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Less than a weeks ago, Texas A&M’s lack of a defensive coordinator was a huge issue. The Aggies lost out on a top in-state recruit, lost a commitment from another and looked a mess on defense in their bowl game.
Kevin Sumlin was waiting for the right guy, and he sure got him. John Chavis has a stellar reputation after building a string of top-15 defenses the last half-decade at LSU and piecing together a strong resume over a 25-year SEC career.
Will Chavis be the man to turn push Texas A&M’s recruiting over the top? The Aggies might have lost out on Malik Jefferson, the top linebacker in the country, as well as five-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack, but its not like the sky was falling on the Aggies. Texas A&M still has the No. 7 recruiting class in the country, per 247sports’ composite rankings. That includes nine three-star or better commits on the defensive side.
Chavis is not known as a recruiter. While he had a hand in bringing in some of the big defensive names LSU landed during his tenure, it was running backs coach Frank Wilson who was Les Miles’ ace recruiter. What Chavis brings to College Station is a reputation for turning young players into top-flight professional prospects. That can be as much of a draw as anything for prospects.
At LSU, Chavis helped turn the program into Defensive Back University, good news for a school that’s brought in several four-star defensive backs the last two years. It didn’t help the Aggies to win their first major recruiting battle of Chavis’ tenure, as five-star cornerback Kendall Sheffield picked Alabama over Texas A&M. Over time, though, a defense with a better reputation should help the Aggies to come out on top in those battles.
Chavis may have to take on a bigger role with recruiting in the early going at Texas A&M, as the Aggies are still without a recruiting coordinator after David Beaty left for Texas A&M. In the long run, his reputation for putting together top-15 defenses that showcase his teams’ talent should be enough to swing some of the best recruits Texas has to the Aggies.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
