Though 2014 Austin (TX) Lake Travis running back Varshaun Nixon had said recently that he wanted to push back his decision into his senior season, the 5-9, 180-pound back with excellent quickness decided to end his recruitment on Thursday morning, informing head coach Kevin Sumlin of his intentions to become a Texas A&M Aggie.
2014 RB Varshaun Nixon commits to the Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies added a fourth pledge in the 2014 class on Thursday morning
A consensus four-star prospect considered by some to be the top back in the state of Texas for his class, Nixon held offers from Baylor, Clemson, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, TCU, and SMU, with some interest from Oklahoma after visiting for the Notre Dame game, as well as Alabama, Boise State, and Oklahoma State.
The Aggies had been in a strong position to land Nixon for some time -- he said that they were his leader during the summer and then nearly committed while visiting for the SEC opener back in September.
A three-time state champion in high school playing for the massively successful Cavaliers, Nixon wasn’t afraid of a little competition either. When he gets to College Station, he’ll have several immensely talented backs in front of him, including current freshman Trey Williams, 2013 commit James White of Pearland (TX) Dawson, and two transfers, Oklahoma transfer Brandon Williams and Oregon transfer Tra Carson.
Despite all that talent, A&M has shown a willingness to play three backs at times this season, almost necessary because of the number of plays that they run, so Nixon certainly has a chance to secure early playing time.
And Nixon has plenty of talent of his own. An ideal fit for the Texas A&M Airraid offense with his time in the Lake Travis spread, he has the lateral quickness to bounce runs outside and take the edge, with enough open-field speed to pull away from high school defenders, even though he’s probably a bit quicker than he is fast.
He’s also a tough enough runner that he’s not considered an all-purpose or specialty back, capable of breaking arm tackles when he gets behind his pads, even though he’s not the biggest back around.
Lake Travis Football Varshaun Nixon Sophomore Highlights (via vrs77n)
