Every February, there are a few prospects who don’t get nearly as much attention as they deserve. "Underrated" is a term commonly associated with such prospects. Last year, it was Terrence Murphy, and in 2000, the Aggie coaches were very excited about the arrival of Marcus Jasmin. Both players are already starting and should have all-conference careers at A&M. This year’s version is Mission Sharyland tight end Taylor Schuster.

Sure, the 6-foot-4, 255-pounder was on most top 100 lists, but he was listed by most services as an offensive lineman, not tight end, which is the position where Taylor will begin his A&M career.

To put it mildly, recruiting is an inexact science. However, when Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops personally calls a prospect from South Texas, one who had been committed to Teas A&M for some time, for four consecutive weeks during the month leading up to Signing Day, it’s a pretty good indicator of that player's talent.

All the while, the A&M coaching staff furiously worked to keep one of its most important commitments in the fold. Alan Weddell, the coach who recruited Schuster to Aggieland, had this to say about the tug-of-war with the Sooners:

"Oklahoma originally offered Schuster as an offensive lineman, but soon changed their tunes and offered him as a tight end. Then, they went so far as to make some indications that they would change their offense a little bit just to fit his skills. Fortunately, Taylor never seriously wavered and signed with his original choice."

Schuster took official visits to A&M, OU, TCU, and Texas Tech, but the Aggies were tops on his list from day one. Tam Hollingshead and the Aggie staff got an up-close look at Schuster in late July and liked what they saw: a 6-5, 255 pound prospect with 4.7 speed, terrific footwork, and, to the surprise of many, an excellent set of hands.

"Taylor came to the offensive line camp and ended up catching footballs from the coaches and caught everything that we threw at him," said Weddell. "All he has to do is work on the route running, which is something that he’s never done. As far as blocking and his ability to catch the football, he’s way ahead of most tight ends that come out of high school. Taylor showed us so much athleticism that we feel like he is going to be a real threat catching the ball as a combination h-back/tight end."

While Schuster lacks experience in the passing game, his blocking ability is second to none. Tenacious at the point of attack, Schuster graded out at 95 percent and recorded 76 pancake blocks as a high school senior.

"Schuster is as good a blocker as we’ve seen on film," said Weddell. "He literally blocked everything that got in front of him, which is the first thing that a tight end has to do."

Schuster already carries 255 pounds on his 6-5 frame ,and the plan is for him to develop into a tight end cut from the Dan Campbell mode. Like the former Aggie Heart Award winner and current New York Giant, Schuster has been lauded for his tireless work ethic. At 6 in the morning on any given day of the week, Taylor can be found in the Sharyland weight room, preparing for what could be a starter’s role. Thus, the fact that Taylor plans to come to College Station as soon as his senior year is complete should come as no surprise. He’s ready to prove the skeptics wrong and the A&M coaches right.

– Billy Liucci