TexAgs' senior recruiting analyst Jason Howell joined TexAgs Live on Wednesday morning for another edition of Recruiting Country presented by American Momentum Bank, highlighting the latest news and notes from the recruiting trail surrounding Texas A&M.
Key notes from Recruiting Country
- I’m in Atlanta, Ga.. I started the high school recruiting coverage season in South Carolina and Georgia. I think we’ll see five or six high school football games this weekend. Every commit to A&M from Georgia.
- Talking to different people, Jay Bateman and Coach Sean Spencer from Florida had strong Georgia connections. Duke and Mike Elko's experience there with Trooper Taylor played a factor. Taylor’s connections in the deep south have been extensive for recruiting. That’s real with him and other coaches, including Holmon Wiggins. Getting to know a lot of these families, it came down to relationships, some that started before the staff was at A&M. Aaron Gregory goes back to his uncle's connection to the Duke basketball staff. Once you get the ball rolling, you can gather some steam.
- People complain about A&M not recruiting Texas well enough. Georgia is still getting their guys. I’m sure it’s something Kirby Smart is paying attention to, but in the grand scheme, Georgia is recruiting well. A&M going into the backyard, though, is about showing the opportunity and availability. Frankly, I’m hearing a lot of the atmosphere at Kyle Field and the network being different at A&M from guys who have committed.
- DeMarrion Johnson is a big man. He is 6-foot-7, 300 pounds. He’s been a multi-year starter, second team All-District as a freshman. He has a lot of traits, length, size and athleticism, and he looked comfortable at guard too at the camp. That’s one thing I love about Coach Cushing is moving guys around the line. This is a guy who can play multiple spots. He’s a young prospect for his classification. Coach Beau Trahan at Tyler Legacy couldn't sing his praises enough. DeMarrion sounded like he knew where he wanted to go as soon as he stepped on campus.
- You have some momentum building in early August with Jayce Johnson. I get to see him in person. He is a big, athletic quarterback who has made some strides over the last year. A&M has positioned itself well in this 2027 class. JayQuan Snell, John Meredith III, Ismael Camara and Cooper Witten. These are the top 10 in the state prospects who have A&M at the top of their lists. Overall, A&M has done a phenomenal job positioning itself. You’ll start to see that group start to get momentum with the 2026 class basically solidified. You can start focusing on the small group of uncommitted and hone in on game day visits.
- In the 2026 class, you have Samuel Roseborough, Zaden Krempin and Avery Morcho on the offensive line. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another addition to this class. You have youth already that will start filling in spots. Billy Liucci has talked about that. Cushing loves finding versatile pieces. They spend a lot of time going over tape with these guys, talking about what they can fix and where they fit in. These guys come in maybe a little further ahead. You see it in the cohesion they built on the field today. It makes that process easier on the recruiting trail.
- I touched on Snell. He’s a safety out of Waxahatchie. He plays offense and defense. Heavy-hitting, rangy safety. He’s always had a strong interest in A&M. He knows the coaching staff and has a relationship with Demani Richardson. That’s a plus for A&M. They keep in touch. Very similar skill set. He’s not Richardson, but there’s a lot of crossover A&M can utilize in a similar manner.
- Gregory is a confident and calm, collected guy. He has a great smile. He’s doing his own media stuff with his YouTube channel. He’s a natural in front of the camera. Has a big personality that comes off as really genuine. On the field, you’re talking about a true competitor. One of his trainers, since he was seven years old, told me about how Gregory got manhandled at one of the camps, and he asked him what to do to make sure it never happened again. He sets his mind to something, and he achieves at a high rate. You’ll see him play a little on both sides of the ball this fall. He likes to be physical at safety and utilizes that at receiver. He’s a long receiver who runs routes smooth and changes direction quick. He has the ability to take the top off a defense. We have him rated as a five-star, and I think eventually he will be everywhere else.
- Jordan Carter is a character in front of the camera. One thing that intrigues me is that he listens to R&B to get hyped for games. He was talking about Erykah Badu the other day… Not exactly what you would think. He is a fun guy and a twitchy EDGE presence. I think he was Georgia's sack leader last year. He’s coming back ready to do some things. He’s a guy who brings a lot to the table. A&M beat out a lot of teams to get him, and he’s been locked in. Strong character, fun guy.
- Jayce is an athletic quarterback starting to scratch the surface. He played some safety and moved to quarterback last fall. He’s gearing up for his junior season on Friday night. I’m going to catch up with him and his coaches. Athletic prospect that Collin Klein zeroed in on early. They offered him in January and made him a priority. He also has connections to Gregory played 7-on-7 together as wide receivers. Gregory was talking about how excited he was to see him join the fold.
- With safety Bralan Womack, Auburn, Florida and Ohio State are fighting to land him. I would trend on him going elsewhere. I think you’re looking at flipping some guys like Jase Mathews, Boobie Feaster, Tristen Keys, Lamar Brown and Jaimeon Winfield. The likelihood of any of those guys flipping varies, but based on relationships and everything, Feaster is the one I would look at closer than everybody else. I wouldn’t be surprised if he visits this fall. I know he’s locked in with USC right now, though, as well. You see how it goes. A&M has show that you can flip guys late. The coaching carousel also kicks up a lot of things. Things happen. I would put all of those guys based on the attention they received. Even if A&M doesn’t, it's a top-five to seven national recruiting class. I’d be surprised if they don’t make another recruit addition over the next few months.
- I mentioned Carter. He’s up there on the list of guys we haven’t talked about enough. Victor Singleton is another one. He is one of the top cornerbacks in the country. He’s committed to A&M, and they had to beat out strong competition for him. Don’t forget KJ Edwards. We got swept away, but he’s one of the top prospects in Texas. Jonathan Hatton Jr has been locked in since late October. He doesn’t do a lot of interviews, but when you get him, he’s a big personality. Then he’s a wrecking ball on the field. I cannot wait to see him in action.
