Texas A&M Recruiting: Now in SEC, Have the Aggies Changed Their Recruiting?

The Texas A&M Football Team will start play in the top football conference in the country in 2012. The move to the Southeastern Conference will be one from a primarily passing league to a run-heavy league.

While the Big 12 is known for their prolific offenses, the SEC is known for their strong running games and stout defenses.

This brings up the question of whether A&M will start recruiting different types of athletes for the new competition. Before Kevin Sumlin became the head coach, Tim Cassidy did a study on what types of athletes the Aggies will need in the SEC. 

That study showed that, on average, the SEC has larger running backs, linebackers and defensive ends than their Big 12 counterparts.

Mike Sherman did not have a preference for size of offensive players. He would take any sized skill player he could find if they could make plays. He did want tall, lean defensive ends to play in his 3-4 defense against the spread passing attacks in the Big 12.

With the move to Mark Snyder's 4-3 scheme, there should be a change in personnel.

Kevin Sumlin and the Aggie staff have already received commitments from defensive tackles Isaiah Golden and Kerrick Huggins. They have also received verbal pledges from offensive linemen J.J. Gustafson, Joas Aguilar and Ishmael Wilson. The Aggies obviously understand that winning the battle in the trenches is important in the SEC.

In the 2012 class the Aggies signed defensive ends Polo Manukainiu, Julien Obioha and Alonzo Williams. All three could grow into defensive tackles in Snyder's scheme or may end up being 280 pound defensive ends.

In the Big 12, you want defensive ends who can move in space to help cover against spread offenses. In the SEC, first and foremost you want defensive ends who can stand up against the run at the point of attack.

It appears that the Aggies have taken the necessary measures to be able to compete in the SEC in the future. The bigger, faster, stronger player is going to help you win no matter what league you play in. The Aggies will try to recruit the top athletes, but there has to be more of an emphasis on size because of the league they are joining.

When he was at Florida, Urban Meyer once stated that he wanted to have the fastest team in America. To accomplish this he recruited running backs like Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps. Rainey is 5'9" 174 lbs and Demps is 5'7" 191 lbs.

Recently, Florida has struggled to consistently run the ball and win football games with these undersized running backs. They averaged only 143 yards rushing per game during their 7-6 2011 campaign.

The study that Cassidy did showed that the average SEC running back weighed between 220 to 226 pounds. The Aggies senior running back Christine Michael weighed 222 points at the start of the 2011 season and obviously fits the SEC mold.

The Aggies just received verbal pledges from James White and Johny Jefferson. Both running backs are close to 200 lbs right now as high school juniors. It is easy to see both of them growing close to 220 pounds with a couple of years in the Aggie strength program.

White in particular looks like the prototypical SEC running back. His highlights remind you of a young Stevan Ridley.

The Aggies are taking the steps to adjust their recruiting to the new league. Expect them to try to sign two more offensive linemen and at least two more defensive tackles. The Aggies need to load up on the lines and are well on their way to accomplishing that goal.