The Move

[JohnnyFootball]

I agree that A&M wouldn't have jumped the teams. I'm not even sure that they'd have run the table in the Big XII. Based on what I saw last night, sure, but we can't predict an entire season on one game.

[bordertown]

We would have made it cause we would have beat The Great Alamo Bowl Champions.

 

But opted out of the opportunity.

[JohnnyFootball]

But opted out of the opportunity.

 

Well, first and foremost, A&M would not have jumped Alabama and Notre Dame.

 

Second, there are no guarantees that A&M would have run the table in the Big XII. Those teams are more used to defending the spread (although apparently Oklahoma wasn't). You just never know what would have happened. From what we saw in the Cotton Bowl, sure. A&M would have not only won the Big XII, but would have demolished most of the teams they played. But at the same time, who's to say a team like Tech or Baylor wouldn't have played spoiler?

 

As it is, A&M had one of the greatest seasons in team history, an impressive bowl win, a Heisman trophy winner, records in the SEC, and they've earned many recruits and believers after many said they couldn't compete in the SEC. That's good enough for me.

[sawemoff]

Annnd OU just lost another commit to A&M, stud LB Jordan Mastrogiovanni

[Valhalla]

Annnd OU just lost another commit to A&M, stud LB Jordan Mastrogiovanni

 

I am still confused as to how A&M can sign like 35+ recruits.

[bordertown]

Looks like a bunch of kids are going to get their scholarships yanked is all I can figure or 18 underclassmen are declaring for NFL. Their roster shows 18 seniors.

[Lhornfan]

Looks like a bunch of kids are going to get their scholarships yanked is all I can figure or 18 underclassmen are declaring for NFL. Their roster shows 18 seniors.

This year's team had 60 underclassmen on scholarship and 16 seniors on scholarship. With a limit of 85 total and no partials in FBS football, it does seem strange. According to what some Aggies have told me, not all of this year's scholarships count toward 2013. Some will count for 2012 and even 2011. Seems like there should be a "you snooze, you lose" rule on this, but I guess not.

[sawemoff]

A&M had a 3 star WR decommit today saying he wanted playing time and it didn't look like an option anymore. I expect a few more of these before it's all said and done.

[h-town12]

Looks like a bunch of kids are going to get their scholarships yanked is all I can figure or 18 underclassmen are declaring for NFL. Their roster shows 18 seniors.

 

 

10 of them count back to the last class. We also have a few commits wavering that most know will go somewhere else. We will sign 25 for the class this year

[Lhornfan]

10 of them count back to the last class. We also have a few commits wavering that most know will go somewhere else. We will sign 25 for the class this year

I get that you guys undersigned last year, but what about the 85 limit? I see room for 25 with possible 3 more depending on the Moore, Matthews and Joeckel. And to each his own, but I think the two O-Line would be #### not to go pro. Their families may be well off, but there is a big difference with a family that is well off and signing putting $15-20 million in your own account - not including a hefty signing bonus that will be in the $12-15 million range if you are in the Top 5 picks. Signing bonus drops just below $3 million if you don't go 1st round.

[h-town12]

I get that you guys undersigned last year, but what about the 85 limit? I see room for 25 with possible 3 more depending on the Moore, Matthews and Joeckel. And to each his own, but I think the two O-Line would be #### not to go pro. Their families may be well off, but there is a big difference with a family that is well off and signing putting $15-20 million in your own account.

 

 

What about it? We lose about 20 guys due to graduation and the draft. Then you have transfers. Then you have people that quit. We will have just enough room for our incoming class. Those juniors that didn't see any PT this year will start thinking about heading elsewhere.

 

Nobody knows the Matthews and Joeckels income, but even contemplating not coming out early being a first round pick means their families or more than just kind of wealthy. They are rich. Matthews wants to play with his brother another year, and Matthews dad has been in Joeckels ear about how special next year could be. He also told both of them how special his senior year was and how he wouldn't trade it for anything. Moore needed to come out. He has a totally different family situation, and with him making it in the NFL his family will get some much needed support.

[h-town12]

TAMU only signed 20 last season so can over sign to 30 this season but;

I believe they only signed 19 in the 2011 class meaning they could early enroll six of the 20 from last years class. They did, which added them to the 2011 class numbers technically.

That brought the number of recruits enrolled in the 2012 class to like 14.

Now in the 2013 class they can sign 36 as long as 11 enroll early, which I think they plan on doing.

 

 

I found this explanation online. This is correct.

[Lhornfan]

TAMU only signed 20 last season so can over sign to 30 this season but;

I believe they only signed 19 in the 2011 class meaning they could early enroll six of the 20 from last years class. They did, which added them to the 2011 class numbers technically.

That brought the number of recruits enrolled in the 2012 class to like 14.

Now in the 2013 class they can sign 36 as long as 11 enroll early, which I think they plan on doing.

 

 

I found this explanation online. This is correct.

Yeah I get all that, but there is still 60 underclassmen on scholarship; we know Moore is leaving so 59. That leaves room for 26. Are there 8-10 guys that are leaving or getting the old medical scholarship. I know Slocum used that quite often back in the day. Seems there was a lot of players with back problems. LOL...

 

I'm not trying to dog the Aggies either. I'm just wondering if they are expecting 8-10 more guys leaving for whatever reason. What about Matt Davis? I'm thinking his swagger isn't what it used to be with the coming of Johnny Football. Are they going to move him or do you think he'll transfer?

 

I'm only asking these questions because this seems like what the old SEC guys used to do. Get an excessive amount of verbals knowing that some will waiver or not make it academically. Because right now, regardless of how many A&M can sign, the numbers just don't add up to 85.

[bordertown]

h-town, I read your explanation and I trust your math. Likewise, I am with Lhornfan on the total math. It appears a couple of kids are getting their scholarships yanked to play football. I suspect most are the sophmores and redshirt freshman recruited under the Sherman regime. I doubt that juniors are going to leave for playing time - usually it is freshman and sophmores. I have seen classes of 30-31 but rarely 35.

 

With the emphasis of the NCAA of student/athletes graduating is this a concern for the A&M program. (Note: I will state up front that I have problems with some of the NCAA measurements. I feel it should be based on progress on core classes required for completion. Kids leaving early for the NFL should be measured based upon completion when they exit a program. Likewise kids leaving to attend another institution.)

[bordertown]

Question for the recruiting experts on the board. Can you reclassify the year a student athlete's scholarship is attached from year to year? For example if a student athlete is recruited in 2012, can you at a later date attach his scholarship to 2011? Or are the scholarships issued to a player attached to the year declared at the time of signing for the term of that player's attendence at the institution?

[h-town12]

Question for the recruiting experts on the board. Can you reclassify the year a student athlete's scholarship is attached from year to year? For example if a student athlete is recruited in 2012, can you at a later date attach his scholarship to 2011? Or are the scholarships issued to a player attached to the year declared at the time of signing for the term of that player's attendence at the institution?

 

 

Getting classified to the class a year before has to be decided before they get to campus. You have to think about it in terms of calendar years and not football seasons. For example, if a senior in high school finishes up his last season in the winter of 2012, he could graduate in December and enroll into a university. This would allow him to be apart of the class that signed in february of 2012, while the rest of his age group will be signing in February of 2013. Basically, you have to enroll early to have your scholarship counted back to the previous year.

[h-town12]

h-town, I read your explanation and I trust your math. Likewise, I am with Lhornfan on the total math. It appears a couple of kids are getting their scholarships yanked to play football. I suspect most are the sophmores and redshirt freshman recruited under the Sherman regime. I doubt that juniors are going to leave for playing time - usually it is freshman and sophmores. I have seen classes of 30-31 but rarely 35.

 

With the emphasis of the NCAA of student/athletes graduating is this a concern for the A&M program. (Note: I will state up front that I have problems with some of the NCAA measurements. I feel it should be based on progress on core classes required for completion. Kids leaving early for the NFL should be measured based upon completion when they exit a program. Likewise kids leaving to attend another institution.)

 

 

I thought kids that left early for the draft don't count against your graduation rates? I'm not for sure though.

 

 

Also, I meant sophomores now that will be juniors that might be leaving. For example, Showers could start at a lot of division 1 schools. He has a rocket arm.

 

And regarding Matt Davis, he is a hard worker and will push Manziel to get better. I look for him to be the backup next year and take over when Johnny leaves.

 

 

I just looked through the roster and we have 18 seniors, 19 juniors, 31 sophomores, and 43 freshmen (this counts redshirts and walkons). That totals up to 111 guys on the roster. Of course, only 85 make the squad, so it gets cut down with redshirts, transfers, and injuries. Basically, we will have about 125 guys or so fighting to make the roster next year, and that is not counting people that will transfer out or quit. That isn't too crazy going into spring practice.

 

We had a scholarship WR not make the active roster or whatever you want to call it last year during the fall because he came back fat and slow. He kept his scholarship, he just didn't get to play any.

[Lhornfan]

What about it? We lose about 20 guys due to graduation and the draft. Then you have transfers. Then you have people that quit. We will have just enough room for our incoming class. Those juniors that didn't see any PT this year will start thinking about heading elsewhere.

 

Nobody knows the Matthews and Joeckels income, but even contemplating not coming out early being a first round pick means their families or more than just kind of wealthy. They are rich. Matthews wants to play with his brother another year, and Matthews dad has been in Joeckels ear about how special next year could be. He also told both of them how special his senior year was and how he wouldn't trade it for anything. Moore needed to come out. He has a totally different family situation, and with him making it in the NFL his family will get some much needed support.

I still think those guys would be #### not to go to the draft considering they are 1st round picks with Joeckel possibly going 1st. Matthews dad was a great NFL player, but times were much different when he played. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 1983 draft. To give some insight into money then, Dan Marino who was also drafted in 1983 signed a 4 year contract for $2 million. No signing bonus, and he was only paid $150,000 his rookie season. After his first four years, he signed a 6 year contract for $9 million.

 

If Joeckel goes in the top 5, he will get around $5 million per year with a signing bonus of $15 million or more. My point is that it was a lot easier for players to finish their senior years back in the day that Bruce Matthews was playing than it is today. Will Joeckel be okay if something crazy happens his senior year at A&M and he can no longer play football? Yes... he is a smart guy with an Aggie education, but that is far different than the money he can pull in on draft day.

[Aggie98]

I still think those guys would be #### not to go to the draft considering they are 1st round picks with Joeckel possibly going 1st. Matthews dad was a great NFL player, but times were much different when he played. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 1983 draft. To give some insight into money then, Dan Marino who was also drafted in 1983 signed a 4 year contract for $2 million. No signing bonus, and he was only paid $150,000 his rookie season. After his first four years, he signed a 6 year contract for $9 million.

 

If Joeckel goes in the top 5, he will get around $5 million per year with a signing bonus of $15 million or more. My point is that it was a lot easier for players to finish their senior years back in the day that Bruce Matthews was playing than it is today. Will Joeckel be okay if something crazy happens his senior year at A&M and he can no longer play football? Yes... he is a smart guy with an Aggie education, but that is far different than the money he can pull in on draft day.

 

While I would love to see Joeckel stay, he'd be crazy not to bolt for the NFL right now. Crazy.

[HearEmaGrowlin]

On 6/3/2012 at 12:28 PM, WETSU said:

I respect your opinion, but it's just that. Your opinion. Your opinion that the aggie higher ups opted for the sec for an "easy way to make money" is not accurate. I understand how many Texas fans want to spin it that way, but it's wrong. It's also your opinion they will get pounded by the sec every year. I've watched them play competitive games against Arkansas for the past two years and Arkansas is a top 3-4 caliber sec team. A&M enters the SEC as a middle of the pack 7-9 team next season. More upside than downside... I respect your opinion that they will automatically go towards the downside, but they have just as good of chance to go on the upside.

 

This entire debate comes down to basically Aggies opinions vs big 12 opinions.... Do you honestly think ANY big 12 fan WANTS A&M to succeed in the SEC? Of course not. So logical thinking goes out the window when predicting the Aggies results in the SEC. Logical thinking is.... A&M is a top 25 team in wins and winning percentage. They haw been their worst decade in the last 40 years. They will pull out of it eventually. Look how quickly teams like OSU got competitive at a high level. Who would have believe 5 years ago OSU would have won the big 12 and been arguably the second best team in the country? Who says the Aggies are not capable of a similar turnaround. They have better resources and more support.

This was long ago when this topic was afoot.

Correlates to the Florida thread going on right now. 

[YeahBuddy]

1 hour ago, HearEmaGrowlin said:

This was long ago when this topic was afoot.

Correlates to the Florida thread going on right now. 

Just read back through it.  Wow.  

[Mr. P]

I'm not going back and re-reading any of that mess, but I don't mind saying that back then I was totally:

1.) skeptical of the move for A&M's part
2.) frustrated that the Big XII did not craft a better tv deal (thus: LHN)
3.) hopeful Big XII leadership would react strategically to strengthen the brand
4.) ultimately indifferent, because all I care about is how conference affiliation benefits OU

Today, I am glad we left the Big XII. It was an abusive relationship, and we stayed in it too long trying to patch things up. Maybe we did it for the kids. Maybe it was out of laziness. But we stayed too long. 

Joining the SEC was the best move. We're certainly gonna take our lumps this season and the next, but I have every confidence that things are gonna work out so much better for us in the long run.