Derrick Griffin Commits to Miami: Why Texas A&M Will Be Fine Without 4-Star WR

4-star wide receiver/tight end recruit Derrick Griffin has committed to the Miami Hurricanes. 

Griffin is a notable former Texas A&M commitment, but he didn't sign with the Aggies for what appeared to be eligibility reasons. He has tremendous size at 6'7'' 210 pounds, and he is ranked as the No. 5 wide receiver in the 2013 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

David Lake of 247Sports reported on the commitment:

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The University of Miami received a big commitment from 2013 wide receiver Derrick Griffin on Tuesday afternoon.

Griffin, who hails from B.F. Terry High School in Rosenberg, Texas, will take his official visit to Miami this weekend and he said he felt like he wanted to commit to the Hurricanes before the trip.

"I had a tournament down there for AAU and I liked the surroundings," Griffin said. "I just really liked the area and what they are about as a program. They have sent a lot of top players to the NFL

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Griffin represents a major recruiting win for Al Golden and the Hurricanes. This could also be looked at as somewhat of a loss for Kevin Sumlin and the Aggies' program, but frankly, Texas A&M will be just fine without Griffin.

He does project to be a good player at the college level, so in some sense, it has to be disappointing for Texas A&M knowing that he'll be playing for Miami instead.

That said, Griffin was more of a luxury commitment than anything. Sumlin and his staff took care of the Aggies' needs at wideout, and they did so in a big way.

The marquee receiver recruit for Texas A&M is undoubtedly 5-star wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones. He is ranked as the No. 2 athlete in the 2013 class (247Sports Composite), but he should play receiver for the Aggies. He also has good size at 6'5'', 230 pounds, and he projects to be both a deep threat and a good possession receiver.

He will still provide that same red zone presence that Griffin would have for the Aggies because of his size, and overall, he is a very complete wide receiver.

Texas A&M also landed the signature of a former USC commitment, 4-star wideout Sebastian LaRue. Where LaRue will really excel is in the slot where he can utilize his quickness and agility. He runs a 4.38 40, according to 247Sports, and he brings an element of pure speed that Griffin would not.

LaRue could end up being an effective option, especially when Seals-Jones starts demanding double teams. He will also be an explosive kick returner if the Aggies choose to use him on special teams. 

Another wideout worth mentioning from the 2013 class is JaQuay Williams, who was a big-time prep school receiver. He is another wideout with tremendous size at 6'4'', 204 pounds, and he was ranked as the No. 4 overall prep school player, according to the 247Sports Composite. 

Sumlin and his staff really did a great job of filling out the depth chart at wide receiver, and those three players will be more than role players for the Aggies. That's not even to mention 4-star wideouts Laquvionte Gonzalez and Kyrion Parker or 3-star receiver Jeremy Tabuyo—who have all signed.

There is no doubting that Griffin would have been a big-time addition to the Aggies' offense, and he could have been very good. But in the end, Texas A&M didn't really need his commitment. 

There is one more factor to consider here, and that is Heisman winning quarterback Johnny Manziel. Even if the Aggies weren't able to bring in elite wideout recruits like Seals-Jones, Williams or LaRue, Manziel is good enough at quarterback to make players around him better.

Great quarterbacks naturally make good receivers great (See: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers), so the Aggies' future would have been bright either way.

Manziel is really the X-factor for Texas A&M, and as long as he is the quarterback, the Aggies' offense and passing game will thrive. The fact they were able to land a few stud wideout recruits is almost just a bonus at this point.

The future of the Aggies' program is extremely bright.

That statement is true with or without Griffin.