For the third time in five recruiting classes, Texas A&M has picked up a commitment from a player from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Fort Washington (Md.) National Christian Academy became the 14th commit, and the second cornerback, to join the Aggies' 2020 recruiting class when he made his announcement Tuesday afternoon. He joins DE Tyree Johnson and LB Aaron Hansford as players from the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Virginia) who have committed to A&M in recent years.
Moten's over list is extensive and includes offers from Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Michigan, South Carolina and nearby Maryland. He was committed to Penn State for more than four months earlier this year, but de-committed June 13 -- the day before he took his official visit to College Station.
In the end, the Nittany Lions would not even prove to be a finalist. Moten came down to deciding between A&M and Nebraska, and the lure of the SEC was too great for him to ignore.
Moten now gives the Aggies two 4-star cornerback commitments in the Rivals 250, along with standout Jaylon Jones. They may not be done; A&M is considered very strong leaders for Aldine MacArthur's Josh Eaton, who will commit Aug. 6. Should A&M pick up all three corners, they will be able to make a strong argument that they have the best cornerback recruiting class in the nation.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
The Aggies have been recruiting big corners since Mike Elko arrived and while Moten isn't short (6 feet tall), he's very slender at 165 pounds. A&M wouldn't be going after someone with this kind of intensity unless you could do something special, and he can. He's a superior pass defender. He only had 18 tackles his junior year, which is a clear sign people weren't throwing at him. But he still managed 7 passes defensed and 4 INT, and those numbers are eye-opening.
Moten's anticipation is off the charts. He does an outstanding job of reading the quarterback's eyes, figuring out where he's going with the football and jumps the route before the receiver can do anything about it. His ability to be running one way, stop completely and make a break on the ball is very impressive.
Moten's footwork is really good. He shows he can run right with a receiver over the middle, and can then cut in on a route to make a deflection. I was really impressed by how well he adjusts to the ball in flight. He makes it look like he's the primary receiver, in many cases.
Moten needs to bulk up a little bit and probably will need a little bit of time to adjust to playing at a level like the SEC, but he brings a very impressive set of tools. He's technically sound, has great anticipation and he can run. He's a fine addition to the 2020 class and his commitment is another step in revamping A&M's cornerback unit from a glaring weakness to one of the conference's best.