A&M, Alabama may reap future rewards
The score might not matter to everyone when all is said and done Saturday at Kyle Field.
Whether Texas A&M knocks off the defending national champions for a second straight season or Alabama gets its revenge, both — and especially the Aggies — will come out as big recruiting winners.
“It’s already had an impact,” A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. “We’ve got a large number of prospects that are going to be here. The move to the SEC has been a boost for us. I think it wouldn’t be as big of a boost if we didn’t have some sort of success in the league as we did last year.”
The meeting between top-ranked Alabama and No. 6 A&M has built momentum since the Aggies pulled off the 29-24 upset last November in Tuscaloosa, Ala. A month later, Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy. A&M finished an 11-2 season a few weeks later, lifting the program’s visibility across the nation. Game lures blue chips
“You’re going to have kids on your campus, and they’re going to see what makes College Station special,” said Jeremy Crabtree, a senior writer for ESPN’s Recruiting Nation. “You can tell a kid on the telephone, ‘Listen, games are amazing.’ But until they see it in person and see the fans sawing Varsity’s horns off and swaying, that’s hard to envision until you see it for yourself.
“That’s something that’s going to be invaluable as a recruiting tool.”
The Crimson Tide enters 2013 with three national titles in the last four years, but A&Mand Manziel splashed across television screens, Twitter timelines and newspaper pages carries weight for recruits.
“When Johnny won the Heisman, that put them on the map. When they beat Alabama, that put them on the map,” said Kameron Martin, a sophomore running back at Port Arthur Memorial who already has three offers and will be at the game. “For big recruits, it makes them think, ‘Dang, I want to go to A&M.’
“I’ve been planning this since the last time they played. It’s going to be like a Super Bowl.”
Reports have roughly 75 recruits expected in attendance, including dozens of five- and four-star prospects. The nation’s top recruit, according to ESPN.com, is running back Leonard Fournette of New Orleans Saint Augustine. He’s expected to be there.
The Aggies have 14 verbal commitments for their class of 2014, including Houston-area standouts Nick Harvey (Travis), Jarrett Johnson (Seven Lakes), Koda Martin (Manvel) and Hoza Scott (La Porte).
Alabama’s 20-member class includes North Shore’s Zach Whitley — the linebacker follows two Texas signees last February. Six current Tide players are from Texas.
“Alabama comes into the state and recruits Texas hard,” Crabtree said. “We know that Texas A&Mand Alabama tangle in Louisiana and Mississippi and places like that, so this has a true rival feel from a recruiting standpoint. I think all the hundreds of kids that will be in the stands on Saturday justifies that.” ‘Lasting impression’
Signing day is five months away for seniors. One game won’t necessarily dictate a recruit’s future. But for juniors and sophomores, Saturday can be a step on the way to picking A&M or Alabama.
“You’ll have a kid go to this game and see Texas A&M’s crowd getting ready to go bananas and blow the roof off of Kyle Field. That leaves a lasting impression,” said Matt Malatesta of VYPE Magazine and Rivals. com. “But if A&M goes in there, completely shuts down and you can hear a pin drop, Alabama just basically walks off the field and says, ‘Hey, that just happened.’
“You’re going to have a bunch of kids that want to go out of state, want to play for (Alabama coach) Nick Saban and want to go to the NFL because that’s what he does.”
ESPN’s “College GameDay” will air from College Station. CBS announced plans for one camera devoted to Manziel. A&M officials asked students not to sell their tickets, though some on secondary markets are going for up to $40,000.
“There’s going to be recruits at the game but also recruits across the country watching the game that are going to be influenced on what happens this weekend,” Malatesta said. “It’s going to resonate throughout the country — whoever wins this game and how they win it.”