In 1995, it was Derrick Spiller. In 1997, it was Roylin Bradley. In 1998, it is Alan Weddell and Dwain Goynes. The La Marque connection has been good to the Texas Aggies, as Spiller will take All-Big 12 credentials into the 1998 season, while Bradley should start as the Aggies’ rush linebacker this fall. And when R.C. Slocum hired former La Marque head coach Alan Weddell as his new inside linebackers coach, Goynes’ signature on National Signing Day was the next logical link in the La Marque-to-A&M chain. "I think he was leaning toward A&M long before I got here, said Weddell, who coached Goynes to three straight Class 4A state titles. "I think I was just icing on the cake. With Spiller up here and (kicker) Russell Bynum and Roylin Bradley, it’s just a continuation of four Aggies (from La Marque) in four years." Goynes was one of four wide receivers the Aggies signed, although most of his playing time in high school came at tailback. As part of a committee of running backs at La Marque, the 5-11, 175-pound Goynes rushed for 1,589 yards on 173 carries with 20 touchdowns. When he did catch the ball as a receiver, he averaged 20 yards per catch with 12 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns. The obvious attribute with Goynes is his speed, having been clocked in the 4.3 range in the 40-yard dash. "There’s fast, and then there’s really, really fast," said Bobby Burton of the National Recruiting Advisor. "And let me tell you, he’s really, really fast. A lot of these recruits say they run 4.5 when they actually run closer to 4.7. But Dwain Goynes runs a legit sub-4.4." Goynes was edged out in the 40-yard dash at Slocum’s summer football camp by Texas signee Victor Ike, but Goynes likely is A&M’s fastest signee of the 1998 class. Goynes has been a regional qualifier in track and field the last two years, but his speed in pads is what counts. "He’s a big-play guy," Weddell said. "He can go 60 to 80 (yards) on any field against anybody. We feel with our tailback depth at A&M this year that we can give him the ball at wide receiver and let him do some things." The Aggies put a premium this recruiting season on finding big-play guys who can turn 8-yard slants into 80 yard scores. And, as usual, Slocum put emphasis on landing quality characters as well. "First of all, he’s a good person," Weddell added. "He’s a hard worker and always has a smile on his face. He’s a team player. He was a blue-chip running back who alternated with a couple of other guys at tailback because he put the team first. He’s got three state championship rings, so that’s saying something for him right there." While Goynes doesn’t have the flashy numbers as a true wide receiver, he apparently has the hands to match his speed. In Slocum’s camp last summer, Goynes improved dramatically in terms of just catching the ball with proper technique. "The impressive thing about him is he got better at catching the ball in just the limited time we had him (in camp)," receivers coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "He’s a guy who can make a 2-yard gain into an 80-yard gain. He’s excited about getting the ball in the open field." The Aggies’ receiving corps could become one of the deepest and most talented on the team if all the A&M signees can make it to campus in August. Certainly, the addition of Goynes adds talent and speed to the group. "The A&M receiving corps has to make our quarterbacks happy," Weddell said. "I think it will balance out our offense and really give us some options to do some things." At the very least, the La Marque pipeline remains on a beeline to College Station.