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YESSIR: McCollum recaps AM commitment

In less than a month, the Texas A&M coaches were able to jump right into the mix for Klein Oak (Texas) offensive tackle Ryan McCollum and flip his longtime commitment from former Big12 foe Oklahoma State. McCollum made a video commitment announcement via Twitter during his official visit to College Station over the weekend.
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https://twitter.com/R_McCollum62/status/676122626373234689pic.twitter.com/tqCTE3FoLw- Ryan McCollum (@R_McCollum62) December 13, 2015
WHAT'S NEXT?:
Rainy weather and a marathon being held on campus kept McCollum from seeing everything the A&M campus has to offer this past weekend, but he is already planning another visit next month to tour the campus and learn more about the academic options. Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin and the coaches will also visit McCollum for an in-home visit next month.
IN HIS WORDS:
"Flipping my commitment was crazy difficult," McCollum said. "It was always Texas A&M and Oklahoma State for me since the recruiting process started. I had been set on Oklahoma State the whole time, but A&M came in and offered, then it just changed my entire mind set.
"I had to reconsider things and take a closer look at A&M. It's closer to home, they are in the SEC and the coaches have sent several offensive linemen to the NFL recently. Everything picked up over the past month and it felt right to me when looking at the overall opportunity at A&M."
Although brief, the relationship with Texas A&M offensive line coach Dave Christensen helped to land McCollum.
"I really like Coach Christensen a lot," McCollum said. "It's only been a month or so, but we already have a great relationship. I know he wants me to play the tackle position, but we didn't talk about playing left or right tackle. I can play either spot and feel that my athleticism makes me a good fit to play left tackle."
McCollum is also beginning to build relationships with some of the other offensive line commits in the 2016 class and might already be doing some recruiting of his own.
"Kellen (Diesch) messaged me after the offer from A&M," McCollum said. "We mostly talked about the program and what he liked about the Aggies. He was committed to another school at one point as well, so that helped to talk with him about his decision. I also talked with Colton (Prater) this weekend during my visit and got to know him a little bit.
"I'm already working on Nick Starkel too. He just decommitted from Oklahoma State this weekend and we became pretty close through the recruiting process while we were committed in the same class. I'm trying to get him to visit next month and I will make sure to be there if he does make the trip. He's keeping things to himself for now and I'm giving him space to make his own decision because I know how difficult the recruiting process can be at times."
OUR REACTION:
At 6-foot-6, 270-pounds, McCollum is one of the more underrated offensive tackle prospects in the state. He is young for his class and has a great frame for Coach Christensen to work with over the next few years. I watched McCollum compete at a few camps this summer and was impressed with how he moved, his reach and the nasty streak he competes with. After a few seasons in a major college program, McCollum could develop into a very good offensive lineman for the Aggies.
Rated a three-star prospect, McCollum chose the Aggies over offers from Oklahoma State, Houston, Texas Tech, Air Force, Northwestern and others. He earned District 15-6A All-District first team offense honors this season. -- Matt Clare
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