4-star OT Colten Blanton thrilled by Texas A&M chance, proud that Houston has 'pulled together'
By Ryan Green - Posted on August 31, 2017
Four-star offensive tackle Colten Blanton has been committed to Texas A&M for more than nine months, and from the day he was offered, he knew he would be an Aggie.
“I was at a restaurant and I got a text from a coach at my school,” Blanton told GN. “He told me to ‘call this number and make sure you step outside from whatever you’re doing and just sit down and talk with them.’ It was (offensive line) Coach (Jim) Turner from Texas A&M and I talked with him for a few minutes. He offered me, then I walked back in and my mom started crying in the middle of the restaurant.
“The coaching staff is great and the facilities are top-notch. After going all over the country, I realized that it’s the best place and it’s only 45 minutes from my house.”
Blanton (6 feet 6, 271 pounds), from Cypress (Texas) Cy Ranch, lives roughly 30 miles from downtown Houston and thus has a good understanding of the catastrophic flooding that has ravaged the city.
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“It breaks my heart that it had to happen to us,” Blanton said. “But I was looking at it and seeing everybody pull together, and with everything that is happening outside in the world, I feel like Houston will have a positive effect on the rest of the nation by just coming together as one. And it will lead to bigger things.”
Blanton is ranked as a top-20 offensive tackle in the nation and top-300 overall prospect in the 2018 recruiting class.
“I don’t really pay attention to the rankings,” Blanton said. “At first, it was awesome, but it kind of blew my head up a little bit. In my perspective, I’m just a nobody that’s trying to make it.”
Blanton is happy to have the recruiting process behind him.
“Honestly, from my perspective, I hated the recruiting process,” Blanton said. “I did not like all the attention towards me. So it felt really good to get it over with. Me and my family, we sat down and we said once I commit, I’m done. So, I’m 100 percent Texas A&M and haven’t looked anywhere else since.”
How would Blanton describe his game as an offensive tackle?
“I feel like I’m an agile, powerful run blocker,” he said. “I feel like I have good footwork and I’m able to adjust in the passing game.”
Texas A&M has added four-star wide receiver Jalen Preston, four-star safety Leon O’Neal Jr. and four-star defensive end Max Wright to its recruiting class over the past few months. That’s something that’s caught Blanton’s attention.
“Yes, it’s awesome and it’s great to see everybody else come join us,” Blanton said. “We have grown so much and all of those guys are great. Honestly, I have a feeling we are going to add a couple more guys as well.”
Texas A&M has 16 commitments in its 2018 class. Blanton is one of seven prospects in the class who’s ranked as a four-star recruit.
