Texas A&M Football: Parker's Commitment Suggests Aggies Can Hang in SEC

On the surface, Texas A&M getting a commitment from a 3-star wide receiver wouldn't be groundbreaking news. After all, the Aggies sport the nation's No. 6 class in 2013 according to 247Sports.com, and there is certainly plenty of firepower already committed to play in College Station to make new head coach Kevin Sumlin happy.

In the case of Manvel (Texas) High School wide receiver Kyrion Parker, it is big news.

Parker is still a relatively unknown prospect.

The 6'3", 195-pounder from committed to LSU on June 4, but decommitted 10 days later. Ten days after that, he gave his pledge to Aggie head coach Kevin Sumlin to play for the Aggies in 2013.

LSU and Texas A&M have met 50 times on the gridiron and routinely battle over prospects. But now, they are battling on the recruiting trail as members of the same conference, and A&M was able to flip one of LSU's more recent commitments.

That's not terribly uncommon, but it's what Parker told GigEm247.com that raised my eyebrows.

When asked what was appealing about A&M, Parker said that playing in the SEC was a big factor.

"

Coach Sumlin is a great guy. He’s a down-to-earth coach and he’s funny. It was so welcoming there and I just love the program. Plus, the way they run their offense, I think my game fits perfectly into that spread. I also really wanted to play in the SEC because that’s where the best competition is and that’s where you’re going to get better at.

"

In the past, recruits in the state of Texas that wanted to play in the SEC could cross state lines to either Louisiana or Arkansas to play, but now, they can stay at home.

My colleague, Michael Felder, and I debated this topic in relation to Texas and Texas A&M on Bleacher Report's Full Ride in May, and my argument is applicable to LSU as well.

The state of Texas is loaded with high school talent, and now they have a place to play in-state against the best competition and exposure in college football.

You can't beat that.

On the surface, Parker's decommitment from LSU and commitment to Texas A&M may not move the meter. But it's a sign that Texas A&M's move to the SEC will pay huge dividends on the recruiting trail.

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