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Another elite recruit joins Texas A&M's monumental 2015 haul

For a coach who hasn't made either the NCAA tournament or an NIT entering his fourth season at a major-conference program, Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy has remarkable job security.

The Aggies coach has assembled such a terrific 2015 recruiting class that it seems unfathomable Texas A&M would jeopardize it by firing Kennedy no matter how things go on the floor this season.

Kennedy received his fourth commitment from a top 75 prospect Tuesday when power forward Elijah Thomas announced he will attend Texas A&M. Thomas, Rivals.com's No. 20 prospect, chose the Aggies over LSU, SMU, Oklahoma State and Illinois.

The 6-foot-9 Texas native joins a class that already includes 6-foot-10 big man Tyler Davis (No. 27), 6-foot-8 forward  D.J. Hogg (No. 32) and 6-foot-3 guard Admon Gilder (No. 65). Together, that quartet forms a 2015 class that could rival Arizona and Duke for the nation's best.

All the recruiting success comes at a critical time for Kennedy. He signed a two-year contract extension with Texas A&M last month, but faith in him among the Aggies fan base had wavered as a result of a lack of success on the floor and substantial roster attrition over the past 12 months.

Highly touted guard J-Mychal Reese was dismissed from the team early last season. Then leading scorer Jamal Jones and part-time starter Shawn Smith announced they intended to transfer. Perhaps feeling pressure to have a breakthrough on the court or the recruiting trail, Kennedy revamped his staff this offseason, dismissing Glynn Cyprien and adding ex-Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury as an assistant.

Stansbury, by all accounts, has played a critical role in Texas A&M's recruiting success. The commitment from Thomas was especially impressive considering he once had dropped the Aggies from his list and there are questions about whether he and Davis can play effectively together since both are most comfortable within eight feet of the rim.

The most likely scenario would be Thomas playing in the high post when the two are together on the floor. Though Thomas is most effective overpowering opponents on the low block with his array of jump hooks and power moves, he also has enough passing ability and face-up game to make an impact from the elbow. The concern would be defensively since the slow-footed Thomas' conditioning has long been an issue and he would likely struggle to defend smaller, quicker opposing combo forwards who are comfortable on the perimeter.

Regardless, too many big men is a nice problem to have for a Texas A&M program that hasn't had enough talent during most of Kennedy's tenure.

There's a chance Kennedy might enjoy a breakthrough season this year with four starters back, transfer Jalen Jones (SMU) eligible right away and Danuel House (Houston) petitioning for a waiver. Nonetheless, even if Kennedy doesn't win this season, the recruiting class he is assembling offers hope that he'll get things turned around sooner than later.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!