The Dickinson to A&M pipeline is wide open.
One of the best Gators in recent memory, tight end Jalen Wydermyer, has become a potential All-American in two years in College Station. Possibly hoping to follow suit, fellow tight end Donovan Green and left tackle Patrick Williams both committed to Texas A&M Thursday morning. They are the second and third commits for the 2022 class, with all three being from the Houston area and coming within the span of five days (with Katy DE Malick Sylla being the first).
Green, one of the most sought-after tight ends in the nation for the 2022 class, has more than three dozen offers. Alabama, LSU, Texas, USC, Notre Dame, Georgia, Florida... you name it, they've offered. But with the Aggies being one of the first teams to recruit him and the success of Wydermyer in Jimbo Fisher's offense, the Aggies always seemed to have the lead for him.
Williams' recruitment has picked up steam over the past several months, as he was a first-team All-District selection during his junior year. LSU, Texas, Auburn and Penn State were just some of the schools that had offers on the table for him, but again, the Aggies always seemed to be out in front.
Those suspicions were found to be justified Thursday, as the two combined to announce their commitments on social media.
A look at Donovan Green
Looking at the uniform and the height of the player, it's eerie. It's almost like watching Jalen Wydermyer's high school film three years ago. Green is very much the same player, but maybe a slightly better blocker at this point in his development.
The athleticism Green has is off the charts. There's a reason he's the second-rated tight end in the country, and he can make a solid case for the top spot. He can run, he has great body control and catches everything that's thrown his way. You don't see very many tight ends in high school making one-handed, over-the-shoulder catches. Green can do that (and has done it).
He has a lot of versatility. He has the ability to set up as an in-line blocker and be an asset in the running game, or he can be split out in the slot (or even as a flanker) so he can run in the open field. He's the matchup nightmare that Wydermyer has become (and Baylor Cupp will hopefully ) be: he's too big for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers. He cuts like a player who should be much smaller, and seems to enjoy blocking. And his receiving skills are just off the charts.
The Aggies have rapidly developed a reputation for being a program that is tight end-friendly under Jimbo Fisher. In Green, they have probably found the young man who will step in to replace Wydermyer when he goes to the NFL, and he has the potential to be just as big a weapon.
A look at Patrick Williams
Williams is a guy who is still growing into his massive frame and has tremendous upside. He's really still learning the position, but was first-team All-District anyway. He's got great athleticism and the frame you need for a left tackle.
The first thing that stuck me is that he's still really slender. He may be 260 pounds at this point, but he could easily get to 300 after his senior season and a year in college. He's got really good footwork, which isn't a shock considering he has played both defensive end and tight end before moving to left tackle. He moves very quickly and looks like he gets off the snap well.
One of the reasons I linked the Katy tape is not only are the Tigers the state champions and one of.the best teams in America, but the first sequence shows Williams flattening his future teammate and Rivals 250 member Malick Sylla. Sylla's an outstanding prospect, but Williams essentially devours him and puts him on the turf.
Williams moves really well laterally in pass protection and those long arms make it really tough for opposing linemen to get in on him and push him around. Williams can hold them at bay in pass protection and gets up a lot of forward momentum when he run blocks.
The big thing for Williams is going to be adding size and muscle. That may take a little while, but he's got a great frame and is already an impressive blocker while still learning the position. He'll have time to develop at A&M, but has a real opportunity to become a special player at the next level.