All week we’ve been taking a closer look at how each SEC team fared on national signing day. Today, we turn our attention to Texas A&M:
Biggest need heading into signing day: Quarterback. Because of the departures the Aggies had at the position in December, when Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray transferred out of the program in successive weeks, Texas A&M had to have a quarterback in the signing class. Even though they already landed a graduate transfer in January (former Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight), it was imperative to get a high school quarterback in the class because the top two quarterbacks on the roster are a senior (Knight) and a junior (Jake Hubenak). For depth now and competition later (the Aggies already have a 2017 quarterback commitment in Tate Martell), getting another signal-caller was a must.
How it was addressed: The Aggies landed a solid passer in four-star prospect Nick Starkel. Formerly committed to Oklahoma State, Starkel reopened his recruitment late in the process and eventually gave his verbal commitment to the Aggies on Jan. 21. Ranked the No. 18 pocket passer in the country, Starkel is a likely redshirt candidate in his first season. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin alluded to the fact that Starkel will need to add some bulk to his 6-foot-4 frame (he’s listed at 185 pounds), and with two upperclassmen on the depth chart, he won’t be needed right away barring injury. An in-state product from Denton, Texas, Starkel was one of 18 quarterbacks nationally to make it to the Elite 11 finals last summer.
Position of strength: Offensive line. The Aggies hauled in a complete class of offensive linemen, five total. Two of them are ESPN 300 prospects: 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Kellen Diesch and 6-foot-4 guard Austin Anderson. Anderson’s brother, Riley Anderson, is a four-star offensive tackle who signed, and the Aggies also brought in three-star linemen Colton Prater and Ryan McCollum. With three starting offensive linemen from the 2015 team gone, there was a definite need to add depth, and the Aggies did so, nabbing some quality prospects in the process.
Biggest remaining question mark: Linebacker has been a position of constant headaches for the Aggies thanks to depth and injury issues, and they didn’t add much in terms of numbers to the group with this signing class. Only one linebacker signed in this recruiting class: three-star inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson. Every one of the Aggies’ starters at the three positions will return this fall, but three of the linebackers on the two-deep will enter their final seasons of eligibility in 2016: starters Shaan Washington, A.J. Hilliard and reserve linebacker Claude George. It would have been ideal to sign two or three linebackers in this class. Depth in the SEC at that position is always a plus.