Recruiting Country: The latest recruiting news surrounding the Maroon & White

Key notes from Recruiting Country

• I can’t remember off the top of my head a weekend where I look back at the performances from A&M commits, I went like, “Holy crap...” Picking Brauny’s Best was really tough. I ended up giving it to Jordan Carter‍, who had 13 tackles, three sacks and three tackles for loss. Legitimately, it could have been a dozen different guys. Everyone was so good.
   
• Helaman Casuga‍ went nuts in Utah. The running back tandem, KJ Edwards‍ and Jonathan Hatton Jr‍ had sensational nights. DaQuives Beck‍ had 16 to 18 tackles in a knockdown, drag-out fight. Tank King‍ had a really good night, but also a detonation of a hit. The ball flew up in the air, and I was hoping it wasn’t the other player's head. He ends up throwing the kid back like five yards. Mike Brown‍ had four catches of over 100 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns. Looking through everybody, these kids had some really good nights and performances. It’s cool to see football back in Texas.
   
• Last Friday, I went to Liberty Hill for the first time. One of my favorite things to do when I go to these towns and stadiums is I get recommendations for restaurants in the area. Liberty Hill takes a while to get to. So I put it out on Twitter, and they sent me Dahlia Cafe as the place to go to in the Liberty Hill area. I’m calling this “Brauny’s Bites.” I am going to Houston Christian, Port Arthur Memorial against Houston Legacy. A&M commits King vs. Brown. If you live on the South Loop, let me know of a good restaurant to go to.
   
• 2027 prospect Cooper Witten‍'s stat line was crazy. He is one of the top prospects out of the state of Texas in the 2027 class. Everyone knows his dad, Jason Witten, who is the coach at Cooper’s high school, Argyle Liberty Christian. Cooper is being recruited as a linebacker, but when do you see a linebacker prospect go for 17 catches and 117 yards? Also, two forced fumbles and eight tackles for loss. They came up short against a good team. But for your first outing, to be that active, it's incredible. He was literally doing something on offense and defense. They are going to be asking a lot of him. I would anticipate Jason getting him to play. No breaks mentality. We have Cooper as the No. 5 player in the state in that class, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets into the top three. That’s the trajectory this kid is on... He’s recruiting with A&M, Notre Dame, Clemson, Ohio State and a lot of the big-name schools.
   
• They have been spoonfeeding Hatton early on throughout camp. In college, you have depth to put in players when injuries happen. That is not what it is like in high school, so before the season got underway, they were easing him in. Hatton had big problems in the first half because he was running into a Michigan commit from Liberty Hill in the middle of the defense, and the offense is not strong in the middle. There were some struggles there. He was having to bounce a lot of runs to the outside, but he is best in between the tackles.
   
• As the game went on, Hatton started to find some joy in between the tackles. He had a 94-yard run and pulled away from the defense. He’s 6-foot-1, 215 pounds. He’s a big dude. He ended the night with 176 yards rushing. It was a good night for him and his team. I did not film that play, but he started to get going. He had a run of 17, nine and 21. On that last run, he came up a bit, maybe a hamstring issue. The next play, the backup scored, who is really good, too. I thought Hatton was done for the night, but next drive, he’s back in there and busts out the 94-yarder. He had one more big blow left in the tank.
   
• On the recruiting side, you have all these visits in June, the dead period in July and then camp. They haven’t had to fire the Kyle Field bullet. It is an important piece to their recruiting puzzle. They utilized it and did a great job. I love this recruit meeting area that’s in front of the big complex. They’ve done such a good job with that. It’s a covered area, with a photo booth, a cool lounge setup with displays, something that wasn’t being done before Mike Elko got here. It is very innovative, and it's been well received. They did a great job with that. A great job with hosting the commits that they got back on campus. Kaeden Johnson‍ is back on campus. Chance Collins‍ was back on campus. These guys are committed, but still hearing from other schools. It was important for A&M to get them to the game. Once the sun went down at Kyle, the recruits loved it. The new light show was super exciting for the kids. If the kids love it, that is the No. 1 priority.
   
• Look at the opponent and the time of the kick. It won't look the same as last weekend. It’s not going to be littered with four to five stars. Jason Howell had an update on the priority target dates for visitors to come. With an early kickoff against a non-Power Four team, there are some games in the region that recruits are going to.
   
• Oklahoma has a big game in Norman, and Texas has its first home game. This weekend is for guys that have some measurables and traits you like, maybe some fringe guys you want to introduce them to Kyle Field. Hunter McKinney‍ is cool. Son of Steve McKinney, nephew of Seth McKinney. He got an offer from A&M. He was in town last week and will return this weekend for the Utah State game. He is weighing his options, using a scholarship to go to Houston Christian, or if he will take a chance and follow in his dad and uncle's footsteps and come to A&M. There are some advantages to going to Houston Christian. Playing time is more guaranteed, but this is a cool opportunity. It is super cool for the McKinney brothers. Of course, you want your kids to go to A&M, but for Hunter to possibly come play. It’s really cool.
   
• I don’t have all of the facts about Caleb Tafua‍. I know he transferred to Bishop Montgomery High School this year. They forfeited their game last week due to a lack of players. In the last 10 days, their head coach was let go. A recent report stated that they have cancelled their season. I don’t know what Tafua can do. I don’t know the rules in California. It is extremely unlikely that he would be eligible in Texas. To move to another state for athletic purposes, high school rules say that they have to play subvarsity. I know if he were to move, his old school would have to check some boxes stating whether he is moving for athletic purposes. So, for Tafua to move and declare it as not for athletic purposes, it has to pass through a district decision. There is so much evidence not in his favor. Many people would say he should be eligible. I don’t know it all, it's all kind of new. Maybe they have a homeschool league or something. It is a really awful situation to be in.
   
• There is no name on this week's recruiting slate that has a serious chance to get an offer right now. A&M’s 2027 quarterback commit Jayce Johnson‍ visited Florida State last week, and they looked good. A&M is also bringing in Ty Knutson‍, someone they’ve given an offer to.