Hokies Recruiting: Ricky DeBerry Decision Preview and Prediction
By Tim Thomas
Out of State Longshots: Penn State and Texas A&M
The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Texas A&M Aggies have had a lot of recruiting sucess with the Nittany Lions having some success recruiting in the Mid-Atlantic and the Aggies having a very charasmatic, successful recruiter in Kevin Sumlin. However, Penn State and Texas A&M do not seem like very serious contenders to get DeBerry.
Penn State has had a disappointing season in a down Big 10 and that has had an impact on recruiting for the Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions have also lost a lot of momentum in recruiting players in the Mid-Atlantic with the loss of defensive tackle Adam McLean being a major indicator of that.
Penn State seems to be the biggest longshot of all of the finalist, and Nittany Lion shouldn’t get their hopes up on DeBerry.
The Aggies have plenty of playing time available but the lack of a new defensive coordinator means that Texas A&M LB coach Mark Hagen, DeBerry’s primary recruiter, is not certain to stay on the staff beyond their bowl game. The potential loss of a player’s primary recruiter, especially with the position the Aggies are in for DeBerry, makes it very unlikely.
The Aggies also have had a somewhat disappointing season and their lack of defensive pedigree is likely the last straw that takes Texas A&M out of the running realistically.