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While laypersons lament the end of the NFL playoffs ("what a silly way to determine a champion" you sigh, "totally undermining the sanctity of the regular season"), the enlightened realize not only should the first Wednesday of February be a national holiday, but the cornerstones of a program are again laid anew as the hearts of men across the South wrench on the soothing tones of fax machines.
Elsewhere on here, experts will break down highlights with Zapruder-like detail, giving insight to future All-Americans the gridiron over. We, on the other hand, have a much shorter attention span and will simply list the best and worst-case scenarios for each member of the class.
In alphabetical order, as any proper index should be:
Joas Aguilar - OL, North Richland Hills, TX
At 6'5", 295 pounds, Aguilar is as strong as hell, physically mature, and projects as a very solid guard or right tackle prospect. He also flirted heavily with TCU and Baylor down the stretch, giving serious concern to emotional maturity issues.
Best Case Scenario: Redshirts and battles for a starting position his redshirt freshman year. Contends for All-SEC his junior and senior years.
Worst Case Scenario: Has to move back to the NRH after graduation.
Jay Arnold - DL, Rockwall Heath, TX
The spectacularly-sideburned defensive end from Rockwall committed to A&M early in the process. Arnold is an accomplished wrestler and MMA fan, which should serve him well at the strongside defensive end position.
BCS: Depth in the defensive end rotation, solid starter his junior and senior years.
WCS: Not explosive enough to be a difference-maker, he sulks around to a wardrobe consisting solely of Ed Hardy.
Reggie Chevis - LB, Houston, TX
One of several early-enrollees, Chevis is a classic SEC middle linebacker specimen, already weighing north of 245 pounds.
BCS: Redshirts, redistributes some of that weight and fights for a starting job early in his career.
WCS: Eats himself into the defensive tackle rotation.
Darion Claiborne - LB, Port Allen, LA
A&M withstood a furious charge from TCU down the stretch to land Clairborne, an athlete that projects to multiple linebacker positions in Mark Snyder's defense.
BCS: Special teams depth and a multi-year starter at strongside linebacker.
WCS: Special teams depth. Clairborne is a solid player, but could get lost in the wash of more talented linebackers in the classes around him.
Cameron Clear - TE, Yuma, AZ
A huge tight end prospect at 6'6", 285 pounds, Clear immediately adds an athletic blocking threat to Sumlin's offense.
BCS: Immediate starter at tight end and flashes good enough hands to be a receiving threat.
WCS: Flashes the hands that got him kicked out of Tennessee for stealing a laptop.
Victor Davis - S, Rosenburg, TX
A kid that oozes upside (read: marginally productive in high school but a great athlete), Davis finished 2nd in the state 4A triple jump this year. Might need some after-school tutoring to show up in August.
BCS: Finds a tutor, enrolls, and is a productive member of the A&M secondary.
WCS: Doesn't make it in. Or loses the ‘fro, either would suck.
Noel Ellis - CB, New Orleans, LA
Hailing from powerhouse program Edna Karr, Ellis is in the mold of a DeVante Harris; smaller but extremely quick with great hips. Much like my ex.
BCS: Redshirt year to get stronger followed by 4 years of many productive snaps. Ellis can be very, very good.
WCS: Secondary depth, special team's depth, gumbo recipe depth.
Tavares Garner - CB, Missouri City, TX
The 2nd team All-State cornerback has good speed, great size and surprising physicality for a high school cb.
BCS: Cornerback depth as a freshman, has the ability to start early in his career.
WCS: All that physicality leads to a move to safety.
Isaiah Golden - DT, Carthage, TX
One of three highly ranked defensive tackle prospects to sign with A&M, Golden was the Defensive MVP of his district, and will be looked to contribute early in his career.
BCS: A 3-year starter at defensive tackle and a rock in the middle of the defense.
WCS: Luckily, Jamiel Showers is transferring because the chances for awkward sideline photography were immense.
Laquvionte Gonzales - WR, Cedar Hill, TX
Checking in at 160 pounds, Gonzales thankfully runs his 4.3 away from defenders rather than through them. He is an explosive receiver prospect.
BCS: Gets snaps in the slot immediately and provides the deep threat Sumlin's offense needs to stretch the defense.
WCS: In a tragic training room mishap, is eaten by Reggie Chevis.
Daeshon Hall - DE, Lancaster, TX
Flipping from Washington to A&M on Signing Day, Hall was the missing piece of the puzzle for a class featuring everything except a weakside defensive end. Enter the Dallas 4A Defensive Player of the Year.
BCS: 3-year starter at defensive end. Hall is long, athletic, and productive, registering over 20 sacks his senior year.
WCS: Committed to Texas, then Washington, and signed with A&M. The dramatic recruits seem capable of washing out in new and fascinating ways.
Kenny Hill - QB, Southlake, TX
Coming off a senior year in which he led his team to the state championship and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Texas, Hill is almost a perfect fit for the offense Sumlin wants to run.
BCS: A less explosive Manziel 2.0. Hill is an accomplished runner and thrower, and looks to have the inside track for the starting job should Johnny declare for the NFL after next year. Or be incarcerated. Whichever.
WCS: Gets lost in the shuffle of talented signal callers making their way to College Station. Performs worse than his dad did for the Rangers in '97.(5-8, 5.19 ERA. Meh.)
Sebastian Larue, WR, Santa Monica, CA
One of a truckload of decommits from Derp KiffyKins at USC, Larue sported offers from half the country before deciding Sumlin's offense was the best fit.
BCS: Enters the wide receiver rotation his freshman year before starting for 3 years, could also vie for punt and kick returner duties early on.
WCS: After spending a week in College Station, realizes he left Santa Monica for the Brazos Valley and immediately returns home.
Justin Manning, DT - Dallas, TX
District MVP, Army All-American, and younger brother of Sooner DeMarcus Granger (lolstoops), Manning represents a huge recruiting victory for A&M.
BCS: Plays early and often. All-conference type of talent.
WCS: None. Lolstoops.
Jordan Mastrogiovanni - LB, Dallas, TX
At 6'2", 230 pounds, ‘Mastro' reads and reacts well inside, and represents another Metroplex recruiting win after decommitting from Oklahoma shortly after the Cotton Bowl.
BCS: Special teams depth early, and a two-year starter at strong or middle linebacker. Gets Dave South fired in a horrific mispronunciation mishap.
WCS: Be wary of the private school standout - on the other hand, lolstoops.
Kameron Miles - S, Mesquite, TX
The headhunting safety switched his commitment from Tennessee in November after watching Derek Dooley accidentally burn down most of Knoxville.
BCS: Keeps his speed and turns into an All-SEC safety. Miles potential is through the roof.
WCS: Miles' potential also includes weighing about 235 in a year if he doesn't watch it. Could be the dreaded S/LB tweener.
Kyrion Parker - WR, Missouri City, TX
Switching from LSU to A&M before the season, Parker is a big, fast, smooth athlete in a wide receiver class full of them.
BCS: Early playing time, early touchdown catches, early mocking of Les Miles.
WCS: lolmiles.
Jordan Points, DL - Rockwall, TX
One of the more lightly recruited members of the 2013 class, Points could wind up at defensive tackle relatively quickly should he keep growing.
BCS: Um, helps team APR. Brings his lunch pail? Has a motor that never stops? Perhaps a poor man's Spencer Nealy.
WCS: Cuts those sweet, sweet shoulder-length locks.
Tommy Sanders, LB - Cordele, GA
The number-one-ranked JUCO linebacker in the nation according to some, Sanders is a blur of a front seven defender, making tackles all over the field.
BCS: Immediate starter at strongside linebacker. Fills Sean Porter's shoes admirably.
WCS: Standard junior college alarms in place, eligibility in August would be a good start.
Ricky Seals-Jones - ATH, Sealy, TX
Nothing to see here except the nation's number-two wide receiver prospect who escaped the Mack Brown Decommit Train just as it caught fire this fall.
BCS: It's all in play for Seals-Jones, who is a 6'5", 225 pound freak in the best sense of the word. How about a less explosive Calvin Johnson for good measure?
WCS: On the other hand, RSJ is raw as can be, was injured much of his senior year and expectations are running rampant. Might take him a year or two to get caught up on the nuances of the position at the next level.
Alex Sezer, Jr. - CB, Orange, TX
The definitive ‘sleeper' of the class, Sezer ran a 3.87 forty (or thereabouts) in front of the coaches at a camp last spring and was offered on the spot.
BCS: Gunner on punt coverage, turns into a solid cornerback in a couple of years.
WCS: A great student, Sezer can attempt to keep the JUCO's eligible.
Kohl Stewart - QB, Tomball, TX
Projected to be a Major League Baseball top 10 pick, Stewart has been clocked at 96 mph on the mound and can obviously make every throw needed on the football field.
BCS: Harnesses his rocket arm, grasps the offense and starts at quarterback for several years. Makes millions of dollars in the NFL.
WCS: Plays major league baseball and makes tens of millions of dollars.Tough break for the kid.
Jeremiah Stuckey - OL, San Francisco, CA
A JUCO tackle with four years to play three, Stuckey chose A&M over Oregon and Ole Miss.
BCS: He's already on campus? Hell, I don't know.
WCS: Seriously, my YMCA games were filmed tighter, I got nothing.
Jeremy Tabuyo - WR, Honolulu, HI
A&M coaches saw something they loved when they offered the polished slot receiver back in July, and he rewarded them with a 50 catch, 11 touchdown senior year.
BCS: Just another highly regarded, productive wide receiver to stick in the rotation. Could see time early.
WCS: Redshirts, passed up by other recruits, denies ever meeting Manti Te'o.
Brett Wade - LB, Kennedale, TX
Another early-enrollee, Wade made over 150 tackles his senior year and looks set to start his career at the weakside linebacker position.
BCS: He was a bit under-the-radar, but Wade is one of those kids who makes a ton of tackles. Potential 4 year starter at WLB.
WCS: Passed up by better athletes at the position.
Hardreck Walker - DT, Houston, TX
Another feather in Sumlin's defensive tackle cap, Walker boasts a great first step and will likely start out at the 3 technique.
BCS: Plays early, often and well. A&M isn't exactly swimming in 3-techs at the moment.
WCS: Defensive tackle depth. Laughter at Texas signing zero defensive linemen.
Shaan Washington - S, Alexandria, LA
A massive safety, Washington is already pushing 6'2" and 210 pounds; it will be interesting to see if he stays in the defensive backfield or spins down to linebacker.
BCS: Keeps athleticism, turns into a modern-day Patrick Bates.
WCS: His level of high school competition isn't exactly stellar, but guys that big that can run should be able to help out somewhere.
James White - RB, Pearland, TX
White lacks an elite top-end gear, but in spite of that managed to run for over 4,000 yards and 51 touchdowns his final two years of high school.
BCS: Redshirts. Enters his RS freshman year as a 6', 215 pound changeup back.
WCS: A productive 1st and 2nd down back in Sumlin's system.
Jonathan Wiggins, S - Houston, TX
Yet another large-framed safety, Wiggins was quietly a very productive player for Alief Taylor.
BCS: Special teams standout, in the safety mix in a year or two.
WCS: Allows highly decorated high school teammate Torrodney Prevot to sign with Oregon. Sad trombone.
JaQuay Williams, WR - Tyrone, GA
The top prep-school receiver in the country, Williams signed with Auburn out of high school before attending Sandy Creek Prep School.
BCS: All-American beastliness. Williams is 6'3", fast, and polished. Already on campus, he should make the earliest push for playing time out of this receiver class.
WCS: Doesn't attend as many Alex Sezer study sessions as promised.
Ishmael Wilson - OL, Lancaster, TX
Wilson is a road-grader who could see time at guard or tackle depending on the need.
BCS: Redshirts and immediately enters the mix after Harrison and Ogbuehi graduate.
WCS: Doesn't have the feet to play tackle, ends up as depth at guard.