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For the last time on Rivals, for the first time on On3
Today’s Monday Thoughts will be the last one we have on Rivals. As of tomorrow morning, we will wake up in an On3 world.
I have been pretty quiet about this merger, because, having been a business reporter among other things during my tenure with AY, I’ve learned to wait on discussing anything beyond potential until a deal closes. The On3-Rivals deal closed today, so now I can talk about it in good conscience.
This is a great deal for subscribers and readers, and I think it’ll be good for our community specifically. The tech at On3 is far better than what we had at Rivals — which, I’m afraid, means the extermination of those poor hamsters who worked night and day to keep the site running. The recruiting staff at On3 is combining with the existing Rivals crew, so we’ll have a wider reach moving forward. You’ll also get to access other sites in a read-only mode.
What I really like about On3 is their national coverage of things like NIL and college football as a whole. That will dovetail nicely into the things I normally write about in this space and elsewhere. They’ve also got fantastic coverage of things like the transfer portal.
This is a perfect fit for AggieYell because On3 had most of the SEC covered — except for A&M. There’s no merger, nobody’s losing a job or anything like that. We just move over to a better, and I hope more attractive to subscribers, platform. I hope this means I’ll also get to do a few more things for you guys as well.
All the same, it’s weird to think that I won’t be part of Rivals anymore. I started working for AY shortly after the great schism that sent the name “Websider” into the great beyond (or Scout, then the great beyond). The Great Recession cost me my job, but Jeff Tarpley stepped in and offered me a spot on the AY staff full-time when I needed a job most (SNL Energy called later that day, so I went from flat broke to two jobs in 12 hours).
In 2014, Tarp decided he needed to make a move, and he hit me with that bomb while I was literally on the back porch of the Dixie Chicken on a very nice Saturday afternoon. I called Eric Winter, the then-CEO of Rivals, and just left a message asking if I needed to start looking for another job.
He called back five minutes later and said, “No, please don’t look for another job.” So I became the “face” of AY (they could have found someone better looking, for sure) while Ryan Abraham, who was running the USC site, became publisher and a mentor to be for a few months. And, like Tarp, he became a lifelong friend.
But when Ryan left the network, Rivals turned AY over to me totally. That was 11 years ago, and it has (so far) been the ride of a lifetime. I want to thanks Courtney Roland and Fletch Whiteley for being a part of it, as well as young padawan Landyn Rosow.
I’ve seen the emergence of Johnny Manziel from a kid who added me on Facebook to a global phenomenon; Mike Evans went from a small forward in the database to getting sized for a bust in Canton; I’ve been to 12 SEC Media Days, cussed at by two coaches (one of which was joking, the other not so much), hated by more and have had the opportunity to lead this merry band of screwballs through great times, tragedy, a pandemic and God knows what else.
Cody has never known a day when I haven’t been associated with this site, and she loves this community.
So, as we go to On3, we mark a milestone and move from one site to another. That’s a change. But what hasn’t changed is AY itself, and for that I’m extremely grateful.
Now, let’s build this thing and make it even better — and see how many other people we can get asking, “can he play linebacker?”
Quick recruiting update
Speaking of linebackers..
Carthage LB DaQuives Beck will announce his college choice tomorrow. He’s down to the two Oklahoma schools and A&M, and the Aggies have been the consensus choice for a long time. I don’t see any reason to change that now.
July 4 will be busy, with DL Bryce Perry-Wright, LB Tank King and WR Boobie Feaster all scheduled to commit. It looks favorable for King and Feaster and A&M seems to be a top-two team for Perry-Wright, so we’ll have to see on that one.
I suppose I’ll give a Lamar Brown update because I didn’t mention him on Friday because he isn’t scheduled to commit until July 10. This one is pretty much where it has been for months, with A&M thinking they’re in good shape and LSU thinking they’re in good shape. Brown may be the only one who actually knows. I think A&M still should be considered a very slight favorite, but I mean very slight.
How good can the WR recruiting class be?
When 4-star Legend Bey committed to Tennessee this past weekend, the Aggie coaching staff probably wasn’t horribly disappointed. Sure, they would have taken him, as he’s the closest thing to Ainias Smith in the 2026 class — but there’s still a very real chance A&M ends up with the best recruiting class for receivers in the nation. If things go well, it may be one of the best ever, period.
A&M remains in very good shape for Boobie Feaster, and they’re also an increasingly realistic possibility for 4-star Jase Mathews. It’s a great class for receivers, and let’s face it, they could use a few more potential game breakers. If they add Feaster and Mathews, then they could possibly have the best receiver recruiting class this century. If they got Tristen Keys, then it’s slam dunk, over, best receiver class in 25 years.
How many players can A&M take?
With rosters going to 105 scholarship players tomorrow, the Aggies are positioned to be able to go well over the normal 25 scholarships we’re used to. But how far over might they go? That’s kind of the question we’re all wondering at this point.
Let’s see what’s still out there for them (by position group):
Quarterback: Helaman Casuga
They’re done.
Running back: KJ Edwards and Jonathan Hatton Jr.
They’re done.
Tight end: Caleb Tafua and Kaeden Johnson
They’re done. Maybe they’re still after Ethan Jacobson, but I just don’t see how that works.
Wide receiver: Aaron Gregory, Mike Brown and Madden Williams
Still out there: Boobie Feaster, Jase Mathews, Tristen Keys
How many would they take: Maybe all of them, given the chance?
Offensive line: Samuel Roseborough, Avery Morcho, Zaden Krempin
Still out there: John Turntine III
How many would they take: Right now, the three they’ve got because Turntine ain’t coming here. If they’re going to get more, they’ll have to get back in with someone else or find someone that explodes onto the radar late.
Defensive line: Jordan Carter, Storm Miller, Jermaine Kinsler, Tristian Givens, Samu Moala
Still out there: Tank Jones, Lamar Brown, Bryce Perry-Wright, KJ Ford, Jaquez Wilkes
How many would they take: The first three, no questions asked. The second two, maybe.
Linebacker: None committed — yet.
Still out there: Tank King, DaQuives Beck, Malik Morris
How many would they take: They’d take them all, but Morris is a very long shot. They need two and I think they’re going to get two this week.
Safety: Chance Collins
Still out there: Tylan Wilson, Tamarion Watkins
How many would they take: They see differing roles for Wilson and Watkins, so they’d probably take both of them. I think they’re in great shape with Wilson, but South Carolina remains a major threat for Watkins.
Cornerback/Nickel: Brandon Arrington, Camren Hamiel, Victor Singleton
They’re done.
So A&M has 21 official commits right now. If my conservative estimate is right, they’ll end up with 26. If they really hit the jackpot, they can go to 30 or maybe more.
Frontloading
On June 30 of 2024, the Aggies had 14 commits, as Noah Mikhail committed a year ago today. On June 30 of 2023, they had seven commits who eventually signed. On June 30 of 2022, they had four commits. This is just a reminder of how massive the shift has been in high school recruiting has been to front-loading. Kids want to get their commitments done in the summer and be enrolled in January.
