Aggies sign nation's top RB recruit
Texas A&M has the running back they wanted for the 2023 class in the fold after El Campo's Reuben Owens signed Wednesday.
2022 stats: 213 carries, 1,781 yards (8.36 YPC), 25 TD
Chose A&M over: Louisville, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU and many others
A&M's pursuit of Owens began before his incredible junior season, when he ran for nearly 3,000 yards and 46 touchdowns. But the pursuit was filled with frustration, as he committed first to Texas, and then later, Louisville. But when Scott Satterfield left to take the Cincinnati job, the door swung wide open for A&M again, and this time they hit the jackpot.
Projected 2022 role: In the running back rotation with Amari Daniels and Le'Veon Moss
Film study
Owens is about as complete a package as there is for a running back. He has great speed, vision and elusiveness. He's not incredibly big, but he is very strong and tough to bring down.
One thing that stands out immediately about Owens is his lower body strength. He can take hits from multiple players and still keep his legs churning. It also gives an indication of his desire, because there are very few players who can take him down 1-on-1.
HIs vision is elite. He sees holes quickly, sometimes anticipating where they'll be, and hits them with remarkable quickness. Once he gets in the open field, he does an amazing job setting up defenders to make sure they miss him. He's not just instinctive, he's got great field smarts. He also has great "wiggle", which helps him get through holes and evade defenders at the line of scrimmage.
His straight line speed is excellent. He's not Achane, but he is at least as fast as Isaiah Spiller and appears to be comparable to Amari Daniels.
There are only three questions I have about Owens: first, how well does he block? We know that's a key part of the A&M offense, new coordinator or not. Second, how well does he catch out of the backfield? He's a weapon and you'd want him to get the ball as much as possible. Third, how long will it take to adjust to bigtime SEC football? El Campo, to my surprise, is a 4A program, so maybe not as long as you'd think. In any case, this is a massive get for the Aggies and helps stabilize not only their backfield, but the 2023 recruiting class as well.