You can say that Weddell hit each little town in his expansive recruiting area, which takes him from the Houston/Galveston area down to the Rio Grande Valley. And on his search, you might think he stumbled upon Carriger like Sports Illustrated came upon Sid Finch in a legendary April’s Fools hoax two decades ago.

In reality in the spring of 2000, a high school coaching friend of Weddell’s tipped him on this strong ox of an athlete in King Ranch country.

But to Weddell’s and the A&M coaching staff’s credit, they took a long look at Carriger, sizing up his sizable efforts in strength and conditioning tests during R.C. Slocum’s summer camp.

Terrence Murphy was a great recruiting find for A&M back in February.

It was a risk to sign Carriger, as any coach of a Division I school can get a little anxious about taking a kid from the 2A level. A&M had done it before, most notably with Rodney Thomas from little ol’ Groveton High in East Texas.

But Thomas’ case was different in that he was a recruiting guru’s darling, a blue-chip prospect with can’t-miss credentials.

Carriger was hardly on anyone’s top 100 list. As a defensive lineman, he flew lower on the radar than a Stealth Bomber.

However, as Carriger has come to the aid of the ailing Aggies, particularly at tight end, his recruiting saga has characterized the A&M Signing Class of 2001.

This class clearly has exceeded most "experts" opinions of it back in February.

This group of signees is a coach’s class – good guys who work hard regardless of their star rating from a recruiting service based out of Austin.

And it’s translated into one entertaining season for the Aggies.

Besides the hyper speed in which Carriger went from redshirt to saving the shirts of the Aggies, little-known players like receiver Terrence Murphy and linebackers Randall Webb and Brandon Johnson have all contributed this season. Tailback Derek Farmer was a late addition to the Aggies’ class, de-committing from Alabama as the fax machines started up on the first Wednesday of February.

Besides Carriger’s story, Murphy’s is probably the most improbable but satisfying of the season.

This was a guy who had never played receiver in high school, yet he became the first freshman receiver in A&M history to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. In seven games as a collegiate, Murphy had rolled up 23 catches at 18.2 yards a clip and three touchdowns, including beauties against Colorado and Kansas State.

And to think he almost became a Baylor Bear. Murphy had followed the Bears growing up thanks to some family ties. But he had secretly hoped A&M would recruit him, and while the A&M coaches kept tabs on him as he excelled at Tyler Chapel Hill, they didn’t actively pursue him until star-studded wideout Brandon Jones of Liberty-Eylau committed to Oklahoma.

Slocum knew all about shifty option quarterbacks who might turn out to be quality receivers, signing Chris Taylor out of Madisonville in 1997.

Slocum said he studied hours and hours of film on Taylor, assuming his hands were as gifted as his feet. Taylor’s personality sold the Aggie coach, and he took a chance… and Taylor went on to become a dependable starter for the Aggies for three years.

When Murphy’s tape was put in the VCR last recruiting season, Slocum debated again. And again, Murphy’s good nature and outstanding athletic abilities convinced Slocum to sign him.

And Murphy is on his way to an eye-catching freshman year, perhaps even worthy of being mentioned as a Big 12 Freshman of the Year candidate along with linebacker Derrick Johnson and running back Cedric Benson of Texas.

But what does Murphy’s quick rise from the nondescript ranks of the recruiting lists actually mean for those who rate high school prospects for a living? Leave it to the coaches.

Randall Web has a bright future.

"To me, it points out the ridiculousness of some of the lists," said Slocum, who often berates the lists at his Signing Day press conferences. "And people pay for that information, which is even more ridiculous. They say one kid is rated a 6.4 and a kid over here is rated an 8.2. If they can do that, they’re way, way smarter than any coach I’ve ever known or any NFL guy I’ve ever known."

Without bashing the recruiting services too much – because they do a solid job of locating and listing the top-flight players – but they are regionally biased and have tough times projecting players into different positions once they reach college.

And as Slocum so often says, no guru and hardly any college coaches can anticipate how a player will react to being away from home, to finding the Blocker Building at 8 a.m. or to blocking a 280-pound defensive end on day one of two-a-days.

"It’s a guess, at best," Slocum says.

Some of the hotshots on last year’s recruiting lists have panned out like many thought they would. Jamie Hightower was considered the top offensive lineman in Texas last year, and he’s been all over the A&M lineup, as both an offensive tackle and tight end. He’ll be all over all-conference lists before he’s through at A&M.

Bay City’s Byron Jones was considered one of the top two corners in the state last year, and he’s quickly moving up the depth chart with the Aggies, already seizing major playing time on special teams.

But for whatever reasons, many of the top 30 players in the state whom A&M signed are redshirting this year. It’s not to say they won’t have a big impact on Aggie football for years to come, but the jury remains out on these guys.

When the Signing Day press conferences roll around on Feb. 6, maybe recruiting fans – myself included – should withhold their judgment on the A&M class until Slocum always says they should – when the real season begins in August.

But hey, there are some recruiting gurus out there already claiming A&M is neck-high in a tremendous recruiting season.

Indeed, there probably will be some four-star, can’t-miss guys headed to Aggieland next fall. A&M fans can only hope there are some Terrence Murphys in the plum jar, as well.