Recruiting Country: The latest recruiting news surrounding the Maroon & White

TexAgs' recruiting analyst Ryan Brauninger joined TexAgs Radio on Wednesday morning for another edition of Recruiting Country, highlighting the latest news and notes from the recruiting and transfer portal trail surrounding Texas A&M.

Key notes from Recruiting Country

• There is news with Desmond Ricks. As we went into that this was going down, we decided to preemptively record as we sometimes do. We were talking about the bowl game and the backfield.
   
• Mike Elko knew it needed to be addressed. You have to give an A-plus with what he did in the secondary. Eight total out of the portal. Five corner-ish players. Three safety-ish players. I say "ish" because these guys have versatility.
   
• When you look at the background of Trey Jones, he is a big guy. De’Rickey Wright, what is his role? It will not be just purely safety. Jaydon Hill has played a lot of nickel at Flordia. BJ Mayes can play in the nickel. Ricks can probably play anywhere in the secondary. They had to attack it from a talent and depth perspective. I still think Bravion Rogers and Jayvon Thomas can be good players here. What the room looks like today vs. three weeks ago is a night and day difference.
   
• Ricks is talented enough. You don't earn five-stars across the country without being a supremely talented player. I believe he would have been a top-five player in the country had he reclassified. There is a high level of skill there. If you look at it as an addition to the 2024 class, which essentially it is, you are going to look at what Elko was able to do with the last flurry of high school guys.
   
• I will let Billy Liucci talk about Tyreek Chappell, but it looks like things are trending for him to come back to the program. Look where you are at the corner. Look where you are at the secondary. You will probably trot out there the first spring practice with more talent in your secondary than you had in the entire Jimbo Fisher era.
   
• I would not hate it if they tried to get another interior defensive lineman. Maybe that's a spot you leave open for the spring window. You don't want to have posts going into that area of the calendar because there are not a lot of impact players that will be in the portal at that time. There is still quality and depth in that DT room. Rodas Johnson was a good addition because he essentially replaced Isaiah Raikes.
   
• Nic Scourton should be a one-and-done player here. If he replicates his production in the SEC, he will hear his name called very early in the following NFL Draft. Cashius Howell is listed as a linebacker, but I think it is more of that Tyree Johnson role. He was outstanding under Elko.
   
• I believe they are at 21 portal commitments. You look at how it is broken down, and we haven't even talked about Tre Watson. How would you grade it? It's an easy A. Does Ricks push you to an A-plus?
   
• Not all of these guys will be immediate contributors. Some guys will come in and anticipate they will play and won't. The spring will be vitally important for these guys that will compete and win jobs.
   
• In the receiver room, I would bet on Cyrus Allen and Jabre Barber playing a bunch.
   
• With Terry Bussey‍, whenever a kid schedules an official visit to Georgia, that is a new school in his recruitment. They had not been a big player. That is still a large hurdle to clear. A&M will get the last visit on the first weekend of February. We have not been given enough information to make us not believe that A&M does not still have a strong grip on the recruitment.
   
• Walter Nolen is a super-talented player. The addition of Ricks is big whether you lose Nolen or not.
   
• Replacing Edgerrin Cooper is not going to be easy. Someone will have to step up to replace an All-American, which will be tough. I dont think they are bringing in any linebackers. That would be something they look at in the spring window. You are running up against the clock now. Jan. 22 is the last day to add/drop.
   
• Elko and the staff can make their mark in the 2025 class. I have loved what they have done in terms of offers going out. I love that they brought in a small but select group this weekend. I don't know if they will have these massive Junior Days. You go and evaluate guys that were offered by the previous staff. Landon Rink‍, DJ Sanders‍, Kiotti Armstrong‍, Michael Fasusi‍ and Kaliq Lockett‍ are guys that were here. Fasusi and Lockett were massive visitors because the previous staff, to be quite frank, dropped the ball there. Before, A&M was not in Faussi's top 10. Now, they are in his top five. That is how much they moved the needle.
   
• Lockett's grandmother was a professor at A&M. The old staff did not offer him.