Aggies named a finalist for 2017 DT target
Related: Monday Thoughts | Mid-season Report Card
The Texas A&M coaches received some positive recruiting news over the bye week as Hillsboro (Tennessee) defensive tackle Ben Hutch named the Aggies as a finalist in his Top 3 along with Penn State and Louisville.
"I felt like these three schools were on me the most and I decided it was time to narrow things down," Hutch said. "I'm very interested in these three programs and it's crunch time now. A lot of my decision has to do with the coaches and our relationship, but I'm really looking into my major at each university because I cannot play football forever.
"I want to have a backup plan for when football ends and would like to get into sports journalism in some capacity. Right now, I'm looking into majoring in Mass Communications or something similar."
Hutch took two unofficial visits to College Station this off-season and mostly credits the coaching staff for his interest in Texas A&M.
"I visited A&M two times this summer," Hutch said. "I missed the first BBQ, but had visited before then and made it out for the second BBQ with my Mom. Coach (David) Turner and Coach (John) Chavis made my Mom feel very comfortable and they let her know that I would be taken care of away from home.
"We met the coaches' families, plus I had already known Coach Turner from his time at Mississippi State. The coaches basically let my Mom know that I would have a father figure and even a mother around at A&M."
Since the visits this summer, Coach Chavis and the A&M defense have continued to impress Hutch this season.
"Coach Chavis really is the GOAT (greatest of all time)," Hutch said. "I didn't really know much about him when they first started talking with me, but I learned about his background since and he is one of the best defensive coordinators in the nation. A&M has beaten some very talented teams and the defense has been a big reason.
"I like the way their defense plays and the way they fly to the ball stands out to me. The defensive line has played very well and that effects how the entire defense plays. The whole defense is playing well this season. Coach Turner and Coach Chavis see me playing the one-technique in their defense, helping to plug holes up front and stopping the run game."
The 6-foot-3, 315-pound prospect is planning his official visit to College Station for later this season.
"I will be visiting Texas A&M for the LSU game on Nov. 24th," Hutch said. "It will be an official visit, but I still need to connect with the coaches and get everything setup. It's Alabama week for them, so I'm going to wait and get with Coach Turner to setup the visit after this week.
"I took my official visit to Penn state a couple of weeks ago and I'm going to take my official visit to Louisville after the season. My plan is to announce my decision in mid-December, probably sometime after the season. I was recently invited to the Offense-Defense Bowl and could also announce at the game, but I haven't decided yet."
Rated a 5.7 three-star prospect, Hutch is one of 12 defensive tackle offers out for the 2017 class and arguably one of the top remaining targets for the A&M coaches. He is rated as the No. 32 defensive tackle prospect in the nation and the No. 17 prospect on the Rivals.com Preseason Tennessee Top 35 for the 2017 class.