Sumlin's class adds size, speed A&M will need in SEC

Teams in the Southeastern Conference have much in common. Raucous atmospheres and rowdy fanbases come to mind.

But the teams that see success in the conference that has produced the last six BCS national champions possess one glaring similarity: two-deeps littered with size and speed.

"When you're building a championships team, you have to be strong and you have to be fast," new A&M head football coach Kevin Sumlin said.

Sumlin used words like "huge," "elusive," "talented," "burst" and "fast" Wednesday while discussing his first recruiting class -- 19 players who are signed, sealed and sold on Sumlin's program.

And they better be all of the above, bcause to compete in the SEC -- specifically the SEC West -- teams must be able to square off with the nation's best and biggest athletes.

In inking players like Trey Williams, Thomas Johnson, Jordan Richmond, Edmond Ray, De'Vante Harris and Germain Ifedi, Sumlin starts off with a solid foundation for a future clouded by uncertainty as the Aggies begin play in a new conference.

"To sign 19 guys and be ranked in the top 15 in the country, I think that's pretty impressive in the short time we've had together as a coaching staff," Sumlin said.

With a new coaching staff leading A&M into the unknown, it was imperative that Sumlin keep together the core of this class -- guys who have bought into an "AggSwagg" movement in hopes of bringing a new confidence to A&M.

In signing Williams, Richmond and quarterback Matt Davis, he did just that. In last-minute addition Ray -- a 6-foot-5 defensive lineman -- Sumlin also added size and speed to the defensive front seven.

"He's a 280-pound guy who can run," Sumlin said. "Certainly we needed to do something in the front from a defensive line standpoint that made sense with moving into the SEC."

In nabbing longtime Texas pledge Thomas Johnson -- a Dallas Skyline player and the No. 3 receiver in the country -- he added athletic ability.

"Thomas is one of, if not the, best receiver in the state," Sumlin said. "He's an explosive player."

No doubt Johnson will get a chance to catch the ball in Sumlin's offense.

At Houston, Sumlin's Cougars led the country with 35 plays of 40 yards or more. A&M, however, ranked 87th with only nine.

It's difficult to sustain long drives consistently against any defense. It's more taxing against SEC defenses who tend to be both disruptive and opportunistic. So SEC offenses need players with game-changing speed in order to capitalize on the limited chances they get in conference play.

Wednesday, Sumlin didn't fix all that ails A&M. But in adding 19 explosive, big, talented players, he got off to a good start heading into the SEC, where size and speed reign supreme.