It's not often that a top recruits gets the opportunity to see his two finalists play each other, but that's what will happen on Saturday when 2013 Sealy athlete Ricky Seals-Jones makes the short trip from his hometown up to College Station to see the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers do battle.
Football recruiting: Ricky Seals-Jones will watch finalists LSU, Texas A&M Saturday
The Sealy star is down to the Tigers and Aggies, who will go head-to-head on Saturday morning in a big-time SEC battle.
Having reduced his list to those schools some weeks ago, Seals-Jones does not appear close to a decision, but he has said in the past that playing a high-powered offense is his preference. Right now, with the LSU passing attack struggling and the new A&M Airraid offense led by the redshirt freshman known as Johnny Football lighting up scoreboards, A&M appears to have the advantage there. Proximity is also working in favor of the Aggies.
But Seals-Jones isn’t the only high-profile visitor for the high-profile contest. Plano (TX) Prestonwood Christian linebacker Mike Mitchell will be in attendance as the Aggies try to sway him in his relatively wide-open recruitment, one that has been hard to gauge because he rarely gives interviews. Ohio State may still be the favorite with the uber-athletic linebacker, but there were some rumblings during the spring that Mitchell’s father wants his son to stay in Texas for college. If so, Texas A&M may have the advantage.
Dallas (TX) Kimball defensive tackle Justin Manning has long been rumored an OU lean since his older brother played there, and possibly would have committed back in the spring had Bob Stoops been so slow to extend an offer. After delaying his decision, he appears down to TCU, A&M, and Oklahoma after taking in the Red River Blowout last week instead of going to Baton Rouge for the game against South Carolina. The Aggies now appear to have a fighting chance.
Those three are the high-profile 2013 visitors, but there will also be some 2014 prospects in attendance. Since La Porte (TX) linebacker Hoza Scott, considered by some to be the top prospect in the state for his cycle, is unconfirmed as a visitor, the top prospect in attendance will be Mansfield (TX) Timberview safety Edward Paris, who is from Louisiana and reportedly has strong feelings for the Tigers, though he has been reticent to confirm those thoughts in interviews. Paris visited Austin for the West Virginia game two weeks ago and was at the Cotton Bowl last weekend.
Another big-time prospect from the Metroplex who will be at Kyle Field early Saturday morning is Lancaster safety Nick Harvey. Joining him from east of the Dallas area is Mount Pleasant wide receiver Kd Cannon, who witnessed the Texas-Oklahoma game with Harvey and Paris last week.
Two prospects from the greater Astin area will make the relatively short drive over to College Station. Round Rock Westwood quarterback Bear Fenimore has an affinity for A&M because his namesake coached there, and Lake Travis running back Varshaun Nixon may be close to pulling the trigger for the Aggies after nearly doing so at the Florida game earlier this season.
The Aggies have recruited Louisiana well in recent years and are continuing that emphasis under new head coach Kevin Sumlin. Bayou State visitors on Saturday include Westlake tight end Jacory Washington, a consensus four-star prospect, and Davon Godchaux of Plaquemine, a defensive end with good size for his age who is also considered an early four star.
Since RSJ isn’t the only prospect planning to visit who is considering both schools, the game could have a greater impact on those in attendance than most contests taken singly, especially since A&M is new to the conference and trying to prove that they belong.
For more on Texas A&M recruiting, head on over to new SB Nation blog Good Bull Hunting.
