Thoughts on Recruiting: Why Are We Crazy?

I genuinely wish I didn't follow recruiting. At first I got into it because the depth chart fascinates me...but then you get drawn in by all the drama and sooner rather than later you find yourself over analyzing an 18 year old's choice of AVI on twitter and wondering where your life went wrong.

Even with all that, I'm hooked. So I wanted to provide a quick snapshot of current recruiting happenings and my extra hot takes on what they mean for Aggie Football. Let's begin. 

Murray/Lodge

I'm going to call NPR and recommend that they study the 2015 recruiting class for the next season of Serial. Those of you who haven't listened to it wont get this, but for those of you who have, imagine Sarah Koenig's voice saying something like this

"So then we look at Kyler...a guy who was a legacy. Who had been committed to A&M for months. We then see him taking a visit to Austin? I mean...how does that make sense? What did Charlie Strong do to get Kyler to visit that program? Next time on Serial."

Back to the point. The visit makes sense for both Lodge and Murray, given that both would immediately be the most talented at their respective spots the second they stepped onto campus. It's not far-fetched to say that both would be in great position to be day 1 starters for the Longhorns.

That being said, I don't buy it. The only thing that could make me do more than raise an eyebrow at this visit is if Lodge and Murray schedule an official visit to the horns. That's when I'd be at my full-blown hair-on-fire panic. One of the key reasons I don't buy it is because of Kyler's relationship with recently enrolled Aggie commit  WR Christian Kirk of Arizona. Saturday Down South had a good article with quotes from Kirk about their relationship:

Murray admitted he’s maintained a relationship with Kirk for more than a year now and that the two finally met earlier in 2014 during a visit to Texas A&M. Kirk called the two "brothers" and cited that relationship as a future jumping off point for the A&M offense.

"This is a brotherhood and for a quarterback-receiver relationship that’s very good," Kirk said.

I sincerely doubt that Kyler would leave Kirk hanging in College Station and head to Austin...especially on the heels of Kyler's official visit to College Station where he and Kirk spent a significant amount of time together.

The class of 2015 collectively has done a great job of keeping media, fans, etc on their toes regarding commitments and preferences. Some of those who cover recruiting could learn a lesson or two on subtlety from their teenage subjects.

I feel generous today... email me via geoff@orangebloods.com and I'll make you an OB offer you can't refuse. Come get your new crack habit.

— Geoff Ketchum (@gkketch) January 21, 2015

WARNING: MORE TWITTER MADNESS: Current Longhorn commit DeShon Elliot had a conversation with Kirk regarding the Lodge/Murray visit and stated:

"they always be playing with the media."

Elliot managed to sum up the entire 2015 class in 7 words. It seems that this class (moreso than any other previous class) is pretty savvy about what they put on social media...and very focused on controlling the narrative to suit their best interests. Whether it's just looking for a laugh or to make the puppets dance, they certainly know how to keep things interesting. And boy does it work.

Long story short, I wouldn't stress about this one just yet. The stakes are very high with both A&M and UT in Kyler's commitment, given that A&M only has one highly-touted QB in Kyle Allen on the roster next year, and with Zach Gentry wavering on his commitment to UT, but I feel pretty confident that this one will go A&M's way. There's one opinion that's free of charge.

Weekend Visitors

Lost in all of the hubbub about a midweek visit to Austin by two offensive players was the list of stellar athletes scheduled to visit A&M this coming weekend. 4 Star CBs Kris Boyd and Holton Hill both skipped midweek Baylor visits and are planning on being on campus at A&M this coming weekend. The A&M staff was blindsided by 5 star Kendall Sheffield's commitment to Alabama, and have been scrambling a bit to find at least two CBs to take in this class. All signs point to Hill being a heavy longhorn lean, and Boyd being 50/50 between A&M and UT, but getting both on campus at the same time is a great sign for Sumlin.

I'm so sorry.

In other DB recruiting news JUCO CB and current Tennessee Commit Justin Martin canceled his upcoming Auburn visit, and will decide between A&M and the other UT sometime before signing day. That's pretty decent news as well.

Last but not least, it looks like 4 star Georgia LB Roquan Smith will be visiting A&M this weekend. Smith is considered a heavy Georgia lean but has a good relationship with Chavis. Getting him in the fold is a long shot, but get him on campus and who knows.

So in short, this week is a mixture of good and meh recruiting news. But in the end, I think A&M will be just fine.

See you next week.