Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin announced the signing of 25 to national letters of intent on Wednesday's National Signing Day.
| Jay Bradford |
RB
|
5-11
|
192
|
Splendora, Texas/Splendora HS |
| Kendall Bussey |
RB
|
5-9
|
200
|
New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman HS |
| DeShawn Capers-Smith |
DB
|
6-0
|
180
|
New Orleans, La./Warren Easton HS |
| +Jordan Davis |
TE
|
6-5
|
255
|
Clear Lake, Texas/Clear Lake HS |
| Justin Dunning |
DB
|
6-4
|
206
|
Whitehouse, Texas/Whitehouse HS |
| Landis Durham |
LB
|
6-3
|
232
|
Plano, Texas/Plano East HS |
| Roney Elam |
DB
|
6-2
|
173
|
Newton, Texas/Newton HS |
| Trevor Elbert |
OL
|
6-6
|
310
|
Rockwall, Texas/Heath HS |
| +Justin Evans |
DB
|
6-0
|
193
|
Wiggins, Miss./Stone HS/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC |
| Riley Garner |
LB
|
6-3
|
225
|
College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated HS |
| +Claude George |
LB
|
6-2
|
235
|
Lafayette, La./Acadiana HS/Hutchinson (Kan.) CC |
| Kingsley Keke |
DL
|
6-3
|
308
|
Richmond, Texas/George Ranch HS |
| +Christian Kirk |
WR
|
5-11
|
191
|
Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro HS |
| Daniel LaCamera |
PK/P
|
6-4
|
215
|
Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake HS |
| Connor Lanfear |
OL
|
6-6
|
289
|
Buda, Texas/Hays HS |
| James Lockhart |
DL
|
6-3
|
255
|
Ennis, Texas/Ennis HS |
| Daylon Mack |
DL
|
6-1
|
320
|
Gladewater, Texas/Gladewater HS |
| Erik McCoy |
OL
|
6-4
|
304
|
Lufkin, Texas/Lufkin HS |
| +Richard Moore |
LB
|
6-1
|
210
|
Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill HS |
| Kyler Murray |
QB
|
5-11
|
185
|
Allen, Texas/Allen HS |
| Larry Pryor |
DB
|
6-0
|
195
|
Sulphur Springs, Texas/Sulphur Springs HS |
| +Damion Ratley |
WR
|
6-2
|
188
|
Yoakum, Texas/Yoakum HS/Blinn JC |
| Kemah Siverand |
WR
|
6-1
|
190
|
Cypress, Texas/Cypress Ridge HS |
| +Keaton Sutherland |
OL
|
6-7
|
294
|
Flower Mound, Texas/Marcus HS |
| Dwaine Thomas |
LB
|
6-2
|
218
|
Boutte, La./Hahnville HS |
| + denotes early enrollee | ||||
KEVIN SUMLIN NATIONAL SIGNING DAY QUOTES
“Today we're here to talk about signing day. It's kind of funny. There are 128 programs I guess now and I don't think there's going to be one guy that gets up at this time of day and says they had a bad class. There's a lot of work put into it. We have addressed our needs as a program. What we set out to do this year was to really add athleticism and depth. You've heard me say before…what we've learned in this league is that it's not just a talent league, it's a talent and depth league. Last year we were able to sign a class where we signed 22, and 14 freshmen saw the field for us last year. The good thing about that is out of those 14, there will be 14 sophomores this year. That's one year of experience.
“This group here that we've signed addressed our needs across the board…the quarterback position, we got a couple of running backs, which we needed, (we got) two very, very good ones. The thing that gets overshadowed here are the four outstanding offensive linemen that were highly recruited that really come in and add to a class last year that was excellent. To back that up with these four offensive linemen gives us a real solid group. When we start looking the classes of guys as a coach it's not just this class and not only guys that were able to play (last year), but guys you were able to redshirt in the offensive line that give us depth and quality depth for some time. Obviously (with) receivers we did well there. Defensively, everyone knows what we set out to do. We answered a bunch of our needs there. Some of the guys that we talked about here have been overshadowed because they were committed for a long time. (Guys like) Justin Dunning, Roney Elam, guys who could have gone anywhere they wanted to. They didn't get the drama but they are excellent players.
“This class is really a stabilizing class. It has some excellent players in there. We've signed as many as 27 or 29 in one year. We signed the first year I think 19. This one is right in the middle of the road at 25. As a program starts to stabilize with numbers across the board, that's probably where you're going to be. We're extremely pleased with the quality of this class.”
How important of a signee is Kyler Murray, not only because of his talent but because of your need at quarterback?
“You just said it (laughing). He's good and we needed a quarterback. I talk about this all the time. Commitment is a two-way street. When we offered Kyler last spring and he decided to commit in the summer, the quarterback situation was different because Kenny (Hill) was still here. We would have had three quarterbacks on the roster. As we went through the recruiting process it became real clear that Kyler was with us during the season. A lot has been said late in the process about what happened and unofficial visits, but the truth is this. A lot of people will get in a commit's ear, a recruit's ear, and the depth chart becomes a recruiting tool. He had a number of schools, two or three of them, not just one, that showed the depth chart and said you can play right now. When you've got a young guy that's won 43 straight games and three straight championships and all he's done is play, that starts to sound pretty good. Our message to him was hey, listen. The same reasons you committed here last summer and the same things that were important to you are still the same. In fact with the departure of Kenny they're even better for you right now. It doesn't make any sense for you to change that. He understands competition, he understands what this program is built on. That conversation was something that had to be had, and after that things got back to normal. And he's an Aggie for all the right reasons.”
Talk about the impact of your new assistants on recruiting, particularly John Chavis…
“Obviously John has done a great job since he's been here. Twitter has pretty much documented our travels for the last couple of weeks. Some guys we got in on late, and some we got in on and had a chance. We were able to solidify some things with other players. He's already had an impact on recruiting, and I look for that to continue to have an impact on what we do. There's been a lot going on since I saw you guys last, the first of the year. Recruiting coaches, recruiting players. I'm going to let these guys get a couple of days off and get their families settled. Next Monday we'll start getting into schemes and football and getting back with our team and starting to prepare and get ready for spring football. It starts in less than a month. These guys hit the ground running, they all had the opportunity to get involved in the recruiting process at their position. Dave (Christensen) was able to go out and see all the linemen early to solidify those guys. Coach (Aaron) Moorehead got in a lot of people's homes and settled them down and closed out a great wide receiver class. All three have had an impact on recruiting already. I don't look for that to change. And as they get more comfortable in their areas I look for it to get even better.”
Talk about the addition of Daylon Mack…
“Daylon is a guy that was similar to Kyler in the fact he was an early commitment. Things change throughout the season. I had to make some tough decisions during that time. Daylon and his family wanted to see what would happen defensively. The addition of John Chavis did nothing but help solidify this commitment. He came back on his official two weeks ago, and when he left Sunday he told me he was coming. You guys know by now I keep secrets pretty well. Monday night he called again and told me he was coming. Those are decisions that have to be made with the family, and for all the right reasons. Daylon saw where the situation at Texas A&M got better for him personally and again he came here for all the right reasons.”
Talk about the conversations you have had with Kyler on both baseball here at A&M and playing professionally…
“That was part of the conversation the other night also. He's very, very talented. I think he's the only player that's been an Under Armour All-American in both baseball and football. He's going to have some draft opportunities, it's just a matter of how high. Like most families they'll probably set a number, and if they get to that number they'll have to make that decision. We've had other players involved in that, Kenny Hill, and Kohl Stewart was on the other side of that. There are different scenarios. That's a family decision. We have also discussed playing baseball in the spring here. We've also discussed summer league baseball. Baseball has been part of the conversation. We've got pretty good intel here on what's going on and so do they, so from a communication standpoint that's what's going to happen and we'll figure it out then.”
I know you don't guarantee starting positions, but do you say you have a chance to earn the starting job?
“It's pretty simple, we've only got two quarterbacks so he's going to get to play. So that I could promise him. The other thing I could promise him is you've got a situation where this program is built on competition. There was probably no greater example of that than last year. It's not like we're making stuff up. We've never promised anybody here, not even Myles Garrett, that they would start…which was hard for me to bite my tongue and not say that. I think our players who are here understand that and the guys coming in understand that. It's the same conversation we had with Kyle Allen. If you win the starting job against Arizona State, you'll have to keep competing. The other guy is not going to give in. And if you don't win the starting job against Arizona State, you need to keep competing, because you will always have that chance here. You're more than just one play away in this program. Competition is a coach's best friend. Kyler is a guy who unlike a lot of conversations that were out there, he's not afraid of competition. You don't win 43 games in a row and be afraid of not playing. That was never the situation. The conversations were all about competing and the fact that you've gotten one step closer and one less guy to compete with than you did when you committed here. That made sense to him and it just makes sense to everybody.”
Now that you signed Riley Garner, with his off-the-field accident, did you ever think about pulling his scholarship away?
“You know our record here. A year ago we had young man who broke a vertebra in his neck. He missed most of his senior season, and we stayed committed. Commitment is a two-way street. We talk to young people as juniors, going into their senior year. If you are committed to us and you are going to come to school and play, then we are stand behind that commitment whether it's an on-the-field injury…if it's something that's egregious or against the law or a grade issue, that's the only reason we are going to pull that. We have had players that have gotten inured come to school here that can never play again. When that happened (with Garner) we had a little bit more info because he was in town. Coach Raffield is a good friend and we were able to communicate with him and the family whether he was going to play or not. We didn't have anything to do with that we just wanted to be kept abreast of the situation. He is all healed up he's ready to roll. I think he's going to be a good fit for us. He's a little bit bigger than people think and a lot more athletic than people think. He's right across the street with almost a 4.0 GPA. It all worked out.”
You signed at least five DBs, talk about addressing your needs there…
“We finished the bowl game with two true freshmen playing safety after Howard Matthews was ejected from game. I thought Armani Watts had a good freshman season. Donovan Wilson came on at the end. Those are two young guys that, as I said, the good news is they're just sophomores next year. Justin Evans, a mid-year transfer, is the number one or number two JUCO free safety in the country. He could have an immediate impact. Justin Dunning is what you're looking for, 6-4, 205 guy who's young and rangy. He has got real skills that can do lot of different things for us…really the big, big prototypical safety. Roney Elam doesn't get a lot of hype, but he's a guy that has the ability to play both. A 6-2 guy, has got length, can play safety, has range and can play corner. Larry Pryor is another guy who like Dunning was extremely highly recruited. He made his commitment early and never wavered. Pryor and Dunning and Elam are three of those guys who could have gone just about anywhere they wanted. I think they'll get a lot of pub once they hit campus.”
You talked about Garner, can you talk about the other linebackers?
“We got Claude George already here, a guy went out and looked for as an immediate need. He's here and working out. 235-pound guy, 6-2, long, rangy. We really caught a break…he's actually guy I met when I was at Houston. He came over for camp. At the time he was maybe 190 pounds, a tall, skinny guy. I kept watching him and saying to myself I've heard this name before. I said this can't be the same guy. We got on the phone one night and he said coach, remember me when I came to camp? I said oh yeah. It's one of those deals where all of a sudden things started clicking and he's happy to be here. He's in school already. With most of our JUCO players we look for them to have an immediate impact and he will early. Richard Moore is another mid-year signee, and is just a tremendous football player. He's a 210-pound guy right now. He's a guy that made tackles all over place, made play after play after play. A high-motor, high-intensity guy. Landis Durham is a little bit bigger guy, a bigger body, a guy we need at linebacker. These guys have the ability to get into the 240s during their career here.”
Take us through the need for two running backs, probably even before Trey Williams made his decision to turn pro?
“Jay (Bradford) is an unbelievably explosive guy, a guy who long jumped 24 feet last year. A 47, almost 48-foot triple jumper. I know I can't do that. He's a tremendously explosive guy, a really, really gifted guy. He's all of about 5-11 and I think he averages about three dunks a game. He likes to rebound. I give him hard time…at 5-11, he can't shoot at all. He's the only 5-11 guy I know they put into a game to defend and rebound. Kendal Bussey is more of a prototypical-type running. You've heard all the comparisons to different guys. He's 5-9, 200 or 205, a shorter, stockier guy. I think he committed to Nebraska first, then Tennessee. He had a lot of choices. We jumped in there, Coach Terry Joseph had a relationship with the family and with the school and we just kept it going. He came out and he liked it. He's a guy that we really were fortunate to get here at the end. He understands the depth chart and understands how we use him. Those guys, particularly Bussey, physically he's a pure running back. Jay Bradford is going to be a guy we will figure out how we'll use him. Physically he's not going to be as ready to go as Bussey for everyday pounding type situations, but he's so gifted and so explosive we'll see where he fits.”
There's been some talk about an early signing period, perhaps as soon as this year. Do you like that?
“I think it will eliminate some of the drama we had this last month. So I'm all for it. As coaches we get to meet. I have been for an early signing period for a long time for a couple of reasons. One, if you look statistically, right now there's a higher percentage of kids who have committed early than there ever has been. The process has sped up. The information has sped up. Information that you guys have as juniors and seniors early is more than it's ever been. For us, we have that information. The evaluation process has really picked up. You couple that with kids being on your campus and those unofficial visits, they're going around and seeing people earlier and earlier and making decisions earlier and earlier…it just makes sense. You look on television today…yeah there were a number of guys, probably more than ever, on TV on signing day announcing. But 98 percent of the people knew what was happening. So you have a whole month of January where you're either flying around babysitting, trying to keep guys off the guys that are committed. Or, you're flying around trying to flip somebody from another guy. It's really a waste of money. Because if you don't see him someone else will. These guys have already made up their minds. It's a cost-saving measure coupled with a common-sense measure to me. And here's the other thing. The argument was when should this happen. I don't think it should be where basketball is, where guys sign…I worry about how much they pay attention to their senior year in high school. I think mid-December is a good time for that, after the high school season. To me it just makes sense. What if they don't sign then? You don't have to. That tells me too that you're not committed. If you don't sign at that point and go to the regular signing date, you're letting everyone know that you're not committed. I think that needs to happen.”
Can you give your reaction to the news this week that Johnny Manziel was seeking treatment?
“He's part of our family. As a coach and as a family at A&M we're going to support him like we supported him here. We support him and his family at this point. I'm not going to get into any conversations that we've had. I can say that that's a step that he's decided to take and his family's decided to take. It's something that personally I support and as a university we support.”
Do you find that some of the old Big 12 or even Southwest Conference rivalries have been living on in recruiting? Is that kind of fun?
“Yeah, I think it's good. It's kind of interesting. A few years ago I think there were seven or eight Division I-playing schools in the state. Now we're up to what, 11 or 12? In four or five different conferences. It used to be just the Southwest Conference. Now you've got the Big 12, the SEC, the AAC, Conference USA…all kinds of conferences. That thing has split. You've had some teams that have had on-field success like TCU and Baylor that have created some more buzz for their institutions. I think that's good. Obviously us and Texas from a recruiting standpoint, as much as it was a hassle for a number of people, that competition is good. When you have that many schools in one state competing it's great for fans, for the universities…it's great for college football. We have lot of tremendous student-athletes in this state and a lot of great coaches. What that does is create opportunities for a lot of guys that don't have to leave to go and play. In a way for us as coaches it's a pain, but for the young guys and the high school players and the coaches in this state, it couldn't be greater time to go to a lot of different places and play at a high level. You saw a lot of guys today that stayed in state to play. We're driving by the same schools, we're in the same schools and we're recruiting the same guys. I can't speak for everyone else but we start with a radius of about 300 miles where we intensely recruit. Within that radius, most of the schools you're talking about are there. That's a lot of competition and I don't think that's ever going to change.”
Do you ever get to take a step back and a deep breath or does recruiting continue all year?
“We had our junior day the 25th of last month, for juniors and some sophomores. With any luck we'll get our first commitment of 2016 maybe tomorrow. So that tells you how much time I'm taking off.”