Texas A&M Football: Position-by-Positions Grades for 2015 Recruiting Class
The Texas A&M football coaches signed the No. 11 recruiting class in the country on national signing day, according to 247Sports.
The goal of recruiting is to address any immediate needs on the team while continuing to build for future success. In the SEC, that means you must constantly to build up the offensive and defensive lines.
The Aggies' biggest immediate needs were on defense, as they struggled to stop anyone in 2014. The Texas A&M defense was the worst in the SEC for the second year in a row.
Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin hired John Chavis away from LSU to be the Aggies' new defensive coordinator and fix the problems on that side of the ball. The Chavis hire sent a message throughout college football that the Aggies were serious about defense.
Sumlin and Chavis were able to identify and sign some elite defenders down the stretch. The Aggies signed a class that should help them compete for an SEC title in 2015.
This is a position-by-position breakdown of the Aggies' 2015 recruiting class. Grades for the positions were based on how those players fit into the system and fulfill needs, not necessarily on how highly those recruits were ranked by a particular recruiting service.
Quarterback
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The one player that the Aggies had to sign in 2015 was quarterback Kyler Murray. He was the most important recruit in the class for a number of reasons.
The Aggies only have one scholarship quarterback on campus in rising sophomore Kyle Allen. They needed to add another signal-caller in this class who could back up Allen immediately.
Murray is an Aggies legacy, since he is the son of Kevin Murray, who starred as the quarterback of the Aggies in the mid-'80s. Kyler had a 43-0 record in high school and led the Allen Eagles to three consecutive state championships in the biggest division of Texas high school football.
He is a high school legend in a state that worships high school football. Murray was so impressive in high school that multiple recruits wanted to follow him to college in order to play with him.
The 5-star quarterback was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. He passed for 4,713 yards with 54 touchdowns and rushed for 1,495 yards with 25 touchdowns in 2014. He is a dual-threat quarterback who will remind Aggies fans of Johnny Manziel.
The Aggies coaches identified and focused on signing one quarterback in the 2015 class. Murray is a perfect fit for the spread offense.
Grade: A+
Running Back
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The Aggies signed two running backs in the 2015 class in Kendall Bussey and Jay Bradford. Bussey is a 3-star running back from Isadore Newman High School in New Orleans.
Per Hudl, he rushed for 1,240 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2014. Bussey has tremendous speed and ran a 10.33 in the 100 meters in track. He will give the coaches a speed option out of the backfield that they were lacking with Trey Williams' decision to leave school early and enter the NFL draft.
Joining Bussey in the backfield will be fellow track star Jay Bradford. The 5'10", 190-pound speedster ran a 10.48 in the 100 meters. He rushed for 945 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014.
Aggies fans should not be surprised to see Bradford redshirt to add some strength and weight in 2015. He and Bussey will combine to give the offensive coaches a lot of speed out of the backfield for the next few years.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
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The Aggies signed three receivers and one tight end in the 2015 class. The star of the class is 5-star receiver Christian Kirk from Sagauro, Arizona.
Kirk caught 61 passes for 1,187 yards with 17 touchdowns while rushing for 1,692 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2014. He had two interception returns for a touchdown as a defensive back.
Kemah Siverand is a 3-star wide receiver from Cypress Ridge High School near Houston. The 6'1", 190-pound athlete caught 36 passes for 625 yards and four touchdowns in 2015.
The Aggies dipped into the junior college ranks to grab Damion Ratley from Blinn Junior College. The 6'2", 188-pound wide receiver caught 45 passes for 1,197 yards with 20 touchdowns in 2014. He enrolled at A&M early and is participating in offseason workouts right now.
The Aggies signed one tight end in 4-star recruit Jordan Davis. The Aggies coaches identified the 6'5", 255-pound athlete years ago as the top tight end in the state. He was used mainly as an outside receiver in high school, where he caught 34 passes for 535 yards and two touchdowns in 2014.
Davis will be asked to move to a pure tight end spot and block in 2015. It will be interesting to see how he handles the transition. He enrolled at A&M in January and will be able to use spring practice to adjust to his new responsibilities.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
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The Aggies signed four linemen in the 2015 class, which is a solid haul for the SEC. You always want to add four to five linemen every year in order to keep the depth chart full. Offensive linemen are notoriously hard to grade coming out of high school.
Often, a team has to redshirt the linemen and then wait two or three years before it knows what it has. The linemen in the 2015 class have a lot of potential, but the value of this class will not be determined until at least 2017.
The best of the group appears to be offensive tackle Keaton Sutherland. The 6'7", 294-pound athlete has already enrolled at A&M and is working out with the team. The 4-star recruit will compete for a backup spot at right tackle in 2015.
Connor Lanfear is a 4-star recruit from Hays High School in Buda, Texas. He projects to play as a guard in the SEC. Lanfear was a punishing blocker in high school who graded out at almost 95 percent during his senior season.
Trevor Elbert is a 4-star recruit who is expected to play tackle for the Aggies. The 6'6", 310-pound athlete missed his senior season due to a shoulder injury.
The Aggies signed Lufkin, Texas, offensive lineman Erik McCoy with the idea of making him a center. The 6'4", 304-pound athlete was ranked as a 3-star prospect and excels at pulling and making blocks at the next level.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
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The second-most important recruit in the 2015 class for the Aggies was Gladewater, Texas, defensive tackle Daylon Mack. The 6'1", 320-pound athlete is a 5-star recruit who will step onto the field for the Aggies in 2015 and contribute immediately.
Mack would have been in the defensive line rotation in 2014 if he had been on campus. As a senior, he had 78 tackles with 34 tackles for loss and five sacks. He is athletic enough to play running back, where he rushed for 262 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014.
As a junior he had a 61-yard touchdown run in the playoffs. Mack will be in the two-deep at nose guard immediately.
By himself, he would have made the 2015 defensive line class a great one, but the Aggies also added defensive tackle Kingsley KeKe on the inside. The 6'3", 308-pound athlete is a 4-star prospect who had 60 tackles and five sacks as a senior. He may be a candidate to reshirt in 2015.
The Aggies also added defensive end James Lockhart in the class. The 6'2", 260-pound athlete helped lead Ennis High School to a state title in 2014.
Lockhart is a 4-star prospect who projects to play at strong-side defensive end for the Aggies. He has a relentless motor and registered 14 sacks in 2014. It will be interesting to see how new defensive coordinator John Chavis uses Lockhart. He can be moved inside to take advantage of his quickness on passing downs.
Grade: A+
Linebackers
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The Aggies had a huge need in the class for linebackers and addressed it by signing five players at the position. A couple of those linebackers will step into the two-deep in 2015 and contribute right away.
Richard Moore is a 3-star recruit from Cedar Hill, Texas, who is among the most important recruits in the 2015 class. The 6'1", 210-pound athlete helped lead Cedar Hill High School to consecutive state titles during his junior and senior seasons.
He registered 195 tackles with 34 tackles for loss and 15 sacks in 2014. Moore has tremendous instincts and, despite his size, may end up playing middle linebacker for the Aggies. He enrolled at A&M in January and will play in 2015.
Claude George is also an early enrollee. The 6'2", 235-pound athlete from Acadiana, Lousiana, had 69 tackles with 14 tackles for loss at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas in 2014. He is already enrolled at A&M and will participate in spring practices. George projects as an outside linebacker at this time.
Landis Durham is a 6'3", 232-pound linebacker recruit from Plano East High School in Plano, Texas. The 3-star athlete projects to play outside linebacker and maybe some defensive end for the Aggies. He was the punter and part-time running back for East. Expect him to redshirt in 2015.
Riley Garner is a 3-star recruit from Consolidated High School in College Station, Texas. The 3-star athlete missed his senior season with a head injury. As a junior, the 6'2", 220-pounder had 110 tackles with five forced fumbles. He projects as a middle linebacker for the Aggies.
Dwaine Thomas is a 3-star prospect from Hahnville High School in Boutte, Louisiana. The 6'2", 220-pound athlete is a terror on the field from his linebacker position. He had 131 tackles with seven sacks and two forced fumbles during his senior season.
Thomas has tremendous speed and plays the game with a controlled rage. He should contribute on special teams in 2015 and see some time as a backup outside linebacker.
Grade: A
Defensive Backs
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The Aggies signed five defensive backs and, in doing so, have made safety a position of strength after it was a position of weakness headed into the 2014 season.
The emergence of rising sophomore safeties Armani Watts and Donovan Wilson gives the Aggies two solid starters at the safety position for the next couple of years. The added size and speed at this position should give John Chavis a lot of options with his defense.
The Aggies signed three safeties, highlighted by Justin Dunning. The 6'4", 204-pound athlete has the size to play linebacker, but his speed and range necessitate that he remains at safety. Dunning is a 4-star recruit who had 79 tackles and four interceptions in 2014.
Justin Evans is a 3-star prospect who is enrolled at A&M right now. The 6'0", 193-pound safety spent the last two seasons at Gulf Coast Community College in Wiggins, Mississippi.
He had 39 tackles with one interception in 2014. Evans has tremendous range and will see the field in 2015. He is good enough to push Wilson for the starting spot at safety.
Larry Pryor is a 4-star safety from Sulphur Springs, Texas. He played quarterback in 2014 and rushed for 1,376 yards and 26 touchdowns. The 5'11", 190-pound athlete will contribute on special teams in 2015.
The Aggies signed two cornerbacks in Roney Elam and Deshawn Capers-Smith. Elam is a 6'2", 173-pound athlete was ranked as a 4-star prospect and snagged five interceptions in 2014. Chavis likes long defensive backs, and Elam is one of the tallest cornerbacks in the state.
Capers-Smith played quarterback as a senior at Warren Easton High School in New Orleans. The 6'0", 190-pound athlete was ranked as a 3-star prospect. He passed for 4,333 yards with 50 touchdowns and only two interceptions as a senior. He was named to the Parade All-American team and Mr. Football for the state of Louisiana.
Ideally, the Aggies would have signed at least one more cornerback in this class. You can never have too much depth at the corner position, and the Aggies struggled to cover receivers in 2014.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
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The Aggies signed kicker Daniel Lacamera in the 2015 class. When he gets on campus, he is expected to compete for the starting place-kicker and punting job.
The 3-star athlete has a strong leg and kicked a field goal of more than 60 yards in 2014. If he does not win the place-kicker duties, expect him to take over on kickoffs when Taylor Bertolet graduates.
He was 13-of-20 on field goals as a senior in high school and averaged 39.5 yards per punt. It is hard to project how good a kicker will be in college; sometimes, the transition to kicking without a tee in front of large crowds is too much for some young men. There is no way to predict whether Lacamera will be an effective kicker in college.
Do not be surprised to see Kendall Bussey contribute as a punt and kick returner in 2015.
Grade: B
All recruiting rankings are from 247Sports.
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