Despite Rough Recruiting Week, Texas A&M's Defensive Class Is Legit

Last week wasn't the best for Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin and his Aggies on the recruiting trail.

Sumlin missed out on the commitment of 5-star linebacker Malik Jefferson from Mesquite (Poteet) High School, who chose Texas over Texas A&M last week. According to David McNabb of Gannett, it was the first loss ever for Sumlin's famed "Swagcopter," which famously brings Aggie coaches to the games and schools of top-tier prospects.

Not to be outdone, 5-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack decommitted from Texas A&M on Friday. He followed it up by naming LSU and TCU his finalists on Saturday, per his own Twitter account.

Two key defensive pieces won't be in College Station, a city that, not coincidentally, is also without a defensive coordinator at the moment.

Is Texas A&M struggling to land and keep its defensive studs in light of the ongoing defensive struggles?

Not really.

The class coming in is still built to help Sumlin's program get back to respectability from a defensive standpoint, even without Jefferson and Mack.

Justin Dunning and Larry Pryor—two 4-star safety commits from the Lone Star State—are both part of this class, and they can step in alongside rising sophomore Armani Watts to build a secondary that's comparable to the best in the conference.

Dunning is the perfect size to play the boundary safety spot, which is currently occupied by senior Howard Matthews. Pryor can join Watts at free safety and provide a solid option in five defensive back sets once he gets acquainted to college life.

Whoever gets the defensive coordinator job will have a solid secondary foundation that also includes 4-star cornerback Roney Elam.

As long as there aren't any more late-season flips, the secondary is still set.

Up front, rising sophomore Myles Garrett will be joined by 6'2", 251-pound defensive end James Lockhart from Ennis, Texas. The 4-star is quick off the edge, but he is also strong against the run, which will make him a perfect complement to Garrett on the Aggie defense.

If the Aggies lock down 5-star cornerback Kendall Sheffield—who's a heavy Aggie lean, according to the 247Sports crystal ball—the class will still be fine. Sure, losing Mack and missing out on Jackson hurts, but Garrett and Watts have already laid the foundation of a defensive renaissance in College Station.

One player doesn't make a class, and two players don't either.

Mack's departure hurts, but Texas A&M never had Jefferson. What it does have, though, is a coach in Sumlin who knows how to close, a good foundation and the prospect of a new coordinator—whoever that may be—breathing life into a defense that needs it after the three-year Mark Snyder debacle.

It may not seem like it right now, but Texas A&M's class on the defensive side of the ball is fine.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.