The top-rated dual threat quarterback in the country has de-committed from Texas A&M. Nevada based Tate Martell had been officially committed to the Aggies since August 2015, but tweeted that he was to de-commit and re-open his recruiting again. He had previously announced his desire to take numerous visits before National Signing Day in February 2017 despite re-affirming his commitment to the Aggies.
Originally Tate Martell tried to forego his senior season to join the team for the 2016 season after the news broke that Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen were transferring away from the program, but he was denied. He currently plays for the powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Nevada, where he is yet to lose a game so to lose him from the 2017 recruiting class is a big blow to the Aggies.
In recent weeks, the Aggies offered four-star pro-style quarterback Jack Spears from California. They also went to Florida to take a look at Kellen Mond who is from the San Antonio area of Texas and is currently committed to Baylor. This shows that Texas A&M clearly had a contingency plan in place in case Tate Martell did decide to de-commit.
A bad night was made worse when Aggies wide receiver coach Aaron Moorehead tweeted complaining about a lack of loyalty from some people, clearly referring to Tate Martell. Despite later tweets stating that he hadn’t even heard the news, it was too late as the damage was done. This led to losing two highly touted wide receivers, Mannie Netherly and Tyjon Lindsey, both of which admonished Moorehead for his behavior as they announced their de-commitments.
The position of head coach Kevin Sumlin is in a precarious state, as it is with two mediocre seasons since Jonny Manziel left for the NFL. This is having a knock-on effect to recruiting as players are wary of committing to a program that potentially might be replacing their head coach after the 2016 season. So, to lose three top recruits in one evening is a disaster to the program at this point.
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