Monday Thoughts

When the Aggies held their first barbecue of the summer in early June, they didn't have to wait long for the commits to start flooding in. Travis Etienne committed before leaving town and several other players followed in the next few days.

There hasn't been a commit yet from this weekend's events (including a camp Sunday), but again, it looks like the Aggies did a least a little good. Red Oak QB Kaleb Johnson was offered, and odds are good he'll end up committing. They got targets like DT Ben Hutch, WR Hezekiah Jones, LB Anthony Hines and DEs Tyree Johnson, Ondario Robinson and Joe Anderson on campus and did some good. There were some rumors of two silent commits -- one wideout and one DE -- but after the Kendall Sheffield situation, it's hard to take any of those seriously anymore.

The bottom line, though, is they made some more progress. A&M knows they lead for Johnson and Robinson and probably do as well for at least Jones (they could for Anderson as well). Hines definitely likes A&M a lot and the Aggies have a legitimate shot at landing him if things go right.

We may not see a flood of #YESSIR!s flying out after this weekend, but it doesn't mean it was a flop by any stretch.

A few weeks ago, I said I wasn't worried about wideout recruiting because A&M would get theirs (note: I also said linebacker recruiting would pick up, and it did). Since then, things have been a little meh on that front. Michael Young went to Notre Dame and CeeDee Lamb appears likely to re-commit to OU this evening. Tyrik Black went radio silent on A&M and did not visit during a swing that included trips to Alabama and Georgia. Some commits thought he'd jump on board after Kellen Mond committed, so that was a bit of an upset.

That's not optimal. It's also almost certainly why Kaleb Johnson has an offer now.

Anyway, I still think they get to four at least. Johnson is three and Hezekiah Jones would be four. They will remain in pursuit of Omar Manning and try to get Jhamon Ausbon to flip from LSU.

Personally, I'd be working to get Jones -- if he is the proverbal silent commit -- to announce it. Then I'd put all the chips on the table for Manning, who has been my favorite wideout among A&M targets all year. He's not as shifty as now non-target Tyjon Lindsey, but he's bigger and stronger.

They'll still get theirs. It just may take on a different form that we originally thought.

We've been waiting for several years to say A&M has an experienced, veteran team again and it looks like we're finally there. One sign of that is the lack of open competitions for starting spots going on in camp when it starts Aug. 8. Here they are, and they're only a handful:

Running back: James White vs. Keith Ford. I don't even know if can count this one, because they're both going to get plenty of carries. A&M is not going to repeat last year's situation and won't have to. They'll be able to rotate backs at will -- even though I doubt this offensive coordinator will pull backs when they're on a roll.

Defensive tackle: Kingsley Keke vs. Zaycoven Henderson. Keke came on strong in the spring and probably has the edge right now. But Henderson has put up solid numbers when given the chance and his exprience could win out. Either way, both will see the field.

Punter: Shane Tripucka vs. Braden Mann. Tripucka is the more experienced guy; Mann has the huge leg. This may play out like 2012, where Ryan Epperson held off Drew Kaser to give him a redshirt year, which he used to become more consistent -- and, eventually, legendary.

Left guard: Connor Lanfear vs. Keaton Sutherland. Sutherland may also get a shot at right guard, but Jim Turner seemed to indicate he wanted to see what he could do at his old spot. Lanfear, however, is closer to what a Turner guard looks like -- huge, but still kind of squad and tough to drive off the line by getting under him. Sutherland may be the utility lineman.

Cornerback: Priest Willis vs. Deshawn Capers-Smith (and maybe more). Willis came on at the end of the spring to start, but Capers-Smith wasn't bad most of the time. With the arrival of Charles Oliver, who John Chavis loves, this could get interesting.

I showed up in 1998, so it's only fair.

10) Toombs carries OU (2000). Still can't believe that they blew that game. Man. But what a great run.

9) So THAT'S who Johnny Manziel is. (SMU, 2012)

This was the first real indication that we had something truly special on our hands.

8) He's Magic. (Duke, 2013)

One last hurrah for a legend.

7) McNeal to Porter (OU, 2002)

Best throw by a true freshman I've ever seen. Cash money, and what a grab by the sure-handed Porter. That was when OU knew they weren't going to rattle McNeal and win easy. (1:00 mark of the video)

6) "Oh my gracious? How about THAT?!?" (Alabama, 2012)

Shocked it's this low, but whatever.

5) Praise the Lord option keeper (Texas, 2006)

Stephen McGee puts up with no bullcrap, becomes legend.

4) Manziel. Evans. 95. (Alabama, 2013)

The instant Evans caught that ball was the loudest single roar I've ever heard at Kyle Field.

3) Johnny and the Miracles (Ole Miss, 2012)

The touchdown pass to Swope to seal the comeback was just incredible, and allowed me to tell an obnoxious Ole Miss photographer, finally, to shut the f**k up. As he cried (literally), I got what turned out to be one the best shots of my life. (Catch at 2:55)

2) HE GOT A TOUCHDOWN! (K-State, 1998)

Maybe the most important. Not my favorite.

1) Big Play Jay and Brian Gamble seal the Bonfire Game (Texas, 1999)

If you were there, you know why. Even if you weren't, you almost certainly do.

All-time left fielders today, kids.

1) Ted Williams. You don't think so? Get out. Now.

2) Stan Musial. The only guy of the era that was close to Teddy Ballgame. Could've made the list as a first baseman, too.

3) Ricky Henderson. The greatest leadoff hitter of all time.

4) Barry Bonds. I despise him, but what he did even before his head grew inexplicably in his late 30s (STEROIDS, cough cough) is indisputable.

5) Carl Yastremski. Yaz was a dominant player in his own right, but wouldn't even get the start on an All-Time Red Sox team.