Texas A&M Aggies: Darian Claiborne
The Texas A&M linebacker corps served as a backbone for the Aggies defense in 2012.
With a trio of upperclassmen as starters, including two senior leaders in Sean Porter and Jonathan Stewart, it was one area the Aggies defensive coaches didn't have to worry too much about.
With Porter and Stewart having graduated and looking toward NFL futures, the Aggies will have two new bodies to line up next to the lone remaining starter of the group, Steven Jenkins.
With a trio of upperclassmen as starters, including two senior leaders in Sean Porter and Jonathan Stewart, it was one area the Aggies defensive coaches didn't have to worry too much about.
With Porter and Stewart having graduated and looking toward NFL futures, the Aggies will have two new bodies to line up next to the lone remaining starter of the group, Steven Jenkins.
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"Coach's take" is a series which allows GigEmNation to offer readers a closer look at the incoming recruits in Texas A&M's 2013 class by visiting with someone who coached the player or coached against him. Today, we take a look at Port Allen (La.) High School linebacker Darian Claiborne by visiting with his head coach, Guy Blanchard.
The 6-foot-1 220-pound Claiborne is a three-star prospect who is ranked as the No. 35 inside linebacker in the country. He helped the Lions to an 10-5 record and an appearance in the regional round of the Louisiana Class 3A playoffs. For the season, Claiborne finished with 59 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three interceptions and five pass breakups on defense. On offense, he played quarterback and threw for 1,338 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 919 yards and seven touchdowns.
Here's Blanchard's take on Claiborne:
The 6-foot-1 220-pound Claiborne is a three-star prospect who is ranked as the No. 35 inside linebacker in the country. He helped the Lions to an 10-5 record and an appearance in the regional round of the Louisiana Class 3A playoffs. For the season, Claiborne finished with 59 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three interceptions and five pass breakups on defense. On offense, he played quarterback and threw for 1,338 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 919 yards and seven touchdowns.
Here's Blanchard's take on Claiborne:
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A&M haul impressive, but just a start in SEC
February, 6, 2013
Feb 6
6:59
PM CT
By
Sam Khan Jr. | ESPN.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Coming into national signing day it was already clear that Texas A&M had hauled in one of its best classes in years, perhaps in school history.
When the dust settled and it added one more player to the fold -- four-star defensive end Daeshon Hall, who flipped from Washington to the Aggies -- that much was still true. Every A&M commit that received a letter of intent signed on the dotted line.
Once the fax machine at the Bright Football Complex stopped, the result was a top-10 class.
But A&M coach Kevin Sumlin made it clear, as a member of the Southeastern Conference, that this class can only be a beginning for Texas A&M if it wants long-term success.
"We're still playing catch up in the SEC," Sumlin said. "I just came from upstairs and on ESPN we're ranked eighth in the country in recruiting. Then I look up at the next page and we're like fifth in our league. We're getting there, but we still have a ways to go."
Sumlin is right -- Alabama (No. 1), Florida (No. 2), Mississippi (No. 5) and LSU (No. 7) all finished ahead of the Aggies in this year's ESPN class rankings. But the Aggies recruited on the level of the other SEC big dogs, thanks in large part to the success it had in year one in its new conference.
The Aggies finished with 32 total players -- 31 signees and one transfer. Nine players are already on campus taking classes and working out in preparation for spring football. The other 23 signed on Wednesday, with Hall's signature putting a cherry on top of the class.
There are many reasons that Texas A&M was able to pull in a class of this caliber.
When the dust settled and it added one more player to the fold -- four-star defensive end Daeshon Hall, who flipped from Washington to the Aggies -- that much was still true. Every A&M commit that received a letter of intent signed on the dotted line.
Once the fax machine at the Bright Football Complex stopped, the result was a top-10 class.
But A&M coach Kevin Sumlin made it clear, as a member of the Southeastern Conference, that this class can only be a beginning for Texas A&M if it wants long-term success.
"We're still playing catch up in the SEC," Sumlin said. "I just came from upstairs and on ESPN we're ranked eighth in the country in recruiting. Then I look up at the next page and we're like fifth in our league. We're getting there, but we still have a ways to go."
Sumlin is right -- Alabama (No. 1), Florida (No. 2), Mississippi (No. 5) and LSU (No. 7) all finished ahead of the Aggies in this year's ESPN class rankings. But the Aggies recruited on the level of the other SEC big dogs, thanks in large part to the success it had in year one in its new conference.
The Aggies finished with 32 total players -- 31 signees and one transfer. Nine players are already on campus taking classes and working out in preparation for spring football. The other 23 signed on Wednesday, with Hall's signature putting a cherry on top of the class.
There are many reasons that Texas A&M was able to pull in a class of this caliber.
Welcome to GigEmNation's live coverage of national signing day for the Texas A&M Aggies. We'll be with you throughout the day providing up-to-the minute updates on A&M's class of 2013.
Watch live coverage on ESPNU | 2013 Texas A&M recruiting class
Watch live coverage on ESPNU | 2013 Texas A&M recruiting class
Team needs: There are three key need areas for Texas A&M in this recruiting class: defensive tackles, linebackers and receivers. The defensive tackle need stems from the Aggies' scheme switch. The 2010 and 2011 seasons were spent in a 3-4 alignment, and recruiting was tailored to that. Once Kevin Sumlin arrived and hired Mark Snyder as his defensive coordinator, the Aggies switched to a 4-3, meaning another defensive tackle on the field, meaning more were needed. At linebacker, the Aggies say goodbye to a pair of senior leaders, Sean Porter and Jonathan Stewart, both of whom were starters. The other starting linebacker, Steven Jenkins, will be a senior this season. At receiver there are several contributors leaving as well. Ryan Swope, Uzoma Nwachukwu and Kenric McNeal were all seniors. Thomas Johnson, a true freshman who appeared in 10 games and was one of the gems of the 2012 recruiting class, withdrew from school and might not return. There's another scholarship spot at the position in the form of Brandal Jackson, who was on scholarship but not part of the 105-man roster at the start of fall camp.
Help is on the way: At defensive tackle, A&M scored commitments from ESPN 150 defensive tackle Justin Manning and ESPN 300 defensive tackle Isaiah Golden. Three-star prospect Hardreck Walker and three-star Jordan Points (who is already on campus) round out that group. There are six linebackers in the class, led by ESPN 300 ILB Jordan Mastrogiovanni. Three are already on campus and enrolled: Brett Wade, Reggie Chevis and Tommy Sanders. At receiver, the Aggies have plenty. Ricky Seals-Jones tops the list, prep school standout Ja'Quay Williams is already in school, and there's a pair of three-star receivers as well. Not to mention, No. 1 tight end prospect Derrick Griffin would be a receiver at A&M if he makes it in, and athlete LaQuvionte Gonzalez likely would be an inside receiver.
Other key commits: A pair of Under Armour All-Americans, guard Joas Aguilar and cornerback Noel Ellis, plus a U.S. Army All-American, safety Kameron Miles, round out a group 10 prospects that are among ESPN's top 300. Two quarterbacks are in the class (Kohl Stewart and Kenny Hill), but it's worth keeping an eye on them as Stewart is a potential high MLB draft pick and Hill took official visits to Baylor and Kansas State. Eight early enrollees in the class are already on campus (Chevis, Points, Sanders, Wade, Williams, Cameron Clear, Alex Sezer and Jeremiah Stuckey), and there are plenty of promising three-star commits, including guys like cornerback Tavares Garner and outside linebacker Darian Claiborne.
Other key targets: There aren't a ton of targets left for the Aggies at this point. Their focus is on a small handful of guys. Adding a defensive end would be ideal for the Aggies, and they're pursuing Washington commit Daeshon Hall and USC commit Torrodney Prevot in that regard. Hall visited recently, and Prevot could soon. They are also still looking at another receiver. Former USC commit Sebastian LaRue is one of those targets, and he was in on an official visit recently. They are also looking at Florida State commit Levonte Whitfield, who said he plans to officially visit Feb. 1.
Help is on the way: At defensive tackle, A&M scored commitments from ESPN 150 defensive tackle Justin Manning and ESPN 300 defensive tackle Isaiah Golden. Three-star prospect Hardreck Walker and three-star Jordan Points (who is already on campus) round out that group. There are six linebackers in the class, led by ESPN 300 ILB Jordan Mastrogiovanni. Three are already on campus and enrolled: Brett Wade, Reggie Chevis and Tommy Sanders. At receiver, the Aggies have plenty. Ricky Seals-Jones tops the list, prep school standout Ja'Quay Williams is already in school, and there's a pair of three-star receivers as well. Not to mention, No. 1 tight end prospect Derrick Griffin would be a receiver at A&M if he makes it in, and athlete LaQuvionte Gonzalez likely would be an inside receiver.
Other key commits: A pair of Under Armour All-Americans, guard Joas Aguilar and cornerback Noel Ellis, plus a U.S. Army All-American, safety Kameron Miles, round out a group 10 prospects that are among ESPN's top 300. Two quarterbacks are in the class (Kohl Stewart and Kenny Hill), but it's worth keeping an eye on them as Stewart is a potential high MLB draft pick and Hill took official visits to Baylor and Kansas State. Eight early enrollees in the class are already on campus (Chevis, Points, Sanders, Wade, Williams, Cameron Clear, Alex Sezer and Jeremiah Stuckey), and there are plenty of promising three-star commits, including guys like cornerback Tavares Garner and outside linebacker Darian Claiborne.
Other key targets: There aren't a ton of targets left for the Aggies at this point. Their focus is on a small handful of guys. Adding a defensive end would be ideal for the Aggies, and they're pursuing Washington commit Daeshon Hall and USC commit Torrodney Prevot in that regard. Hall visited recently, and Prevot could soon. They are also still looking at another receiver. Former USC commit Sebastian LaRue is one of those targets, and he was in on an official visit recently. They are also looking at Florida State commit Levonte Whitfield, who said he plans to officially visit Feb. 1.
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Positive feelings still strong for Claiborne 
January, 11, 2013
Jan 11
8:00
AM CT
By
Sam Khan Jr. | ESPN.com
When Port Allen (La.) High School linebacker Darian Claiborne committed to Texas A&M in July 2012, the Aggies were still an unknown when it came to the Southeastern Conference.
Speculation ran rampant on how the former Big 12 team would fare in the SEC, but Claiborne had a feeling the Aggies were headed for good things.
Much has changed since then. The Aggies went 11-2, crushed Oklahoma in the AT&T Cotton Bowl, were the only team to defeat BCS champion Alabama and had the Heisman Trophy winner, redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Claiborne, who will take his official visit to Texas A&M beginning today, said the positive feelings still remain.
Speculation ran rampant on how the former Big 12 team would fare in the SEC, but Claiborne had a feeling the Aggies were headed for good things.
Much has changed since then. The Aggies went 11-2, crushed Oklahoma in the AT&T Cotton Bowl, were the only team to defeat BCS champion Alabama and had the Heisman Trophy winner, redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Claiborne, who will take his official visit to Texas A&M beginning today, said the positive feelings still remain.
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GigEmNation is taking a weekly position-by-position look at the 2014 recruiting class as it relates to Texas A&M, whom the Aggies are targeting, as well as 2013 commits and who on the roster will graduate. Today, we look at the linebacker position.
2013 commits: Reggie Chevis, Houston Sharpstown; Darian Claiborne, Port Allen (La.) High School; Brett Wade, Kennedale (Texas) High School; Edward Williams, New Orleans Warren Easton.
Linebackers who'll graduate: Sean Porter, Jonathan Stewart
2013 commits: Reggie Chevis, Houston Sharpstown; Darian Claiborne, Port Allen (La.) High School; Brett Wade, Kennedale (Texas) High School; Edward Williams, New Orleans Warren Easton.
Linebackers who'll graduate: Sean Porter, Jonathan Stewart
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Aggies stepping up Louisiana recruiting
October, 11, 2012
10/11/12
1:00
PM CT
By
Sam Khan Jr. | ESPN.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- When Texas A&M travels Saturday to Shreveport, La., to take on Louisiana Tech, it will be a homecoming for Aggies linebacker Jonathan Stewart, a Shreveport native.
For eight other players on the Aggies' roster it will be a return to their home state. All nine Aggies that hail from Louisiana have seen the field this season, and four of them -- Stewart, cornerback Deshazor Everett, center Patrick Lewis and defensive end Julien Obioha -- are starters.
There's definitely a Louisiana presence on the team. Lewis dubs the group "Louisianimals."
For eight other players on the Aggies' roster it will be a return to their home state. All nine Aggies that hail from Louisiana have seen the field this season, and four of them -- Stewart, cornerback Deshazor Everett, center Patrick Lewis and defensive end Julien Obioha -- are starters.
There's definitely a Louisiana presence on the team. Lewis dubs the group "Louisianimals."
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How the SEC factors into A&M recruiting
July, 25, 2012
7/25/12
8:31
AM CT
By
Sam Khan Jr. | ESPN.com
Ask the players themselves and they'll tell you: Texas A&M's move to the Southeastern Conference matters.
When it comes to a reason for recruits in the 2013 class choosing the Aggies, many say the SEC is near the top of that list.
"That's a big reason," Manvel cornerback Tavares Garner said. "The SEC, it doesn't get bigger than that. It's the best conference, really."
When it comes to a reason for recruits in the 2013 class choosing the Aggies, many say the SEC is near the top of that list.
"That's a big reason," Manvel cornerback Tavares Garner said. "The SEC, it doesn't get bigger than that. It's the best conference, really."
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Sam Khan Jr.
Sam Khan Jr. joined ESPN.com in 2012 after nearly seven years with the Houston Chronicle, covering the University of Houston, college sports and high school sports. Khan lives in Houston with his wife. He can be reached at skespn@gmail.com.