Editor's note: This is the second part in a weeklong series of predictions for Texas A&M spring football practice, which begins on Friday.
Texas A&M will have roughly the next six weeks to get better on the field during spring football practice.
But the Aggies will also utilize this time to ensure they continue to improve their talent level in future years. Where the 2014 recruiting class left off, the 2015 recruiting class has picked up. Spring practice is a time to improve the current team, but it's also an important time for the future of the Aggies.
And if the last month is any indication, the Aggies will continue their positive recruiting momentum in the coming weeks.
Texas A&M is coming off a successful junior day on Sunday, its second in the 2015 cycle. The event drew several elite visitors, including ESPN Junior 300 prospects DaMarkus Lodge, Derrick Dillon, Xavier Lewis and Holton Hill. The Aggies landed a commitment from three-star prospect Deshawn Capers-Smith on Sunday and extended offers to several prospects, including Dillon, offensive tackle Keaton Sutherland, and 2017 wunderkind and LSU commit Dylan Moses.
With eight commitments in the 2015 class, seven of which are ESPN 300 prospects, the Aggies are having a strong showing on the recruiting trail.
When spring practice begins on Friday, Texas A&M is hoping to build buzz off of something it did last year. The Aggies' spring debut will be accompanied by Texas disc jockey DJ Double R, who performed live at the Aggies' "Friday Night Lights" scrimmage last April.
This Friday 2/28 I'm back in College Station for @AggieFootball open spring practice #aggiefootball #djlife
— DJ DOUBLE R TEXAS (@djdoublermusic) February 23, 2014
That night the Aggies hosted dozens of recruits, several of which they would eventually land commitments from. Among those who eventually committed to Texas A&M were 2014 ESPN 300 linebacker Otaro Alaka, 2015 ESPN Junior 300 running back Rodney Anderson Jr., 2014 ESPN 300 defensive end Myles Garrett, 2014 defensive end Jarrett Johnson and 2014 ESPN 300 safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner, though Sumner-Gardner eventually decommitted and signed with Boise State.
The effect of having a live DJ spinning tunes from the Aggies' equipment truck created a buzzworthy atmosphere at Kyle Field that had recruits talking and certainly helped their efforts in landing some big-name recruits. If that buzz can be created again, it would be a positive for head coach Kevin Sumlin and his staff.
The Aggies could land their next 2015 commitment in the near future. Texas offensive line commitment Connor Lanfear visited Texas A&M for the Aggies' first junior day in January and will make a return visit on Friday for the Aggies' first spring practice. Though he recently attended Texas' junior day, Texas A&M appears in good position of possibly flipping Lanfear's commitment to the maroon and white with his affinity for the SEC, noting that A&M's league membership is a "large pull" for him. He even said his high school classmates at Buda (Texas) Hays Consolidated are asking quite a bit about the Aggies.
“I’ve got a lot of pressure from everyone all over the school," the three-star offensive tackle said. "They’re pressuring me a little bit. 'That maroon looks pretty good on you,’ stuff like that. Everyone is talking about it at Hays, that's the talk right now: 'Where are you going?'"
As spring football progresses, the Aggies will have numerous opportunities to host recruits for unofficial visits. Don't be surprised to see them capitalize on some of those chances to continue to build what is shaping up to be a strong 2015 recruiting class.