Stephen McGee returns as a junior starting quarterback for the Aggies. The emergence of redshirt freshman Jerrod Johnson led to Jamie McCoy being moved to wide receiver in the Spring. The Aggies signed two potential quarterbacks in 2007, Brandon Williams and Ryan Tannehill. Brandon Williams is a great athlete and could play a number of positions for the Aggies. We expect the Aggies to sign one of two quarterbacks in 2008. Early offers went out to Andrew Luck, Tommy Dorman, and Jerome Tiller. Tommy Dorman is considered one of the top two quarterbacks in the state after passing for 2,454 yards and 36 TDs as a sophomore and 1,685 yards and 22 TDs with only 1 interception as a junior. As a senior, Dorman passed for 2,199 yards and 14 TDs with just 4 interceptions. Dorman committed to A&M's on Feb 18th and his stock has continued to rise throughout the Spring and Summer. It's doubtful that A&M will sign a 2nd QB in 2008 but if they did, it would likely be an athlete capable of playing multiple positions.

Running back is a position where the Aggies have always been able to recruit well. Sophomore Mike Goodson and junior Jorvorskie Lane return for the Aggies. In 2007, the Aggies signed one of the state’s top running backs in Bradley Stephens. Cyrus Gray emerged as probably the top running back prospect in Texas. Gray attended A&M’s Feb 4th junior day and has several DeSoto teammates signed or commited to A&M. After meeting with new Aggie coach Sherman on Jan 14th, Gray committed to A&M on Jan 27th. Derrick Hall is a great athlete, as demonstrated by his 10.33 100M and 24-foot long jump in track. As a junior, Hall rushed for 513 yards and 4 TDs on 50 carries and caught 19 passes for 334 yards and 6 TDs. Hall attended A&M's Feb 3rd junior day and committed. Hall could play running back, reciever, or defensive back for the Aggies. The Aggies other running back targets were Aundre Dean and Sam McGuffie. Dean was an early A&M commit but switched to UCLA in April. UCLA's coaching change saw Dean open his recruiting up in December before recommitting to UCLA on Jan 31st. McGuffie committed to Michigan in July but reconsidered with the coaching changes at both Michigan and Texas A&M, before apparently decided to stick with his Michigan pledge. After the first A&M junior day on Jan 27th ('07), the Aggies received the commitment of one of the top 2008 linebacker prospects in the state, Kyle Mangan. As a senior, Mangan recorded 97 tackles, 18 solo, 9 sacks, 23 TFL, 2 FF, and 2 INTs. Following discussions with new Aggie coach Sherman, Mangan will first be tried at H-Back. Aggie fullback Chris Alexander graduates after this season, and the Aggies have not signed a pure fullback in several years. Two possible fullback candidates are Aggie commit Aaron Buckley and fullback/linebacker prospect Alonzo Whaley.

Kerry Franks and Earvin Taylor will graduate after this season. The Aggies signed three wide receivers in 2007 – Nick Trice, Roger Holland, and Garrick Williams. Williams will also be tried at safety. Over the years, A&M has seemed to like to sign a lot of receiver prospects. Combine this with missing out on a couple of their top 2007 targets and we expect A&M to sign 2 or 3 wide receivers in 2008. Jeff Fuller ( 6-4, 4.5) is one of the top receiver prospects in the state and was an early Aggie lean and almost committed to the Aggies in July. Concerned about the Aggie offense, Fuller committed to Oklahoma in September. Fuller became Mike Sherman's first new commit on Dec 9th. Sedrick Johnson (6-4, 4.6) is a two-sport (football / basketball) star that had 38 receptions for 1,030 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior. Johnson committed to A&M after attending the Aggie 'Game Night' on July 20th and plans to play both football and basketball for the Aggies.

At tight end, junior Martellus Bennett and senior Joey Thomas return for the Aggies. After signing no tight ends in 2006 and only one (Martellus Bennett ) in 2005, the Aggies signed three potential tight ends in 2007 - Frank Avery, Billy Chavis, and Harold Turnage. However, Chavis will likely be first tried on defense, and Turnage could outgrow the tight end position and end up on the offensive or defensive lines. With Thomas’ graduation and the potential for Bennett to leave early for the NFL, we expect A&M to sign 2 tight ends in 2008. Blake Chavis, younger brother of 2007 signee Billy Chavis, received an early offer from A&M. Chavis can play either tight end or defensive end, and committed to A&M at their Mar 3rd junior day. After flying under the radar early in the recruiting season , K.J. Willaims, emerged as one of the top tight end prospects in the coutry after impressive Nike and A&M camp performances. Williams committed to A&M after attending the Aggie 'Game Night' on July 20th. With the commitments of Chavis and Williams, tight end recruting will likely cease.

Cody Wallace, Kirk Elder, Corey Clark, and Chris Yoder will graduate after this season. On average one would expect a college program to sign at least three to four offensive linemen a year. A&M signed only one offensive linemen in 2006 (Lucas Patterson) and two offensive linemen in 2007 (Evan Eike and Daniel Baker). Offensive line will be the Aggies’ top priority in 2008. We expect the Aggies to sign 6 or 7 offensive linemen in 2008. Fortunately for the Aggies, 2008 appears to be a very deep year for offensive linemen in Texas. Early offers went out to J.B. Shugarts, Stephen Good, Trevor Robinson, Ben Habern, David Snow, Luke Poehlmann, Leroy Chevalier, Britt Mitchell, Brian Thompson, Jeffrey Hyde, and Joe Villavisencio. Leroy Chevalier, Brian Thompson, and Joe Villavisencio all committed to A&M at the first Aggie junior day on Jan 27th while Jeffrey Hyde committed to A&M after attending A&M's second junior day Feb 4th. Josh Ayers plays blocking tight end for Euless Trinity but was recruited as an offensive lineman by the Aggies. Ayers became the 6th offensive lineman to commit to A&M on Feb 27th. Chris Lathrop is a diehard Aggie fan and committed to the Aggies on May 22nd. Chevalier decided he wanted to take some visits to other schools and decommitted on Apr 18th, but re-committed to the Aggies on June 22nd. The Aggies are likely done with high school OL recruiting, but may consider a JC prospect, and are looking at several JC OL prospects.

Jason Jack declared for this year's NFL draft, while Red Bryant, Chris Harrington,and Henry Smith graduate after this season. The Aggies signed five potential defensive line prospects in 2007 – Von Miller, Ben Bass, Michael Ebbitt, Brandon Joiner, and Billy Chavis. All are projected as defensive ends, but could play elsewhere. Miller could play linebacker, Bass could end up on the offensive line, Ebbitt could spin down to defensive tackle, Chavis could play linebacker or tight end. After signing no pure defensive tackles in 2007, defensive tackle is one of the Aggies biggest 2008 needs and priorities. It’s not a deep year in Texas for defensive tackles, but Roderick Davis is one of if not the best. Davis received an offer from A&M while attending the Aggies’ first junior day on Jan 27th and committed the next day. Tony Jerod is one of the top defensive line prospects in the state and committed to A&M on Feb 13th. As a JC freshman, Matt Moss posted 7 sacks and 50 tackles. Moss committed to the Aggies on May 15th, graduates in December, and will have 3 years to play 2.  Blake Chavis, younger brother of 2007 signee Billy Chavis, received an early offer from A&M. Chavis committed to A&M at their Mar 3rd junior day. Chavis can play either tight end or defensive end, but it appears he will first be tried at DE. Adren Dorsey received an early offer from A&M and committed to the Aggies on Sep 26th. With A&M's coaching change, Davis, Lewis-Moore, and Jerod are all taking visits, thus our listing them as soft commits, but A&M is still very much in the hunt. Eric Harper is a speedy defensive end that was a Nebraska commit until their coaching change, then briefly switched to La Tech, before visiting A&M and committing to the Aggies on Jan 13th. Eddie Brown is a huge Aggie fan and is getting renewed interest from the new coaching staff. Kapron Lewis-Moore committed to A&M on Aug 21st but continued to take visits, decommitted on Jan 20th, recommitted on Jan 24th, then decommitted on Feb 3rd. This new staff is also looking for more speed off the edge, and is looking at several speed ends, including Josh Williams, Jacquis Smith, and Gary Mason. Moss and Harper are mid-term enrollees, enabling the Aggies to sign more than 25 in this class.

Mark Dodge and Misi Tupe will graduate after this season. The Aggies signed two linebackers in 2007 - Derrick Stephens and Charles Young. Young may also me tried at safety. Fellow signees Von Miller and Billy Chavis could be tried at linebacker. We expect the Aggies to sign 3 or 4 linebackers in 2008. As a junior, Aaron Buckley from 3A Palacios had 125 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions, and forced 5 fumbles as a junior. Buckley committed to the Aggies on Apr 24th. Buckley could also be tried at fullback. As a senior, Buckley was the Class 3A Defensive Player of the Year after recording 147 tackles, 13 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. The 6-2, 225 Andrew Wolridge recorded 108 tackles and 10 sacks as a junior last year, and recently posted back to back 40-yard dash times of 4.57 and 4.55 seconds. Wolridge committed to the Aggies on May 24th. As a senior, Wolridge recorded 112 tackles, 6 FF, 5 FR, 3 blocked PATs. Ricky Cavanaugh flew under the radar due to academic concerns. As a senior, Cavanaugh earned district 17-4A Defensive MVP honors after racking up 137 tackles and 21 sacks. With academics significantly improved, Cavanaugh garnered heavy late-season attention and committed to A&M on Jan 27th.

Japhus Brown, Stephen Hodge, and Johnathan Batson graduate after this season, while Devin Gregg and Alton Dixon will graduate after next season. These graduations and lack of following class depth make safety a high priority for 2008. The Aggies signed no safety prospects in 2007, although athletes Garrick Williams and Charles Young could get a look. We expect the Aggies to sign 2 or 3 safeties in 2008. Many consider Keon Furtch from Paris the top safety prospect in the state. Furtch attended A&M’s Jan 27th junior day and received an early offer from the Aggies. Furtch returned for another A&M junior day on Mar 3rd and committed. As a junior, Markel Martin committed to A&M in February but switched to Oklahoma then Oklahoma St amid the coaching uncertainty in November. Coming out of the ESPN All-Star game and discussions with Aundre Dean, E.J. Woods is now giving Texas A&M a look. D'Anton Lynn is a Penn St commit, but is now taking visits since the PSU coach recruiting Lynn left.

Marquis Carpenter graduates after this season, while Arkeith Brown and Danny Gorrer will graduate after next season. These graduations and lack of following class depth make cornerback a high priority for 2008. The Aggies signed one cornerback prospect in 2007 (Lionel Smith). We expect the Aggies to sign 2 or 3 cornerbacks in 2008. Cornerback is one of the most difficult positions to evaluate, and where Spring / Summer camp evaluation is critical. It is at the camps where the top cornerback prospects separate themselves from the pack.Trent Hunter had a great senior season, helping to led Katy to a state championship. Hunter was named the Houston Touchdown Club's Defensive Player of the Year. Hunter committed to Kansas State in July but switched to A&M on Dec 18th. Hunter played safety at Katy but was recruited to play cornerback at A&M. Terrence Frederick was another Katy defensive back that came on very strong his senior season, with 8 interceptions and 55 tackles, earning first-team All-District honors. Frederick committed to Louisville in January before switching to Texas A&M on Feb 3rd. Jordan Fields attended the Mar 3rd A&M junior day, received an offer, and committed. Fields made his official visit on Jan 12th, but his offer was recended due to new legal issues. Gilmer's Lamar Harris is an outstanding athlete capable of playing either cornerback or wide receiver. Harris received an early offer from the Aggies and committed on Mar 6th. It appears that Harris may have switched to Oklahoma the week before signing day. With the probable loss pf Harris and Fields from this class, North Texas commit Royce Hill was invited to visit the last recruiting weekend and may be offered. If the Aggies take another CB will likely be Wisconsin cmiit Marcus Cromartie.

Committed to Another School: Patrick Johnson (LSU) , D. J. Monroe (Tex) , Lamar Harris (Okla), Marcus Cromartie (Wisc), Jordan Fields (), Adrian Bushell (Fla), Royce Hill (NTex), Ugo Okpara (Ark) , Kydarian Wilkins (Bay). Gahn McGaffie (Mo), Broderick Brown (OkSt), Xavier Webb (Rice)

After signing Matt Szymanski in December 2005, it appeared unlikely that A&M would sign a kicker or punter in 2008, unless a superstar prospect emerges. However, the strong performance of Randy Bullock changed that, and Bullock committed to the Aggies on Oct 12th.