It’s been an unusual year of recruiting to say the least, but things for the most part went according to schedule for Texas A&M on the first day of the Early Signing Period.
Northeast cornerback Tyreek Chappell was the first to send in his National Letter of Intent followed shortly thereafter by Erasmus Hall (NY) defensive end Jahzion Harris. The day came to a close with the Aggies landing another huge piece in national top-40 defensive end Tunmise Adeleye.
The class addressed a number of needs following through on what Jimbo Fisher said the Aggies hoped to accomplish, including adding a multitude of players that can fit different places in the secondary.
“The diversity in the secondary, it’s almost like you’re a position less player. You’re a corner, safety, you’re a nickel, you’re a dime guy and you got to be able to match up. You first take Dre Norwood, very good player out of Arkansas played high school quarterback and played a multitude of positions before including wide receiver and defensive back. The guy understands the game very highly in that regard,” Fisher said.
“Then you go to Deuce Harmon, another guy that has great offensive skills up at Denton Guyer. I mean very fast, he came to our camp and ran in the low 4.4s, did really well, ball skills, toughness, can be an offensive or defensive but very unique. Can play corner, nickel, tackles well at safety, a very physical guy. Tyreek Chappell, 5-foot-11, 170-pounds, man this guy can run and again another two-way guy, plays offense and defense, 15 touchdowns as a junior if I’m not mistaken catching the football, I mean runs away from people. Kendal Daniels is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound safety that has corner skills too, can play slot guys, length, ball skills, size. Just that whole group of guys in my opinion you can match them on tight ends in the slot or on the outside, so very happy with the size, length and athleticism there.”
As a former high school quarterback at Fort Smith Northside, Norwood brings a unique skillset to the table as a defensive back that can see the game from a quarterback’s perspective as well.
“I think if you are a defensive player and you’ve played offense or if you’re an offensive player and have played defense, you understand what people look at, I think it makes you a better player,” Fisher said of Norwood. “A lot of the greatest players I’ve ever been around you can put on either side of the ball and he’s the same way. I think having played quarterbacks gives you a lot more insight into what people are looking at. So I think it’ll help him in his thought process, how he can disguise his coverages, play his coverages, leverages which he does but he’s a guy that has great balls skills and change of direction that I think is a really good player and can play a lot of different positions.”
Another player who brings a unique skillset to the table is Daniels, who played both safety and receiver at Beggs but has the ability to move all over the defense.
“You talk about playing the big receivers, playing jump balls down the middle of field, but he can move like a skill guy,” Daniels said. “If you have to play him on a tight end or he has to go against a tight end. If he has to jump against a tight end and also the ability to tip balls in coverage and then make tackles. People don’t realize like long basketball players, they get their hands on balls, they tip you, they get in the way, those guys arms and hands in tackling. He is a very, very physical nasty football player. He is a skill guy, but he will get you now, really like him.”
Fisher also stressed the Aggies would still like to add to this group and have multiple targets left on the board including Jardin Gilbert, Terrion Arnold and others.
