The Texas A&M Aggies need defensive tackles to compete in the SEC and added a big one on Wednesday with the pledge of Dallas (Texas) Kimball’s Justin Manning, who signed and faxed in his letter of intent.
Justin Manning signs with Texas A&M over Oklahoma
The quick defensive tackle may be an OU legacy, but he opted for the Aggies instead of the Sooners.
A 2013 US Army All-American, Manning committed to the Aggies despite the fact that his older brother, Demarcus Granger, played defensive tackle for the Sooners, causing many to believe that Manning was all but a lock for Oklahoma early in the process.
Apparently the Sooners coaches believed the same thing, waiting until March of 2012 to offer him, which understandably frustrated the Dallas product who gave the Aggies a big win over the Sooners in early December before the two teams met on the field at the Cotton Bowl.
Here’s part of the scouting report on Manning:
Elusive isn’t a word that gets thrown around much with interior defensive linemen. Neither is flexibility. The consensus four-star prospect has both and it allows him to slice gaps to wreak havoc in the backfield, all made possible by signature quickness of the ball that ranks as among the best to come out of the state of Texas in recent years.
Just as running backs use their hip flexibility to slide-cut in the open field to present the smallest possible tackling surface for defenders, Manning does the same coming off the ball, using a strong swim move to strike away any hands that happen to find his body and then giving his opponent nothing but a turned shoulder to block heading toward the quarterback or running back.
Ratings: 247Sports composite ranking four-star prospect, fifth-ranked defensive tackle, 73rd overall nationally
Vitals: 6’3, 275 pounds, 5.00 40-yard dash
Other offers: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas State, LSU, Miami, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Ole Miss, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, Washington State
Twitter: @justingranger
Recruitment timeline: Justin Manning recruiting updates
Highlight video:
Justin Manning - Class of 2013 - DL - Kimball High School (via tagteamsportz)
Look through SB Nation’s many excellent college football blogs to find your team’s community.
