Texas A&M Football Recruiting: 5 Things Missing from the Aggies' 2012 Class

The Aggies had a very interesting year. They started out ranked in the Top 10, but only finished the season at a disappointing 7-6, letting down an entire fanbase eager to get back to the top. In addition to that, A&M officially announced their move to the SEC, starting another whole round of conference musical chairs.

With a defense that needs a lot of holes filled combined with an offense that requires a new kind of spark, Texas A&M's new head coach, Kevin Sumlin, has some work to do.

Let's take a look at the five places he must focus on to help A&M be successful in future seasons on the gridiron. 

Kicker

After losing Randy Bullock—easily considered the best kicker the Aggies have ever had—Sumlin and his staff will have a tough time finding another recruit of his caliber to replace him over the next couple of years.

As of now, there are no kickers committed to come to A&M. In what is one of the most underrated positions on the field, Sumlin needs to look into a strong kicking presence that can sustain the Aggies for the next couple of seasons. 

This is more important than most believe, as a kicker can be the difference in the game. Just consider LSU vs. Alabama round one where the Crimson Tide fell short due to two missed field goals.

Tight End

Next season, the Aggies will have two somewhat experienced tight ends lining up as juniors in Hutson Prioleau and Nehemiah Hicks. So far, neither has made much of an impact on the passing game even though both are talented enough to be a target down the field.

There are no tight ends in the mix right now for this recruiting class. Although Prioleau and Hicks could show up as a force later on in Sumlin's schemes, the Aggies need to grab a big-time athlete who is more of a receiver than a blocker, for the time being.

Sumlin is an offensive genius and knows how to make the tight end a valuable part of his intricate passing game. Stealing one from a super program would be a huge addition for the Aggies. 

Defensive Tackle

With a new defensive coordinator coming in, the Aggies seem to be set to move from former DC Tim DeRuyter's 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 design under Mark Snyder. Keeping that in mind and considering that both of A&M's biggest and most experienced defensive linemen, Eddie Brown Jr. and Tony Jerod-Eddie, are gone due to graduation, the Aggies are in dire need of some big-time defensive tackles.

With all four defensive ends coming in with a three-star rating, A&M should have their outside rushing positions covered for the next couple of seasons, but the center of the line won't be solid without any kind of big-time recruits. Although this defense doesn't rely on a strong middle presence, it also can't be weaker than the rest of the parts. 

Sumlin and his recruiters really need to try to steal some heavy defensive tackles to prepare for future defensive lines. 

Wide Receiver

For an offense that is going to run on pure talent under the designs of Sumlin, the wide receiver will be an extremely important gear in the overall scheme of things. With Ryan Swope, Nate Askew, Kenric Jackson and Uzoma Nwachukwu all coming back, the Aggies are seemingly set at the position.

However, the future is unclear for this position. With only three recruits coming in right now as a wide receiver in four-star Bralon Addison and three-stars Derel Walker and Trent Momon, A&M needs a lot more talent to start committing at the position.

Just some three-stars or a few more four-star recruits would be huge in securing the future of this position in College Station. Sumlin needs receivers for his offense to be successful on a consistent basis, and as of now, he doesn't have enough. 

Linebacker

In the defense, they say the linebacker is essentially the quarterback on the field. With Sean Porter, Jonathan Stewart and Damontre Moore all coming back next year, the Aggies are seemingly fine for the moment.

However, under Snyder's defense, the linebacker is a very lucrative piece that has to remain strong. With two outside linebackers already committed, the Aggies need a lot more to fill in for Porter and Stewart once they're gone after next season.

Middle linebacker, in particular, is where things get dicey. With no recruits filling in to learn the position right now, who will take over the role that determines how the entire defense works? Snyder and his new staff have to either grab a top commit from this year's class or start getting one to commit now that will be top-five next season.