When he came to College Station for his official visit at Texas A&M, Colleyville Heritage tight end Patrick Fleming was more of a tour guide than a tourist. His father, David, is Class of 1975, and he introduced Patrick to Aggieland many years ago.

So, Fleming is certainly no stranger to Texas A&M, Kyle Field, Yell Practice, the spirit of Aggieland, etc.

"Not at all," said Colleyville Heritage head coach Chris Cunningham. "And he’s no stranger to wearing maroon and white. I imagine he had a Texas A&M T-shirt on since the time he was a toddler. But I also know that his actual decision to sign with Texas A&M was his own.

"I’m sure his father and his family wanted Patrick to go to Texas A&M, and I know that the Aggies were always at the top of his list when schools began expressing interest in Patrick. But his father, who was the president of our booster club two years ago, never put any pressure on him. Patrick evaluated everything for himself, and I think he followed his heart and fulfilled a longtime dream by becoming an Aggie. I know he is really excited about getting to Texas A&M and making a name for himself."

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Fleming, who is rated as the No. 18 tight end prospect in the nation by ESPN.com, certainly helps fill a glaring need for the Aggies. Because of injuries in 2001, the Aggies finished the season with a true freshman tight end (Thomas Carriger) who at this time last year was projected to be a defensive lineman.

Fleming will enter A&M this summer with far more credentials to be an impact tight end in the future. In fact, he earned honorable mention All-State honors by the Texas Sports Writers Association last year after catching seven passes for 56 yards and one touchdown in 2001.

"He’s a very talented big guy, who has real nice hands, great agility and good feet," Cunningham said of Fleming. "And what I really like about him is that he is a dominant blocker. The guy will get after you. He’s always been a real hard worker, and Patrick just always finds a way to get the job done. He’s been a very reliable part of our program."

In one of his best games last season, Fleming took control of the line of scrimmage in Heritage’s 27-0 win over Fort Worth Richland. He also caught a pair of passes and had a big run on a tight end reverse.

Cunningham says Fleming was one of the major reasons the Panthers went 10-2 in 2001 and advanced two rounds in the Class 5A playoffs. And the head coach anticipates that Fleming will make some major gains when he becomes more experienced as a tight end.

As a sophomore and junior at Heritage, Fleming played primarily on the defensive front, lining up alongside fellow Texas A&M signee Brandon Fails.

"Patrick was a defensive end his first two seasons on the varsity," Cunningham said. "When we put him and Brandon right next to each other, it was really something else. Those poor offensive linemen on the other side didn’t know what hit them.

"But we really needed him at tight end last year, and he came in, worked hard and did a really nice job. I expect him to do the same thing when he arrives at Texas A&M. And because of his familiarity with A&M, I expect him to step right in there and hit the ground running. Nobody is going to need to give him directions how to get to Kyle Field or to (Cain Hall)."

Indeed, Patrick Fleming played high school football at Colleyville Heritage, but his heritage is really with Texas A&M.

–Rusty Burson