11 days ago by
Jason Howell
Tuesday Recruiting Notes and Thoughts
Let's talk Kyle Field.At THSCA Coach's School in San Antonio, Mike Elko spoke about prioritizing gameday recruiting visits and how much of an impact Kyle Field and the 12th Man make in the Aggies' recruiting efforts"Our difference maker is Kyle Field. When you're in Kyle Field on a Saturday, your impression of Texas A&M is different."He mentioned how much he felt the Texas A&M win over Alabama in 2021 played in securing the top class in the 2022 cycle. And if you look back to the 2026 recruiting cycle you will notice several guys who made multiple gameday visits last fall.The Aggies had a great slate of home games last fall beginning with a evening match-up against Notre Dame, a lunch special blowout against Missouri, the crazy comeback with LSU, and the night game everyone had circled with the Longhorns coming to town.Each and everyone of those games delivered at a high level from an atmosphere standpoint, and recruits definitely took notice.I know in my conversations with multiple prospects, parents, and coaches I've heard over and over again about the atmosphere. When I look at how the Aggies generated the momentum for the 2026 class, the LSU game is where I see the biggest boost. You saw the commitments of Aaron Gregory and Jordan Carter that weekend, and Samu Moala announced shortly after. There was even the brief addition of TE Xavier Tiller to the class. Brandon Arrington, Tristian Givens, KJ Edwards, and Tamarion Watkins were all in attendance for the game as well. The game with the Longhorns saw Arrington, Victor Singleton, and Madden Williams to name a few. Notre Dame saw the likes Jermaine Kinsler, KJ Edwards, Avery Morcho, Tank King, and Arrington.Prospects like Bralan Womack and Tank Jones made multiple trips as well as Tristen Keys and Lamar Brown. The schedule definitely played out well from a big game atmosphere standpoint last fall, and it has paid off handsomely in the 2026 recruiting cycle.**********Buford (GA) S Nassir McCoy named the Aggies a finalist as he approaches his July 25 decision, but in talking with a few sources I do not see the Aggies being factor here. He did visit in the spring and he is the teammate of Texas A&M commit Bryce Perry-Wright, but he did not take an official visit this summer and both parties have prioritized other options. Texas A&M added commits from Chance Collins and Tylan Wilson, while McCoy visited Ole Miss and scheduled trips to Georgia and Miami. He announces his decision July 25 at 6 pm with a Georgia, Miami, Michigan, and Ole Miss joining the Aggies in his top five. I look for him to head elsewhere**********Yesterday the Aggies saw the departure of 2027 WR commit George Lamons Jr of Quitman (GA) Brooks County. Like I said then, he remains a guy to keep on the radar.***********So what's next?As I mentioned last week the Aggies are down to a few uncommitted targetsWaukee (IA) TE Evan Jacobson, Mobile (AL) edge Tank Jones, and Leakesville (MS) WR Jase Mathews are the main ones to watch. To a lesser extent there is five-star S Bralan Womack, and OL, DL, and WR are a few areas I expect the Aggies to continue to evaluateAlso keep an eye on the 2027 class with Valdosta (GA) Lowndes QB Jayce Johnson planning to announce his decision on August 3. He has the Aggies in his top schools along with Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Florida State.
Official Visit List (June 20)
Texas A&M commits WR Mike Brown, Houston (TX) Legacy WR Madden Williams, Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco DT Jermaine Kinsler, Oradell (NJ) Bergen CatholicEdge Tristian Givens, Columbus (GA) CarverEdge Samu Moala, Lawndale (CA) Leuzinger S Chance Collins, Mansfield (TX) Timberview ATH Brandon Arrington, Spring Valley (CA) Mount Miguel2026 TargetsOL Drew Evers, Flower Mound (TX)OL Aaron Thomas, Phoenix (AZ) Mountain PointeDE Bryce Perry-Wright, Buford (GA)ATH Legend Bey, Forney (TX) North Forney
Texas A&M begins official visit season with an action-packed weekend
To kick off the summer with a bang, Mike Elko and the Fightin' Texas Aggies hosted 18 official visitors as the Maroon & White also made an addition to the 2026 class with a Monday commitment. Here's a recap of Texas A&M's June 6-8 official visit weekend.
EDGE defender Tank Jones details what about A&M catches his attention
Mobile (AL) St. Paul’s Episcopal EDGE defender Tank Jones has been a high-priority prospect, and He has taken a few visits to College Station, with his most recent being an official visit. He spoke about the experience and the memories he made.
Recruiting recap of OV weekend
Howell and Cade are headed back to College Station as we speak for another edition of Mike Elko football camp, but we did have some notes to pass along about what we've picked up from the official visit weekend. From TexAgs five-star Aaron Gregory and Jonathan Hatton reaffirming their Texas A&M commitment and shutting down the process to top prospects and their families talking up the overall visit experience it has been a resounding success.The expectations going into the weekend were to set the table, move the needle, and make a strong impression. Commitments are always a possibility, but it was not expected with this week's slate of high profile, national recruits in town. What did happen was a lot of positive momentum.The Aggies hosted six of their 2026 commitments. QB Helaman Casuga RB Jonathan Hatton Jr WR Aaron Gregory TE Caleb Tafua DL Jermaine Kinsler DE Jordan Carter They were each joined by family members and spent a ton of time building the class camaraderie as well as recruiting the other guys on campus. North Crowley offensive lineman John Turntine arrived on his visit as a priority offensive line target with the Aggies in his top four along with Texas, Michigan, and Stanford. He was joined on the visit by several members of his family including his mom, dad, and siblings, and received focused attention from the staff from beginning to end. The Aggies have had some positive momentum here for awhile and all arrows indicate the Aggies only helped themselves this weekend. Will it be enough to push them over the top? We will have to wait a bit longer for that answer. He has two more OVs coming up to Michigan and Texas, and he has plans for a late June, early July decision. My thoughts are the Aggies are well positioned to put up a strong fight down as he approaches his decision.Prosper standout offensive lineman Zaden Krempin was another priority prospect on hand for the weekend. His first response when reached for comment about his visit was "Blown Away". The Aggies wowed him and his family with their attention to detail and coach Elko and his wife spent a lot of quality time with Krempin's parents over the weekend. Krempin also noted catching a 6.5-pound bass while fishing with offensive coordinator Collin KleinNow, for the nitty gritty of his recruitment. After a spring visit which resulted in him scheduling an OV to Aggieland, Texas A&M saw a ton of positive momentum. LSU, Michigan, and Texas make up his remaining top schools, and throughout his recruitment all four have had times when it seemed like they were in the lead. Over the weekend The Aggies put a strong foot forward, and like Turntine I'd say the Aggies made a big move in the right direction. However, he does have OVs coming up to Texas and Michigan, and there is work to be done before I would feel comfortable making a prediction in any direction. It's very winnable recruiting battle for Aggies for sure, but I look for it to be a fight to the finish. OL Samuel Roseborough of Clearwater (FL). was back in town in an official capacity. He visited Aggieland on the first weekend of spring ball in March and in May the Aggies made his top five which also included Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, and Texas. This is one I knew the least about going into the weekend, but I have heard from some sources the Aggies made a big push up his list over the weekend and made him do a lot of thinking when it comes to his ultimate college decision. He does have visits to Ohio State and Texas, but again positive movement for the Aggies. I also heard very positive things about EDGE Tank Jones trip to College Station. He has already taken OVs to Auburn and Miami and he has Oregon and Alabama coming up, but the Aggies have quietly situated themselves very well in this one. Tough competition, but it sounds like a good weekend for a prospect and family that has taken multiple trips to Aggieland over the course of the recruiting process.Speaking of tanks, Port Arthur Memorial LB Tank King headed back to southeast Texas last night. We will have more directly from the kid later, but a couple of sources around the Golden Triangle have openly called the Aggies a "clear cut leader" as Jay Bateman continues to ratchet up the recruiting pitch. Someone is going to have to start sprinting rapidly if they want to beat Texas A&M to the finish line here.Cade spoke with Waukee (IA) TE Evan Jacobson. With Tafua on campus, the staff was able to showcase the positional usage and versatility in Collin Klein's offense. It was well-received, but the vibe I got was that nabbing both of those guys in the same class was going to be a tough pull. Texas A&M also continues to keep close tabs on Ft Bend Marshall jumbo athlete Kaeden Johnson (not a part of the visit list) who has half a dozen offers as a quarterback but also a really intriguing frame and skill set. CB Dorian Barney has made frequent trips to campus over the last 10 months, and this time, it was in an official capacity. Coming into the weekend, Penn State was the perceived leader. I can say, if you believe the Nittany Lions held the advantage, A&M chipped away at it significantly. The Peach State commits (Carter and Gregory) are certainly helping the Aggies' case. This is one I'm keeping an eye on. I'm sure James Franklin will sleep easier if the next few days go by, the visit high wears off, and no action in terms of a verbal pledge to Mike Elko takes place.