Texas A&M proved its national reach again Monday, adding the commitment of massive offensive lineman Mark Nabou from Seattle O'Dea. Nabou is the 20th member of the 2022 class, which is gunning for the top spot in the Rivals rankings.
Nabou was committed to nearby Washington for three weeks in June, but visited A&M during that time period. After he de-committed, the Aggies shot up to the top of his list and stayed there throughout. The competition to land the 6-foot-4, now 330-pound Nabou was extensive, including finalists USC, Michigan and Texas.
Nabou is the first offensive line commit for the Aggies since February, when Hunter Erb committed. Nabou joins Erb and PJ Williams as the three current O-line commits, but he may not be the last. A&M is still in the mix for several offensive tackle prospects who will be announcing their decisions during the Early Signing Period.
The Aggies now have five non-Texans on their commitment list, but Nabou is not the first native of Washington State to commit to A&M for 2022. Mead (Wa.) kicker Ethan Moczulski committed in early July.
Currently, the Aggies have commits from Texas, Washington, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and Sweden to go with their 15 in-state commits.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
Nabou is a violent, physical player with tremendous size. He uses that size to his advantage in the running game, where he just overwhelms opponents.
He's projected at a guard at the next level, but I could see Josh Henson cross-training him at tackle as well, because he's not only got the size, but surprising quickness. He's played both left and right tackle in high school and has the speed to get out in front of his backs as the lead pulling guard on counters. His speed, for his size, is actually pretty impressive.
But Nabou is not, by any means, a finished product. He's got a lot of work to do on his technique, which can get pretty stiff and mechanical at times. He has a good punch in the running game, but he pops up out of his stance and takes away a lot of his lower body strength which he could use to drive defenders back. His pass blocking also needs some work.
It may take a season or two for him to contribute, but Nabou is already ahead of the curve when it comes to size and strength. He likes to bully people and has can move. He's got tremendous upside and could end up contributing either at guard or tackle.
