Texas A&M Football Recruiting: The 10 Greatest Recruiting Classes of All Time

On Feb. 1, the Texas A&M Aggies will sign one of their best recruiting classes in a decade.

The 2012 class will help fill some immediate needs for the Ags to compete immediately in the Southeastern Conference. Fair or not, the 2012 recruiting class will help create the perception of Texas A&M football going forward.

If this class can produce some playmakers right away and the Ags are successful in the SEC, then the program will be viewed in a positive light. If this class takes some time to mature, then many of the national pundits will repeat the mantra that the decision to move to the SEC was a poor one.

This class looks great now, but it will take five years to completely judge its impact.

This is a look at some of the greatest recruiting classes that came into Aggieland. The classes will be judged on both how the team fared on the field and how many professional players the class produced.

10. 2005 Class

This class defines the Dennis Franchione era at A&M.

There were a lot of talented athletes in this class, but they were never able to put it all together on the field.

Fran's poor conditioning program killed the careers of many in this class, and his poor coaching did in the rest.

Jorvorskie Lane set a school record for career rushing touchdowns and was a fan favorite. However, his inability to keep his weight under control kept him from playing in the NFL.

Martellus Bennett was the top-ranked player in the state coming out of high school and one of the top overall recruits in the nation. Fran rarely targeted him in the passing game unless it was a short pass on 3rd-and-long, and Bennett left after three years for the NFL. He was a second-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys and is still in the NFL today.

Kellen Heard was a physical freak who never could put it all together. He is fondly remembered for playing well in two straight victories over Texas. He left the program when Mike Sherman became the head coach.

He finished out his career at Memphis and has spent the last two years playing NG in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills.

This was a talented class that was done in by Fran's "coaching."

9. 1999 Class

This was the class that R.C. Slocum signed after the Ags won the 1998 Big 12 Championship.

It was a top 10-ranked class on signing day and delivered on that ranking in talent, although not always in wins.

The class produced two NFL first-round draft picks in DL Ty Warren and CB Sammy Davis.

Safety Terrance Kiel was a third-round selection by the San Diego Chargers.

The 1999 class helped the Aggies to three bowl games, but went 6-6 in their senior season in 2002 and led to Slocum's dismissal.

8. 2007 Class

The 2007 class is one of the classes that helped rebuild the A&M program. They are fifth-year seniors right now.

The class contains multiple role players who contributed like OG Evan Eike and C Danny Baker.

Ben Bass started as a senior in 2011.

What makes this class special is that it contained a highly thought of defensive end recruit from Desoto.

Von Miller entered A&M as a 6'3", 206-pound defensive end recruit and left it as one of the best defensive players in the history of the school. He was a two-time All American and Butkus Award winner. He ended up being selected with the second pick of the 2011 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He helped lead the Broncos to the playoffs and made the Pro Bowl during his rookie season.

Ryan Tannehill was also a part of this class. He will be drafted in the first or second round of the 2012 NFL draft. He led the Ags to their first bowl win in a decade and set numerous school passing records during his 19 games as a starter.

He completed his A&M career as the only football player in the history of the NCAA to have a 200-yard receiving game and a 400-yard passing game. He is also the only player to have over 4,000 passing yards in a career and 1,500 receiving yards.

Those two make the 2007 class meaningful by themselves.

7. 2008 Class

The 2008 class was bolstered by a couple of late additions after Mike Sherman took over as head coach in January of 2008.

Sherman was able to gain commitments from WR Jeff Fuller from McKinney Boyd and RB Cyrus Gray from Desoto.

Fuller would go on to set every meaningful receiving record in A&M history. He should be drafted in the first three rounds of the 2012 NFL draft.

Gray finished his career with over 3,000 rushing yards and in the process became one of the more beloved players ever to put on the Maroon and White. Gray is everything you would want from a athlete representing your program.

The 2008 class also produced three-year starter DL Tony Jerod-Eddie, who will also be drafted into the NFL in April.

Terrence Frederick and Trent Hunter were both four-year starters in the secondary. Frederick should play on Sundays.

Brian Thomas has started for two years at guard and has one more season of eligibility remaining.

6. 1989 Class

The 1989 class was R.C. Slocum's second recruiting class as the Aggies head coach and was arguably his best.

The class included such stalwarts as LB Marcus Buckley, Lance Tiechelman and Dexter Wesley. All earned All-SWC honors in while at A&M.

Buckley was an All-American and played for the New York Giants in the NFL.

On the field the 1989 class helped the Ags win three straight conference championships and set a record for wins by a program in the state of Texas in a decade.

The 1989 class helped build the foundation for Slocum's dominance in the SWC.

5. 1987 Class

The 1987 class produced two All-Americans in Darren Lewis and Mike Arthur.

Lewis was one of the best running backs in A&M's history. He rushed for over 5,000 yards in his career and became the first player in college football history to pass the 5,000 yard mark and not win the Heisman Trophy.

Lewis was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 1991 NFL craft.

Arthur was also an All-American in 1990 and was a fifth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1991 NFL Draft.

Doug Carter was signed in the '87 class as a running back, but ended up being a great fullback for the Aggies. He paved the way for many of Lewis' yards and also played in the NFL.

The 1987 class helped the Aggies win the '87 and '88 SWC titles.

4. 1992 Class

The 1992 class was one of the more talented to ever grace Aggieland.

It produced three All-Americans and helped stock some of the best teams in A&M's history.

The 1992 class included CB Ray Mickens who was named All-American in 1995. He was also All-SWC  in 1994 and 1995.

Leeland McElroy was one of the most exciting players in A&M's history. He was an All-SWC running back in 1994 and 1995 and an All-American kick returner in both of those seasons.

Brandon Mitchell was an All-American defensive end in 1995.

Micken, Mitchell and McElroy all were drafted and played in the NFL for multiple years.

Mitchell was a starter on the world champion 2002 New England Patriots squad.

3. 1972 Class

The 1972 Class produced three All-Americans and one of the signature wins of the 1970s.

Garth Ten Naple, Ed Simonini and Pat Thomas were all members of the 1972 recruiting class. All three graduated in 1975 as All-Americans.

All three were drafted into the NFL in the 1976 NFL draft.

In 1975 all three played on a defense that was the best in the nation. The helped the Ags to a 10-2 record in 1975. The team climbed as high as No. 2 in the national rankings before dropping its final regular season game to Arkansas.

This class started the legacy of great defenses at A&M.

2. 2009 Class

The 2009 class has not completed its eligibility yet, but in the future Aggies will realize what a special class it has been.

This was the first class that Mike Sherman recruited to A&M. Eighteen members of this class saw action in their true freshman season. This was a class that helped move the program from the lows of the Fran years to the next era in A&M football.

The 2009 class has helped the Aggies go to three straight bowl games. It helped win the Aggies first bowl game in a decade with their 33-22 defeat of Northwestern in the 2011 Texas Bowl.

The 2011 featured difference makers like RB Christine Michael, OLB Sean Porter, WR Uzoma Nwachukwu, C Patrick Lewis, WR Ryan Swope and S Steven Campbell.

All of the players listed above should get a chance to play on Sundays.

Porter, Lewis, Swope and Michael have received some kind of All-Conference recognition.

This is a class that helped turn it around for the Aggies and should help them see success in their first year in the SEC.

1. 1954 Class

The 1954 class helped change the course of history when it came to A&M football.

This was Bear Bryant's first recruiting class and it was a great one.

The class contained two All-Americans in Charlie Krueger and John David Crow.

Crow won the Heisman Trophy in his senior season in 1957. He was a first-round draft pick by the Chicago Cardinals and went to four Pro Bowls.

Krueger was an All-American in 1956 and 1957. He was a first-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1958 draft and played in two Pro Bowls.

Krueger and Crow helped lead the Aggies to a 9-0-1 record in 1956 and the Ags first victory at Memorial Stadium in Austin.