NFL Tickets
The AT&T Cotton Bowl between the Texas A&M Aggies and Oklahoma Sooners looked like an even match on paper, with two of the nation’s best offenses in 2012 squaring off at Cowboys Stadium. As we know, the match was anything but even as Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel led the Aggies to a 41-13 thumping of Bob Stoops’ squad in Arlington.
Not only does a victory of this stature bode well for the future of the Aggies and Manziel, it is an even bigger win for the school’s recruiting cache in the state which is growing by the day. With the Aggies’ move to the SEC, plenty of recruits in Southeast Texas who had once only considered LSU or Texas were willing to take a closer look at College Station.
Tonight’s game gave Texas A&M a chance at success in one of the premier recruiting hotbeds in the country– and arguably the most talent-rich area in the Lone Star State– the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Traditionally, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas Tech and Texas have duked it out for the best talent in the Metroplex, with the Sooners typically grabbing most of the first-tier. Given that many of the top high school players in the area were likely present tonight and watched this thrashing first-hand– and those who weren’t were watching on television– you can bet the shift in power from Oklahoma and the other usual Metroplex players toward A&M will be felt when all the coaches and recruiting coordinators start to pound the pavement in coming weeks.
We know now that Johnny Manziel will be in College Station for at least one more season if not more, and any recruits who were previously on the fence regarding the Aggies are no longer on the fence. If I’m recruiting coordinators from Texas, TCU or the other in-state powers, I’m on the phone now to kids I know have interest in A&M.
By tomorrow morning, it may be too late.
—
Kris Hughes is the College Football Network Manager for Rant Sports. You can follow Kris on Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook.
Share 
