Courtesy of aggiesports.com
Published Wednesday, December 21, 2011 12:16 AM
Two words have helped to bond and shape an entire recruiting class. "Ag swagg" started as a joke amongst members of the Texas A&M football team's 2012 class of recruits. But in the months since it started, it has evolved into a movement, and with the termination of former head coach Mike Sherman coupled with the hiring of Kevin Sumlin, it has helped to keep A&M's 22 commits together.
The leader of the movement, Klein Forest quarterback Matt Davis, was the first commit to receive an in-home visit from Sumlin. And from his discussion with the former Houston headman, Davis came to the conclusion that he's the right guy for the job.
"He's a winner," Davis said. "I love that. That's what he wants to do is he wants to win. Forget what anybody else wants, he wants to win. That's it."
Davis made it official Sunday when he signed his letter of intent. He will enroll in January, participating in spring drills and competing for the starting quarterback job with the departure of Ryan Tannehill.
"I asked him if I would have the opportunity to play as a true freshman," Davis said. "And he said the job would be wide open. He said everybody is starting on the same page with a new coaching staff, so it's going to be a competition, and competition makes everybody better. He said I was a semester guy, so coming in is going to help me out."
Davis is one of 12 four-star players in the A&M class recruited by Sherman. The A&M class ranks fifth nationally, according to 247Sports. Sumlin's first task upon accepting the position became to keep the highly-touted class intact.
The highest ranked player in the class, Spring Dekaney running back Trey Williams, is the first five-star recruit to pledge his allegiance to A&M since Christine Michael. Williams, who won the offensive MVP after Dekaney's state championship Saturday, will take some official visits to Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU and Texas Tech but remains committed to Sumlin.
"Right now, I'm committed to Texas A&M," he said. "That's my team."
Fort Bend Hightower quarterback Bralon Addison put up eye-popping numbers while leading the Hurricanes to the state championship game, though he is projected as a wide receiver at A&M. Once Sumlin's name was announced, his commitment became essentially etched in stone.
"The guy I wanted to get the job got hired," he said.
Offensive lineman Mike Matthews is the last in the lineage of Matthews brothers to commit to A&M. Kevin Matthews played center under former coaches Dennis Franchione and Sherman. Jake is a sophomore right tackle, and Mike is expected to play center at A&M. Sumlin visited the prospect shortly after accepting the job.
"He sounded like a great guy," Mike Matthews said of Sumlin. "I heard great things about him before he came over. I heard he's really a player's coach and that all of his players love him. After talking to him I definitely agree. I think he's a really cool guy and a guy that I would enjoy playing under."
Sumlin also is known for winning, leading Houston to a 36-15 record over his stint with the Cougars.
"He wins," Davis said. "That is it. He said that I was a lot like him. We don't like to lose. If anything is happening that's causing you to lose, you have to change it. That's exactly how I feel. I want to win."
Gigem247 contributed to this report.
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