Aggies’ D-line reloaded with prospects
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher was running through his checklist of receivers when he made special mention of a coach’s son.
“Devin Price has had a really good offseason,” Fisher said. “I’ve been really pleased with him.”
With all proper respect to the budding Price, however, he still has miles to go catch his father on the “pleasing Aggies” front.
Defensive ends coach Terry Price is the primary reason A&M has had so much success recruiting solid defensive linemen over the past decade, and Fisher thought so much of Price he retained him from Kevin Sumlin’s staff when Fisher took over for Sumlin in December 2017.
Fisher then added defensive line coach Elijah Robinson to the staff in January 2018, and PriceRobinson has since formed the nation’s most potent one-two punch in recruiting defensive linemen, already long an A&M strength.
From 2000-2011 under former coaches R.C. Slocum, Dennis Franchione and Mike Sherman, the Aggies signed six five-star prospects. Under Fisher, Price and Robinson this year, they signed three five-star defensive linemen alone (of a school-record seven total).
Rivals.com and 247Sports.com both named Robinson their 2022 national recruiter of the year — and those hyped defensive linemen can’t suit up fast enough for the Aggies.
A&M, 8-4 last year, lost all four of its starting defensive linemen from 2021 — tackles DeMarvin Leal and Jayden Peevy and ends Tyree Johnson and Micheal Clemons — and all four should get a shot in the NFL.
“We’re anxious to get those guys replaced,” Fisher said. “(The newcomers) have still got to get out there on the grass and (perform), but definitely the ability is there and there’s enough of them, that’s for sure.”
The Aggies signed one five-star prospect in 2021: defensive lineman Shemar Turner.
“We think he’s going to be an outstanding player,” Fisher said.
That gives A&M four five-star recruits to choose from in new defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s 4-2-5 defense (four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs). Durkin has mixed up his coverages in the past, but Fisher has said the 4-2-5 should be the primary scheme against SEC offenses.
“Defensive coordinators don’t bring in new schemes, you ain’t changing everything,” Fisher said. “We’re going to run what we run and how we run it and the way we run it.”
The five-star prospects in the most recent class are Walter Nolen, the No. 2 overall player in the nation in 2022 via 247Sports, Shemar Stewart (giving the Aggies two five-star Shemars) and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. Nolen is from Tennessee and Stewart and Brownlow-Dindy are from Florida.
In a case against prospects playing in all-star games feeding into college, Brownlow-Dindy hurt his knee in the Under Armour All-American game in January in the Alamodome in San Antonio and is out for spring drills.
Despite Brownlow-Dindy’s absence and as Fisher pointed out, the Aggies are heavy on quality numbers along the defensive line, thanks primarily to the recruiting of Robinson and Price.
Tunmise Adeleye, Marcus Burris, Elijah Jeudy and Jahzion Harris were all rated four stars in the class of 2021. Donell Harris, McKinnley Jackson and Fadil Diggs were four stars and Isaiah Raikes and Dallas Walker IV were three stars in the class of 2020, and Braedon Mowry was a four star in 2019.
The Aggies will crank up their fifth spring drills under Fisher on Monday, and all the above defensive linemen should earn shots at replacing the talented foursome that’s en route to pro ball.
“It’s fun to watch a new group emerge, to see different leaderships emerge,” Fisher said of a key component of spring drills.
In A&M’s final depth chart of 2021, Jahzion Harris was listed as Johnson’s primary backup at defensive end. Diggs was Clemons’ top backup on the other side, and Raikes and Jackson were Peevy’s primary backups at tackle. Jones, Turner and Walker all backed up Leal, the line’s top loss, at the other tackle.
Leal, a five-star signee three years ago, is a potential firstround selection in this spring’s NFL draft. The versatile Leal played inside and outside on the defensive line, and that dual role is expected of a handful of the newcomers. In any case, Fisher has literal tons of talent to choose from along the defensive line.
“That’s (all) on paper. They still have to go play,” Fisher said. “They have to get developed, and some guys develop really quickly. Some guys take a little time — that’s just part of it.”
A&M will hold its annual Maroon & White spring game at 1 p.m. on April 9 at Kyle Field, and the Aggies open their season on Sept. 3 against Sam Houston at Kyle Field.