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The Battalion • Page 4
Texas A&M Foot!
c
Fran making waves after recruiting his way
to national top-15 cl'^o
Texas A&M fans didn’t
get what they were hoping
for when head coach Dennis
Franchione led the Aggies in
his first year as coach to a
dismal 4-8 season, their first
losing season since 1982.
After the University of
Oklahoma and Louisiana
State - two teams that
recruit in the Aggies 4 back
yard - made the BCS
National Championship game at the Sugar
Bowl, things looked dismal on the recruiting
front for Franchione and his staff. Throw in
Texas head coach Mack Brown and a
Longhorn team that has finished no worse
than No. 6 in the nation for the past two sea
sons and the Aggie recruiting network looks
like the downward spiral could go all the way
down the rabbit hole.
But even with all those things hanging over
their heads, the A&M coaching staff finished with
the No. 8 recruiting class in the nation, according
to ESPN recruiting expert Tom Lemming.
Good recruiting after such a bad season in
Texas is like Elmer Fudd finally catching
Bugs Bunny.
Maybe it’s because Texas has so many tal
ented players coming out of high school this
year that OU, LSU and UT couldn't take
them all. Or maybe it’s because Aggie fans
were right when they sang “Fran's the man”
when Franchione moved to Aggieland.
Either way, the bottom line is that this
recruiting class is special. It’s so special that
it’s hard to find a place to start. You can do it
with the junior college pickups, or the line
backer corps that could bring the Wrecking
Crew name back to Kyle Field, or the out
standing defensive linemen, but this class
will most likely be defined by a quarterback
from Burnet, Texas, who decided to forgo
prom to enroll a semester early at A&M.
Welcome quarterback Stephen McGee, the
fourth-highest ranked quarterback in the nation,
according to recruiting service rivals.com. If
you’re wondering what happened to A&M
sophomore quarterback Reggie McNeal, he’s
still here and he’ll still be the man at the helm
for the Aggies. But McNeal is sidelined with a
shoulder injury for the spring, and junior
Dustin Long transferred to Sam Houston State.
These two developments have elevated
McGee from a redshirt year holding the clip
board on the sideline and running scout team
practices to running first-team drills in the
spring and taking over as McNeal’s primary
backup in the fall.
Not too bad for a guy whose buddies are
still taking high school classes.
While McGee has the potential to become
the big name of this class, his future will most
likely be settled down the road as long as
McNeal stays healthy. Others in this class,
though, will be called upon to provide an
immediate impact.
To regain the linebacker form of past
Wrecking Crew defenses, Franchione has
signed junior college transfers Lee Foliaki,
TROY MILLER
Terrence Smith and Aaron Brown. All three
should see plenty of playing time and push for
a starting job.
Defensive tackle William Morrisey from
Silsbee, Texas is the third best at his posi
tion, according to rivals.com, and No. 27 of
all national recruits. Morrisey could be asked
to provide time in the middle to put pressure
on opposing running games.
Allen defensive end Chris Smith is the
second-rated end in the nation, according to
rivals.com, and will provide an excellent
pass rush from the side.
If Brown isn’t shaking in his boots in Austin
by now, adding the names of wide receivers
DeQawn Mobley and Tory DeGrate, athletes
D.J. Davis and Kerry Franks, defensive back
Danny Gorrer and defensive end Cyril Obiozar
might be enough to bring Brown to a sweat.
After two strong recruiting classes in his
first two tries at A&M, Franchione is quickly
taking Brown’s title as recruiting king of Texas.
Now, if Franchione can bring all the pieces
together on the field, maybe he can steal the
coaching crown from Oklahoma head coach
Bob Stoops on the other side of the Red River.
Either way, the Big 12 conference and,
more specifically, Brown and Stoops, should
be checking over their shoulders at the arse
nal Franchione is stocking in Aggieland.
And if “Fran the man” can recruit like this
after a 4-8 season, it begs the question, how
good is it going to get when Fran begins to win?
Coach Brown and coach Stoops, enjoy being
at the top while it lasts.
A&M head coach Dennis Franchione pause ^
lobby of the Bright Football Complex durinjl ^ ^ H
Man foundation member tour on Saturday
McGee headlines Aggies' 2004 class
John C. Livas • THE BATTALION
Stephen McGee throws a pass against Wharton in the Texas State 3A
state semifinals at Kyle Field.
By Kyle Davoust
THE BATTALION
Most of Stephen McGee’s
buddies are doing exactly
what students dream about
during their last semester in
high school: nothing much.
The most strenuous part of
their next few months will
probably be picking out a tux
for prom, planning their next
field party or trying to avoid
failing one of the many blow-
off classes that come with
being a high school senior.
When you’re one of the
highest sought quarterback
recruits in the nation, howev
er, these senior plans are sub
ject to change. After weighing
his options, McGee decided to
join a growing trend among
college athletes by graduating
from Bumet High School in
the fall and enrolling a semes
ter early at Texas A&M.
“It’s a change, and I’ll
probably miss being around
my friends and stuff, but I’m
excited about the change,”
McGee said in his first press
conference as an Aggie. “It’s
something I’ve always looked
forward to, dreamed about
and worked my whole life for,
so I’m extremely excited to
have the opportunity that I
have right now.”
McGee’s main reason for
graduating early was so he
could participate in spring
football practice. This will
give him the opportunity to
learn and benefit from extra
time practicing with the team.
“It’s a great opportunity
for me to improve mentally,”
McGee said. “I need to get
myself ready to do all the
things a quarterback has to
do in the three seconds you
have in the pocket.”
A&M recruiters focused on
McGee after a stellar career at
Bumet, where he passed for a
Texas class 3 A record of 101
touchdowns. In his senior season,
in which he led Bumet to the
state title game, McGee threw for
8,256 yards, completing 196 of
his 313 pass attempts. In his most
telling stat, he threw for 47
touchdowns last year, while
throwing just three interceptions.
That type of efficiency had
scouts from all over knocking
at his door. McGee then made
his decision through a self-
made and detailed point system
that compared all of his desired
schools in 15 different areas.
“Stephen’s choice of A&M
wasn’t anything based on a
minute decision or emotion or
what someone else wanted,”
said Rodney McGee,
Stephen’s father. “He was
very impressed with the work
ethic and the discipline and
the organizational skills that
A&M has, and he feels that
they have a great chance to be
very successful.”
The Aggies were planning
on slowly grooming the
young quarterback behind two
experienced veterans; howev
er, McGee’s training schedule
shifted into high gear when it
was announced that junior
Dustin Long was transferring
to Sam Houston State to fin
ish out his collegiate career. It
then accelerated off the charts
when sophomore quarterback
Reggie McNeal, who started
11 of 12 games for the Aggies
last year, underwent shoulder
surgery, which will keep him
out of- spring drills.
“He’s going to get a lot of
work in the spring,” said
A&M head coach Dennis
Franchione. “He’s probably
going to go into the season as
the back up, but they’ll be a
day in the fall where he will
be out (on the field).”
What was once a nice
recruit for the Aggies has now
become a necessity. McGee
has effectively gone from
holding the clipboard to being
the top quarterback on the
depth chart until McNeal is
able to return.
“With Dustin gone, of
course, it throws in a whole
lot of new stuff,” McGee said.
“A lot of quarterbacks will
now have the opportunity to
step up and prove themselves,
so it will be a good opportuni
ty this spring to try and devel
op as a quarterback.”
One of McGee’s refreshing
qualities is his humility. While
this situation would make
most swell with pride, he
understands his position on
the team. McGee said he real
izes that he is still one of the
low men on the totem poll.
“I have to earn my respect
on this team,” McGee said.
“As a quarterback and as a
leader, you have to learn to
follow before you can be a
leader. To be a great quarter
back you have to make people
around you better, so now I’m
in the process of trying to
earn my respect on this team.”
JUCO infusion
A&M Foil!
By Jordan Meserole
THE BATTALION
To all those students who
are new to Texas A&M, or for
those who may have slept
through all of last semester,
here’s a recap of A&M’s last
football season - they need
help now.
Head coach Dennis
Franchione certainly knows
that best and has his recruit
ing notebook overflowing
with names and stats. But
instead of hoping that incom
ing freshmen will be the solu
tion, Franchione has expanded
his horizon to the oft over
looked junior college players.
“We expect these (junior
college) players to come in
here and help us immediate
ly,” Franchione said.
A&M football has histori
cally never been big on
recruiting junior college trans
fers. Over the last five years,
A&M has signed only two -
wide receiver Robert Ferguson
and defensive lineman
Michael Montgomery. This
year, the Aggies will sign six.
Four of those players come
on the defensive side to boost
a team that was ranked near
the bottom of every defensive
category in the NCAA.
“Defensively, we knew we
needed some help, especially
at the linebacker and defensive
end spots,” Franchione said.
Lee Foliaki, a quick inside
linebacker, will give an imme
diate boost to the A&M line
backers. Foliaki led Butler
County Junior College with
86 tackles and was third in
tackles-for-loss with 11.
“His instincts on the field
are some of the best out there,”
said Butler head coach Troy
Morrell. “He has great game
experience and has the type of
personality that gets his other
teammates around him fired
up during the games.”
Linebacker Terrence Smith
led Northwest Mississippi
Community College with 144
tackles and was in the top 10
in sacks. Smith was heavily
recruited by two of
Franchione’s old coaching
stops, Alabama and TCU, but
chose A&M in the end.
“Every team wishes they
had one like him,” said
Northwest head coach Bobby
Franklin. “A lot of teams are
going to be real surprised by
his speed and ability.”
Completing the defensive
side is Aaron Brown and
Renuel Green. Brown is a
quick defensive player who
makes explosive tackles.
Brown missed the second half
of last football season with
California’s
Compton
Community
College, but
still tallied 67
tackles in six
games before
being sidelined.
Green, a trans
fer from East
Mississippi
Junior College,
recorded 60
tackles in seven
games last sea
son.
“Foliaki,
Smith, Green,
and Brown
were all expe
rienced guys
we felt who
can come in
and provide
immediate help
on the field,”
Franchione
said.
On the
offensive side,
the Aggies get a
big boost in the
receiving corps
with the signing
of DeQawn
Mobley. With
senior wide
receiver
Terrence
Murphy return
ing, and the
addition of
Mobley, the
A&M passing
offense will
receive much
more respect.
Mobley led San
Francisco
Community
College with 449 receiving
yards and four touchdowns in
2003. San Francisco head
coach George Rush knows
Mobley will be hard to defend.
“There is absolutely no
question about his athleticism
- he’s fast,”said San Francisco
head coach Goerge Rush.
“A&M is going to be very
proud of him.”
On the offensive line, four
seniors won’t be returning
from last season, leaving some
big gaps to fill. Offensive line
man Grant Dickey from Tyler
Junior College will provide
instant experience and ability
that the line needs.
This isn’t the first time Tyler
head coach Dale Carr has seen
one of his players transfer to
A&M. Ferguson left Tyler
College and experienced instant
success at A&M, setting two
school records before departing
after one year to the NFL.
“Hopefully he’ll be as good
an offensive lineman as Robert
Yemi Babalola
OL
6-4
29(1
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Richie Bean
P/K
6-0
175
ohdEht
Alton Boudreaux
LB
6-3
21
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Aaron Brown
LB
6-3
245
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Pierre Brown
WR
6-1
185
IK (Dun
Kevin Bryan
TE
6-4
245
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Jordan Chambless
QB
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ATH
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Tory DeGrate
WR
5-11
181
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Keith Dickerson
WR
6-2
185
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OL
6-5
308
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Lee Foliaki
LB
6-3
248
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Kerry Franks
WR
5-11
18!
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Quentin Gardner
DB
5-10
185
Amos Gbunblee
TE
6-5
235
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Kedric Goins
LB
6-0
205
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DB
6-0
188
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Renuel Green
LB
6-3
221
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QB
6-4
218
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DeQawn Mobley
WR
6-2
195
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William Morrisey
DL
6-2
288
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Cyril Obiozor
DL
6-4
245
Pearlant
Travis Schneider
OL
6-7
208
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Chris Smith
DL
6-5
265
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Keondra Smith
RB
6-0
195
Terrence Smith
LB
6-3
245
Wight
Samson Taylor
RB
6-0
212
w
Mark Young
LB
6-3
218
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