COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS (AP) -- One of Mike Sherman's first mandates for his staff when he became Texas A&M's coach in November 2007 was to start evaluating the nation's high school juniors.
Sherman has now unveiled the results of their labors in the first day of the national signing period.
He announced yesterday a list of 28 recruits for the 2009 season, including 16 defensive players, 11 offensive players and a punter.
Sherman lured the entire class from two states -- 25 from Texas and three from Louisiana.
The gem of the class is 5-foot-11, 202-pound running back Christine Michael from Beaumont.
He's rated as the nation's No. 4 running back by Rivals.com and was named an All-American by SuperPrep, a recruiting magazine.
Sherman also expects big things from 6-foot receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu (nwah-CHOOK'-woo) of Allen.
Sherman says he watched Nwachukwu closely during last year's playoffs and was impressed with his work ethic.
The class includes 12 defensive backs and linebackers, areas of weakness for A&M in recent years.
Sherman sought players who fit the mold of A&M's "Wrecking Crew" defenses of the early 1990s, when Sherman was an A&M assistant under R.C. Slocum.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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