Texas A&M Aggies

When it comes to defensive backs, the class of 2014 is a strong one in the Lone Star State.

And Texas A&M is doing quite a job locking down several as commitments, adding two more to their 2014 haul on Saturday in the form of ESPN Watch List safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner and Forney (Texas) North Forney athlete Armani Watts.

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Having the same combination of players in the secondary from week to week wasn't a common occurrence for Texas A&M in 2012.

Whether it was an injury or simply trying fit the right pieces into the right places, the defensive backfield was an area where the Aggies moved a lot of pieces.

The unit had its ups and downs but returns plenty of experience for 2013.

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In a year's time, things have changed quite a bit for Texas A&M. Look no further than national signing day as evidence.

In 2012, much of the attention and concern regarding the Aggies' recruiting class heading into signing day was on whether the Aggies could hold on to one of their most notable commitments, ESPN 150 receiver Bralon Addison.

It didn't happen, as Addison flipped to Oregon and signed with the Ducks.

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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.

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The most notable movement in the ESPN 300 from a Texas A&M perspective is the entry of one of the Aggies' commits into the ESPN 300. Carthage (Texas) High School defensive tackle Isaiah Golden, the nation's 29th-ranked defensive tackle, moved up to No. 229 overall.

There are five other Texas A&M commits in the updated rankings.

Tight end Derrick Griffin (Rosenberg, Texas/Terry) jumped up four spots to No. 25, quarterback Kohl Stewart (Houston, Texas/St. Pius X) remains at No. 91, guard Joas Aguilar (North Richland Hills, Texas/Birdville) dropped three spots to No. 109, athlete LaQuvionte Gonzalez (Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill) holds strong at No. 117 and cornerback Noel Ellis (New Orleans/Edna Karr) is just outside the ESPN 150 at No. 162.

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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."

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Things are going well for New Orleans Edna Karr cornerback Noel Ellis these days.

His team is No. 2 in the latest Louisiana Sports Writer Association's Class 4A state poll, with a win already notched against another top-five team, No. 4 Salmen. Ellis, a 2013 Texas A&M commitment, is making the most of his team's effort, contributing in several ways.

In Edna Karr's most recent victory, a 26-7 win over Helen Cox, Ellis returned an interception and a kickoff for a touchdown. In the key win over Salmen in late September, Ellis intercepted a pass and recovered two fumbles, including one that he took 59 yards for a touchdown.

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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 begin with the cornerback position.

2013 commits: Noel Ellis, New Orleans Edna Karr; Tavares Garner, Manvel (Texas) High School

Cornerbacks who'll graduate: Dustin Harris

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As the 2012 season approaches, GigEmNation will take a look at where the Aggies stand currently and in the future at each position group. Today, we glance at the cornerbacks.

Current: Deshazor Everett, De'Vante Harris, Dustin Harris, Toney Hurd, Tramain Jacobs, Floyd Raven

Everett has the flexibility to line up at both cornerback and safety. He has spent time at both during fall camp, and on Saturday in the Aggies' scrimmage, Everett played a lot of safety. The sophomore saw action in every regular season games last year as a reserve and a special teams player. When Everett lined up at safety, senior Dustin Harris and freshman De'Vante Harris lined up at the corners. Dustin Harris is a three-year letterman and has been a punt-returning ace for the Aggies, but has also seen plenty of playing time, including some starting time, in the secondary. De'Vante Harris, a 2012 signee from Mesquite (Texas) Horn, has clearly made an impression on the coaching staff thus far. He was an Under Armour All-American at Horn and a district MVP as a senior.

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