Brenham LB discusses his commitment

He committed very early in the recruiting process, so now that Brenham LB Kyle Mangan is getting calls from Nebraska, Miami, Arkansas and Kansas State, how solid is his commitment to Texas A&M? Aggie Websider's David Sandhop finds out.

The Texas A&M football staff came into the 2008 recruiting season looking for a few good men at linebacker, and they didn’t have far to go to nab one of its top prospects. Brenham linebacker Kyle Mangan was one of the first A&M commitments in the Class of 2008 when he committed to Coach Dennis Franchione after the school’s first junior day on January 27.

“Right before the junior day, my coach wasn’t sure if they (A&M) were going to offer me then,” Mangan said. “But after the junior day events, they called me back into the Bright Complex and offered me. It surprised me a little bit.”

However, it didn’t take long for the 6-foot-2, 225-pound athlete to collect his composure and give the coaches an answer.

“I accepted the offer,” Mangan said. “I’ve always wanted to go to Texas A&M, so it was an easy decision for me.”

And it’s easy to understand why Mangan wanted to play for the Aggies. His dad graduated from Texas A&M and Kyle was named after…you guessed it, Kyle Field.

“My dad named me after Kyle Field and he’s been taking me to games since I was 6 or 7,” Mangan said. “My first memory of going to the games is sawing varsity’s horns off and swaying back and forth.”

But if you think Mangan was offered an A&M scholarship because of his close ties to Aggieland, think again. As a junior for Brenham, Mangan racked up mindboggling numbers collecting 135 tackles, 30 tackles for losses, five sacks, and two interceptions. It’s that production that had the A&M staff offering, and now other major programs are trying to persuade the blue chip linebacker.

“I’ve heard from Nebraska and Miami. KSU and Arkansas are calling and texting me,” Mangan said. “But I’m not interested in any other schools. I’m 100% committed to Texas A&M. That’s where I’ll be in college.”

Mangan credits his production to his football instincts and knowing what his assignments are and where he needs to be on every play.

“I always seem to find the ball. I guess it’s my instincts,” Mangan said. “I’m working to improve my speed and that will help my pursuit sideline-to-sideline.”

But for now, Mangan is wearing a baseball glove and trying to help get the Brenham Cub baseball team to the state tournament.

“I play right field and I pitch some in relief,” Mangan said. “We’re doing pretty good. We’re still in it.”

After baseball is over, Mangan won’t have time to rest as he’s set to join the Brenham 7-on-7 team as a split out and then he’ll hit the weight room. He also plans to attend an A&M camp in the summer as well.

“I’ve been talking to the coaches about coming in this summer,” Mangan said. “Coach Helduser wants me to come to their big camp either in late June or early July.”

Needless to say, Mangan will have a full slate of activities for the next couple of months.