Christian Kirk to Texas A&M: Aggies Land 5-Star WR Prospect

Texas A&M's latest big-time commit comes at wide receiver, as Saguaro standout Christian Kirk committed to the Aggies on Wednesday, according to Jason Jewell of 247 Sports:

Kirk received dozens of scholarship offers from all over the country, and he chose Texas A&M over an impressive finalist group that also included Arizona State, Auburn, UCLA and Ohio State.

As has become typical in wide receiver recruitment, Texas A&M was viewed as the favorite throughout much of the process. 247Sports' crystal ball put a 48 percent chance of Kirk signing with the Aggies as of Wednesday morning, with Arizona State a close second at 44 percent.

Since Kevin Sumlin arrived at College Station, the program has been a hotbed of pass-catching talent. Mike Evans was at times the best receiver in college football in 2013, and the team's 2014 class included Frank Iheanacho and Speedy Noil. Coupled with 2013 top recruit Ricky Seals-Jones, there may be no better crop of young receivers in the entire nation.   

Kirk is coming off a senior campaign in which he often carried the Saguaro offense. He compiled 1,187 yards and 17 touchdowns on 61 catches as a receiver, while also adding 1,692 yards and 25 touchdowns as a running back. The offense was designed around getting him the ball in any way possible and then allowing him to go to work.

Kirk, a 5-star talent who also played cornerback on defense, is considered the 27th-best player nationally by 247Sports' composite rankings in the Class of 2015. He's rated as the No. 4 receiver behind only Calvin Ridley, Tyron Johnson and Deon Cain and is considered the best player in the state of Arizona.

While he has some work to do in a few areas, Kirk is as close to an instant contributor as one can get coming out of high school. Listed at 5'10" and 191 pounds, he's not huge but possesses a steady frame and runs a 4.49 40-yard dash, per his 247Sports profile. Playing against SEC competition isn't going to result in many injury issues—even as a freshman. 

The Aggies should look to use Kirk in a Percy Harvin-esque role. He probably grades out as less of a No. 1 receiver type than someone who just makes plays every time the ball is in his hands; he's nearly as talented as a rusher as he is a receiver. Equipped with good speed and off-the-snap quickness, Kirk should be able to move back and forth between the slot and outside receiver positions.

The coaching staff will also have to work with Kirk on becoming a more consistent receiver. There is a danger here that he could become a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none prospect and frustrate with what becomes unusable talent. 

But finding ways to harness Kirk's talent is a problem plenty of teams would love to have. Already a college-ready athlete with room to grow into something special, Kirk is the exact type of recruit who can help head coach Kevin Sumlin continue diversifying his offense. The constant threat of him being able to beat opposing defenses for big plays as a receiver or running on reverses or out of the backfield makes for an interesting fit.

Now comes the hard part: proving the hype is real on the field.

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