Texas A&M Football: Check in with the 2013 Class

The Texas A&M football coaches are running their first spring practice under the Kevin Sumlin regime. Returning players from last year's team are focused on improving, and new recruits decide whether to join the program.

Multiple recruits have taken unofficial visits to Aggieland during the first week of spring practice. These visits will continue right on through the spring game.

Recruiting in college football is a year-round process, and the Aggie coaches are trying to add more talent to the 2013 class that already includes 12 verbal commitments.

Aggie fans should expect that number to increase after the spring game and once spring practice for high schools around the state concludes.

The Aggie coaches will get a better idea of their needs on the field after they have put the current team through 15 practices. They will also get a better idea of the recruits capabilities after they are able to watch them live during the high school spring season. Fans should expect more scholarship offers to go out during late April and early May.

This is a look at the current commitments in the 2013 class and where the Aggies needs lie.

Quarterback

The Aggies currently have one quarterback committed in Houston St. Pius' Kohl Stewart. The 6'3", 185 lbs senior to be is considered by many to be the best pure passing quarterback in the state of Texas.

His strong arm is why many Aggies are anxious to see Stewart suit up in an Aggie uniform. Stewart is also one of the top baseball prospects in the nation, and there is a good chance he will hear his name called in the 2013 MLB Draft.

For this reason the Aggies are continuing to recruit other quarterbacks. The one to watch is Southlake Carroll's Kenny Hill.

Hill led his Carroll squad to the state title in 2011 and is leaning the Aggies' way. The irony is that Hill is also an MLB prospect. His father is former big league pitcher Ken Hill.

The distinct possibility exists that the Aggies could sign two quarterbacks in the 2013 class and end up with none on campus in the fall because both decided to take MLB money.

Running Back

The Aggies have one commit at the running back position in Pearland (TX) High School's James White. At 6'0" and 190 lbs White is the ideal size for an SEC running back. It is easy to see him growing into a 220-pound back who can run between the tackles against SEC defenses for the next four years.

On film White will remind most SEC fans of former LSU running back Stevan Ridley. He is exactly the type of running back the Aggies need to bring on campus to compete in the SEC.

The Aggies are still in the running for Dontre Wilson from Desoto (TX) High School. Wilson is more of a speed back and not a between-the-tackles hammer like White. If the Ags land Wilson then expect Sumlin to try to get him the ball in space to take advantage of his speed.

The Aggies need to land at least one more running back in this class.

Wide Receiver

The Aggies currently have one of the best wide receiver classes in the country with commitments from top 100 national prospects Derrick Griffin and Laquivionte Gonzalez. Quincy Adeboyejo is a 6'3", 175 lbs teammate of Gonzalez and rounds out this wide receiver class.

Griffin and Gonzalez are two of the top pure athletes in the country. Griffin is 6'6", 215 lbs and is still learning the game of football. He is raw right now and is already a matchup nightmare for a high school defensive coordinator. He looks like a future NBA small forward but has the speed to outrun high school defensive backs.

Gonzalez is one of the most dynamic players in the nation. He has legitimate 4.3 speed and can make a tackler miss him in a phone booth.

Adeboyejo has great size but has not been used much in Cedar Hill (TX) High School's ground based attack. He only caught five passes during his junior season, but they went for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Expect him to shoot up the recruiting charts as his coaches implement him more into the offense in 2012. 

Look for the Aggies to try to add at least one more receiver to this group. Ra'Shaad Samples from Dallas Skyline High School and Robbie Rhodes from Ft. Worth Southwest are likely candidates.

Tight End

Griffin may eventually be converted to a tight end. The Aggies have no tight ends signed in this class and do not expect them to sign any. They have three scholarship tight ends currently on campus, and it remains to be seen what kind of role they will have in Sumlin's offense.

If the Ags do land a tight end in this class keep an eye on Red Oak's Jeremiah Gaines. The 6'3", 235 lbs senior to be has impressed Aggie coaches.

Offensive Line

The Aggies currently have three offensive linemen committed in this class. Joas Aguilar, Ishmael Wilson and J.J. Gustafson are all verbally committed for the class of 2013.

Look for the Ags to try to sign at least one more OL. They will be looking for another tackle to go along with Gustafson.

The Ags currently have an offer out to Maurice Porter, the 6'5", 285 lbs OL from Fort Bend Marshall High School. Porter looks like a future right tackle in college and would fit in nicely in the Aggies' class. He is currently considering A&M along with Oklahoma and Tech. 

Defensive Line

The Aggies currently have two defensive tackles committed in their class in Isaiah Golden and Kerrick Huggins. They needed to add interior defenders to the roster, and the Aggies coaches have done a great job of gaining verbal commitments from two elite defensive tackles.

The Aggies still have multiple offers out to DLs in this class. At DT the Ags are still after Justin Manning from Dallas Kimball and Hardreck walker from Houston Westfield. Expect the Ags to sign at least one more DT in this class.

At defensive end the Aggies have put the hard sell on Alief (TX) Taylor's Torrodney Prevot. Prevot is 6'4", 220 lbs and runs a legitimate 4.6 in the 40. He is the prototypical defensive end for the 4-3 scheme. He is the top rated defensive end in the state.

Prevot is seriously considering A&M, Texas and LSU right now. It would be a big recruiting win against those two schools if the Ags were able to sign Prevot. He is the kind of DE you need to compete in the SEC.

Williams Udoh from Coppell and Jimmy Gilbert from A&M Consolidated are also names to keep in mind when it comes to the weak side DE position.

On the strong side Rockwall-Heath DE Jay Arnold is leaning the Ags' way. Do not be surprised if he commits to A&M sometime after the Heath spring game. Arnold is also an elite MMA prospect who competes in jiu jitsu and wrestling in addition to football.

Linebackers

The Aggies do not have any linebackers committed yet in the 2013 class. After only signing one linebacker in the 2012 class the Ags are in the market for linebackers this year and look to sign three to four in 2013.The Aggies will focus on inside linebackers where they need to build some depth.

Jordan Mastrogiovanni from Dallas Jesuit is a 6'2", 230 lbs middle linebacker who the Ags covet. Expect him to commit to the Aggies sooner rather than later.

The Ags have given the hard sell to outside linebacker Mike Mitchell from Prestonwood Christian Academy and Reggie Chevis of Houston Sharpstown.

Mitchell is an outside linebacker who may eventually grow into a defensive end. Chevis is a middle linebacker who ideally would team with Mastrogiovanni and 2012 signee Jordan Richmond to give the Aggies depth on the inside for years to come.

Paul Whitmill the speedy OLB from Bastrop (TX) High School should also get a serious look.

Defensive Backs

The Ags have two commits in the secondary in Victor Davis from Rosenberg Terry and Jonathan Wiggins from Alief Taylor.

Davis is 6'1", 185 lbs while Taylor is 6'3", 195 lbs. They possess the size you are going to need at safety in order to compete in the SEC.

The Ags may sign five total defensive backs in the 2013 class. Look for the Aggies to sign at least two more cover corners. A&M has targeted Antwuan Davis from Bastrop (TX) High School and Maurice Smith from Fort Bend Dulles. Davis is 6'1" and runs a 10.4 in the 100 meters. He is one of the top corner prospects in the country.

If the Aggies are not able to land Davis or Smith then look for them to move onto prospects like Will Barrows who is Kerrick Huggins teammate at Skyline. Do not be surprised to see the Ags look out of state for more help in the secondary.