points and score, that's what is in his DNA and what he does best.”
A three-year basketball letterwinner entering his senior year at Dallas Madison, Gilder has also participated in both cross country and track and field. He was selected All-State following both his sophomore and junior campaigns as the Trojans captured back-to-back state titles on the court, with Gilder earning state title game MVP honors last spring.
Gilder has seen his offensive production rise from 15 points per game during the 2011-12 season, when he earned District 11 3-A Freshman of the Year honors, to 22 points per game as a sophomore and 26 points per game as a junior. He earned District MVP honors as both a sophomore and junior, highlighted by a career best 43-point effort against Dallas Carter High School last year. A standout in the classroom as well, Gilder is a member of the National Honor Society.
During AAU competition, Gilder is a member of the Dallas Mustangs.
Gilder picked Texas A&M over Baylor, Oklahoma State and SMU.
DJ Hogg
“I really think D.J. is the best shooter in the country,” Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. “He can put it on the floor as well as do a lot of things on the perimeter but the one thing he really excels at is shooting the ball and scoring. He comes from a great family and will be a great Aggie. We're excited about him joining our program.”
The 6-foot-7 athlete is ranked as a four-star prospect and top-35 national recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout. Both 247 and ESPN regard Hogg as the third-highest ranked player in the state of Texas, while ESPN slots him as the seventh best small forward prospect nationally.
“D.J. Hogg is one of the premier shooters in the 2015 class,” Evan Daniels, Scout.com director of basketball recruiting, said. “At 6-foot-7, he obviously has nice size for a perimeter player and his ability to rip the net from long range is top notch. There are not many guys in the 2015 class that can shoot like him.”
Currently, Hogg is a senior at Plano West Senior High School in Plano, Texas, where he earned All-State honors last spring while playing for head coach Anthony Morgan. Additionally, Hogg helped lead the Wolves to a district championship last season, averaging 20.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game to garner All-District MVP honors, as well as first team Dallas Morning News All-Area accolades.
During AAU competition, Hogg is a member of the Texas Titans, where he played alongside current Aggie players Avery Johnson and Alex Robinson. Hogg shined at the 2014 Nike Global Challenge, earning a spot on the USA All-Tournament Team.
Hogg chose Texas A&M over Arizona, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas and UCLA.
Elijah Thomas
“Elijah is a very versatile player and one of the first guys we offered a scholarship to three years ago,” Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. “He comes from a great family and basketball program at Lancaster High School. Elijah is a big forward who can score around the basket with either hand and, for a man his size, he can really pass and handle the ball. He plays with a great deal of intensity, knows his strengths and has tremendous feet around the basket, allowing him to really attack the rim.”
The 6-foot-9 power forward/center is listed as a five-star prospect by Rivals and a four-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Scout. Additionally, 247 and ESPN regard Thomas as the No. 2 prospect in Texas as well as 247's No. 6 center prospect nationally.
“Elijah's biggest strength is his ability to score on the block,” Evan Daniels, Scout.com director of basketball recruiting, said. “He's got very good hands, a great touch and he's very aggressive with his moves, but he's also able to step out and make a mid-range jump shot. I think Elijah is really going to have a major impact with his scoring and also with his area rebounding.”
A member of ESPN's Top 100, Thomas is entering his senior season at Lancaster High School and competes on the AAU circuit with Texas Elite.
Thomas chose Texas A&M over Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma State and SMU.
What They're Saying...
"What Billy Kennedy and his staff has done is incredibly impressive. You have to give the assistants -- Kyle Keller and Rick Stansbury -- a ton of credit as well. As a group, they have compiled one of the best recruiting classes in the country -- and have done it with in-state kids. This group will help make Texas A&M relevant nationally again -- soon."
--Jeff Goodman, ESPN Basketball Insider
"Texas A&M's 2015 recruiting class has made the Aggies nationally relevant. This program was on solid footing before adding several commitments but the new blood that decided to pledge to Billy Kennedy will make College Station sizzle for seasons to come. Don't be surprised if this class makes A&M an upper tier SEC team in the near the future."
--Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports College Basketball Insider
"Texas A&M completely transformed the talent level in the program with this class. Four top-100 prospects, three guys right on the cusp of that five-star range -- and none of them fell right into A&M's lap, either. The Aggies beat out high-level programs for these players. Davis and Thomas will be a dominant inside duo from day one, Hogg is a knockdown shooter, and Gilder can score from the perimeter. With these four players as the core moving forward, A&M's future looks bright.”
--Jeff Borzello, ESPN College Basketball Insider
“This is unquestionably Billy Kennedy's best class at Texas A&M. This is a group of players that can impact the program in a major way. Reeling in these types of recruits is going to lead to a lot of wins for the Aggies.”
--Evan Daniels, Scout.com Director of Basketball Recruiting
“This Texas A&M recruiting class packs a strong punch in terms of individual talent and collective power. All four are ESPN top 100 prospects and that's a hard list to make, all reside from the state of Texas and have played together and know each other very well and that matters when they step on the floor next season. Billy Kennedy and his staff has assembled a group that can impact the program with their talent along his coaching acumen.”
--Paul Biancardi, ESPN.com National Director of Recruiting
Press Conference Quotes: Billy Kennedy
Opening Statement…Thoughts on opening season this week and the recruiting class
“It's a great time of the year to be a basketball coach, especially at A&M. Great day today, we added four quality young men and really good players that we are excited about. We're relieved to finally get them signed and behind us. Our staff and our players just did a tremendous job selling the university and our program. It's been a three-year grind in putting this together and we are excited about that. We got the (Northwestern State) Demons coming in here Friday and our guys are getting ready to play. Basketball season is here and it's a great time of the year.”
On the biggest key to landing four high quality guys out of Dallas…
“Just time, you know, we recruited these guys for years. Getting Alex Robinson and Avery Johnson and Jordan Green and Antwan Space, four Dallas guys, we were able to develop a relationship with them the last three years that impacted this class.”
On the selling points for this class…
“Relationships. I know these kids, I know their parents, I know their brothers and sisters. Kyle (Keller) did a really good job with D.J. Hogg and Tyler Davis. We have been recruiting these guys for a long time. I think that's the biggest thing with college basketball recruiting, and its getting that way in every sport, it's about the relationships you build with them over the years. We should get these kids. I said this at the SEC Media Day, we are Texas A&M University; I think we should get the best players in the state. It may not be every year but we should be right there.”
On the challenges Northwestern State presents…
“They were 12-6 in the Southland Conference last year, won the championship couple of years ago. Jalan West is probably one of the better guards in the country, not just the Southland. They beat Auburn last year, Jalan, I think had 30 points. This is an up tempo team that can score. They are smaller than us and hopefully we can take advantage of that. Mike McConathy has won a lot of games the last few years and we have been competing against each other for a while. They will come in excited to play and present a lot of challenges for us.”