Texas A&M Aggies

Here's a look at some recruits who were surprises at Texas A&M.

No. 1 Johnny Manziel, quarterback, 2011: Coming out of Kerrville (Texas) Tivy, some wondered how Manziel would fare as a quarterback at the Division I level. He originally committed to Oregon but flipped to Texas A&M once then-Aggies' quarterbacks coach Tom Rossley convinced then-head coach Mike Sherman to offer. According to Manziel's high school coach, Mark Smith, A&M and Rice were the only two in-state schools to offer.

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Looking back at Texas A&M’s recent recruiting misses.

No. 1 Jorrie Adams, offensive tackle, 2003: At 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, Adams had an impressive offer list. In addition to A&M, Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and Miami (a team that was routinely putting out first-round NFL draft picks at the time) were among those that pursued the five-star tackle out of Jasper (Texas) High School. The U.S. Army All-American with NFL size wound up playing defensive line as a freshman and was dismissed from the team in the summer of 2005 for violating team rules. He eventually wound up at Angelo State.

No. 2 Rod Davis, defensive tackle, 2008: The 6-2, 300-pound Davis was a ballyhooed recruit out of Houston Eisenhower, ranking No. 143 in the ESPN 150 and No. 6 nationally among defensive tackles. He was a signing day decision, choosing the Aggies over Texas. The Under Armour All-American originally chose the Aggies early in the process but reopened his recruitment after a coaching change. Florida was also among the schools that offered Davis in the recruiting process.

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The recruiting momentum that Texas A&M has is strong.

One could argue that there were a pair of recruits -- 2012 signees De'Vante Harris and Thomas Johnson -- who sparked the start of that momentum for the Aggies. Johnson, the No. 33 player in the 2012 ESPN 150, and Harris, the No. 144 player in the elite list, both decommitted from schools that the Aggies have long battled on the recruiting trail -- Texas (Johnson) and Oklahoma (Harris) -- and wound up at Texas A&M.

And while landing those two were huge, the work that Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin and his staff have done in the Aggies' 2013 recruiting class has really changed the game in the recruiting landscape.

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ESPN 150 receiver Sebastian LaRue has been to College Station, Texas, before.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound four-star prospect, a former USC commit, visited Texas A&M unofficially well before the 2012 season began. He made his official visit to Aggieland this weekend to get a second look and a closer look at the campus.

According to LaRue, things went well.

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This week, GigEmNation looks back at five decisions that helped define Texas A&M's 2012 season. These moments could be on or off the field or could have even come before the season, so long that they had a lasting impact on the Aggies' 2012 campaign. Today, we look at our pick for No. 1, A&M's decision to move to the Southeastern Conference.

Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin called the school's decision to join the Southeastern Conference a "100-year decision" but it took less than a year for the Aggies to see the potential of what membership in the country's premier football conference could do for them.

They officially joined the SEC on July 1, 2012, just more than nine months after the decision became official. In six months, things have changed drastically, particularly for Aggies football.

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Houston Alief Taylor defensive end and USC commitment Torrodney Prevot had an in-home visitor from his home state Wednesday night.

The ESPN 300 prospect, who has been committed to USC since July, is still being courted by other schools.

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This week, GigEmNation looks back at five decisions that helped define Texas A&M's 2012 season. These moments could be on or off the field or could have even come before the season, so long that they had a lasting impact on the Aggies' 2012 campaign. Today, we look at our pick for No. 2, the hiring of Kevin Sumlin.

On Dec. 10, 2011, Texas A&M officially chose Kevin Sumlin as its next head football coach.

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SEALY, Texas -- Before there was Ricky Seals-Jones, there was Ricky Seals.

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This week, GigEmNation looks back at five decisions that helped define Texas A&M's 2012 season. These moments could be on or off the field or could have even come before the season, so long that they had a lasting impact on the Aggies' 2012 campaign. Today, we look at our pick for No. 3, choosing Johnny Manziel as the Aggies' starting quarterback.

It's easy to forget now, but Texas A&M didn't have a starting quarterback at the start of fall football practice.

The Aggies went into camp with an open competition and based on the first day of workouts, one might assume that the starter would be Jameill Showers [Showers took snaps with the first team on the first day of camp].

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Texas A&M, the Southeastern Conference and Kevin Sumlin have made for a dangerous combination when it comes to recruiting.

Sprinkle in an 11-2 season and the Heisman Trophy winner (not to mention an unparalleled game-day atmosphere and quality facilities, both of which were already in place) and you have a package seemingly as attractive as any in the country.

This is where the Aggies are after an unforgettable and in some ways unbelievable 2012.

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The fall was quite busy for 2014 safety John Bonney (Houston/Lamar), who was part of a long, prosperous playoff run with his Redskins teammates all the way to the Texas Class 5A Division I state championship game.

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This week, GigEmNation looks back at five decisions that helped define Texas A&M's 2012 season. These moments could be on or off the field or could have even come before the season, so long that they had a lasting impact on the Aggies' 2012 campaign. Today, we look at our pick for No. 5, the hiring of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

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