Jump to content

Texas A&M Recruiting 2026: The World's Drunkest Elk


texifornia

Recommended Posts

  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

A&M's 2026 class is downright odd. It's really good, but except for a pair of JAG CBs from Mesquite it's entirely out of state: https://www.on3.com/college/texas-am-aggies/football/2026/industry-comparison-commits/

Jordan Carter, EDGE, Douglasville (GA)
Aaron Gregory, WR, Douglasville (GA)
Xavier Tiller, TE, Fairburn Langston Hughes (GA)
Helaman Casuga, QB, Provo Corner Canyon (UT)
Samu Moala, LB, Carson Leuzinger (CA)
Trashawn Ruffin, Mount Olive North Duplin (NC)
Ryan Gilbert, CB, Mesquite North Forney (TX)
Markel Ford, CB, Mesquite Horn (TX)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, texifornia said:

A&M's 2026 class is downright odd. It's really good, but except for a pair of JAG CBs from Mesquite it's entirely out of state: https://www.on3.com/college/texas-am-aggies/football/2026/industry-comparison-commits/

Jordan Carter, EDGE, Douglasville (GA)
Aaron Gregory, WR, Douglasville (GA)
Xavier Tiller, TE, Fairburn Langston Hughes (GA)
Helaman Casuga, QB, Provo Corner Canyon (UT)
Samu Moala, LB, Carson Leuzinger (CA)
Trashawn Ruffin, Mount Olive North Duplin (NC)
Ryan Gilbert, CB, Mesquite North Forney (TX)
Markel Ford, CB, Mesquite Horn (TX)

Have any of these guys actually visited College Station?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
On 8/14/2024 at 12:41 PM, Plorant said:

Never heard of him.  Interesting take.  So for the class of '25 and '26 neither Texas or A&M will be taking a Texas high school kid at QB.  Times are definitely changing.  

Plays for the best team in Utah. Tough to evaluate him because the school recruits across the state and has better athletes than their competition. Won the state title even though this qb went out in October. 

Edited by EverybodyGoDeep
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Elk and company currently have the #2 ranked class for 26' so far, which has the texags/247 posters whooping it up.

A good amount of these commits came after the win over the paper tigers from LSU, which I'm sure the Elk pushed for after a delusional "big win".

They have nine commits, with the two lowest being the only ones from Texas, so it'll be interesting come spring/OV season how many of these OOS guys stay committed or start taking visits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Member when the recruiting talking heads kept mentioning how we have the #30-aomething rated class in July and it was cause for concern for us? And then we ended up with the #1 ranked class? 

Wash, rinse, repeat. It's like they all expect Sark to be Mack and take JAGS in February instead, you know, evaluating? We have yet to have a class ranked lower than #5, but come July when we have the #30 ranked class they all start to worry if we're dropping off. 

IMG_9543.gif

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, texifornia said:

And another crippling come-from-ahead loss to wrap up the season. Momentum!

They didn't lose. They never lose.

They just ran out of time... and dignity, and self-respect, and their psychosis meds.

Anyone got a fucking horse laugh? 

Chiffity, chiffity, chiff-chaff!

Riff-raff! Chiff-chaff!

What a bunch of idiots.

  • Hook 'Em 4
  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

aggy's coaching staff is ass. 

The only reason aggy's D was decent is they had talent on the DL. 

 

And they really weren't that good.  Any decent OL/running team gashes them.

It was said on here when the hire was made that Sean Spencer isn't a good coach.  They are in trouble at DL next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

They’re really going in on these California kids so early. I’m sure they will stick 

I live in California. There is no way I would spend any four years of my life in Bryan/College Station, let alone those from 18 to 22.

As my father said about his freshman year at A&M: "The choice was simple--blow the escape valve to Austin or spend the rest of my life knowing I was pathetic."  

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Tired Horn said:

I live in California. There is no way I would spend any four years of my life in Bryan/College Station, let alone those from 18 to 22.

As my father said about his freshman year at A&M: "The choice was simple--blow the escape valve to Austin or spend the rest of my life knowing I was pathetic."  

Vast stretches of California are as terrible as BCs

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Liucci 


Segment 1 (00:00:00 - 10:30:12)

Here is the thing about Marcel Reed. I thought he did a lot of things in the bowl game that I hadn't seen him do much of. The game-ending drive, the check-downs, being decisive with the ball, in rhythm and on time. He was really good in that game. We could pick apart a lot. I think when he hits that maturation point when he is a seasoned, veteran quarterback, his style of play will be one we can nitpick. As he gets better and better, he will take chances. In two of A&M's last three games, he led the Aggies downfield in the closing minutes of a football game. He put them in the end zone twice late against Auburn and USC.
 

Reed was certainly one of the reasons A&M should have won both of those games. The drops impacted the game's results. I think he was a real strength in those games. Texas got after him. That is one of the couple best defenses in the country. That was not a good day for him or anyone in Maroon & White.
 

Were you encouraged by Reed against Arkansas? That was a tougher game for him. I would say it was a positive. He led a game-winning drive in Jerry World in his second start. It was mostly Le'Veon Moss. Reed was scrambling. He didn’t play vs. Mississippi State or Missouri. LSU? That was obviously a positive. South Carolina, I would say a negative for him. Auburn? Positive. Texas? Negative. USC? Positive. I have two negatives as a freshman.
 

Stephen McGee is like our coach in the studio. I love when he does that. You have Ryan Swope as the eyes of "I played with Johnny Manziel." Swope is just like, "Let's play ball and see what happens." McGee will gravitate toward Conner Weigmans of the world, and Swope will gravitate toward players like Reed.

Segment 2 (10:30:13 - 28:12:19)

Our fans and every fan will get mad if a player they want to stay or think should stay goes into the transfer portal. They will post a lot of things that will not help said player to come back. That happens everywhere. Texas A&M wants to keep Noah Thomas. If I was a betting man, I would bet that A&M doesn't keep him. If you made me bet, but I am not confident enough that I would make that bet. There's a chance he will come back. They are still in communication. Georgia, in particular, was a big part in convincing him to go into the portal. James Coley is over there. This is ironic because the first couple of rough years here for Thomas were with Coley on staff. Who is Georgia's quarterback next year? Probably Gunner Stockton. You know a lot more about Reed.
 

Georgia does need receivers. I know Texas is sniffing around. I'm sure Ole Miss will sniff around. Tennessee is involved. Everyone will go after a guy who scored eight touchdowns this year. Thomas’ top-end highlights are up there with damn near anyone. With his top-10 catches at A&M, you are going, "Oh wow." When you enter the portal, you make a choice for one year. You have agents, and they convince you that it may be a better move to get eyes on you for the next level. That's what Mike Elko and Collin Klein are fighting against. Where does Thomas fit in the Texas receiving corps? How much could Georgia and Stockton get him the football? You know A&M's playbook and Reed.
 

Kevin Concepcion had been beaten down with the "Marcel Reed can't throw" narrative. He came to practice and said, "Oh, yeah. I can come here and play with him." He actually watched and saw him. Do I think Thomas is going in to make more money? Nope. I genuinely do not believe that. Because of leverage and because he's a veteran, big, tall receiver, he will get taken care of. He has an agent and people in his ear saying, "Go get more balls." Again, that is not a sure thing. By the way, Georgia has issues outside of Stetson Bennett, Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. Outside of that window, they have had a lot of issues.
 

You wonder how Thomas feels about three portal receivers. The logic sometimes goes out the window when you have every coach in the country, except your own, telling you one thing. You and I can sit here without having the emotion and decision that every college football player has. You can be as critical of Reed or praise him as much as you want. The one thing you have to understand is that the kid could have gone into the portal and commanded. Reed stayed. He made to decision to not go into those waters and get overwhelmed.
 

I don't think Thomas went in just to test the open waters. I think there was a specific team or team that convinced that to happen behind the scenes. A&M, I promise you, has done that with guys. There were guys we thought would go in the portal that A&M would get. Why did we think that?
 

I think it will take a lot to pull Thomas back. Here is the deal: If I were Thomas, I look at the roster and receivers and go, "I am the best one today. I was the best one this fall and the biggest threat." I loved Jabre Barber. Thomas was the best one this year. When you throw in Concepcion, Mario Craver and Micah Hudson... Look, you lost Moose Muhammad III, Jahdae Walker and Cyrus Allen. You need guys. If you are Thomas and whatever attention he got this year, in theory, at WR1, it should be gone. That is the point of bringing in the portal guys.
 

If you look at Thomas’ freshman to sophomore to junior seasons, he has improved. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. People are preying on the emotion of "This is my audition before the NFL." I do think he has an NFL future in some capacity.
 

People that don't think it's that big of a loss are wrong. People that think it's the end of the world are wrong. You can live in the middle. He could help A&M win a lot of games next year and start.
 

If A&M is unable to get Thomas back, I don't know that you "replace." If he leaves, it creates more of a clear pathway for a guy like Hudson. I would expect them to try to get some with size out there, and I would like them to do that if he doesn't return. Again, they are trying to get him back. I don't think he walks around thinking he is an NFL first or second-round pick. He is not yet. Early on, he was playing hurt. He's been in three offenses in three years. He is finally getting a chance to be in the same offense. Sometimes, it's not enough to matter.
 

Mississippi State is probably mad at A&M for Craver. Texas Tech, same thing. Every fanbase wonders why somebody why a guy leaves their school, and every fanbase celebrates a new guy coming. It goes both ways.

Segment 3 (28:12:20 - 34:48:23)

Last year, they signed Alex Howard but also got Scooby Williams and Solomon DeShields, who were clearly better. Howard lasted a spring.
 

A couple of offensive linemen came here and quickly realized they were not playing and quickly left. They do not need to do that in year two under Elko. It's truly about, "Are we upgrading what is on the field everywhere but the defensive line?" On the defensive line, you need to build depth, too. If you see a linebacker that can improve the unit, I am going and getting him. Love Williams. Love Taurean York. I think Daymion Sanford will make another big jump. I am excited about his future. Everyone else is young and unproven. If one of your two top guys got banged up or got hurt... How do you feel? I wouldn't feel great about that position over the long haul. I would be looking for that. I think Noah Mikhail‍ can make a big impact. I would look at safety.
 

Nickel is on the table. Maybe one more corner with the ability to play nickel. You look at Christian Harrison. I think he will be a real target for the Aggies. I think he would be a take. You watch that game against USC, and I just saw too many bad angles. Dalton Brooks felt like the one guy who could consistently make plays on the ball. That is a position I would look to add in the secondary.
 

On the offensive line, they will get the entire room back, or damn close to it.
 

For Tyler Onyedim, I would look at it as a great opportunity to walk onto an SEC team and start day one. That's not guaranteed because of Albert Regis and DJ Hicks. Still, Elko rotates his players on the defensive line.
 

There were rumors saying that Clemson guys were going in, and only one did. He was not one of the impact guys. Dabo Swinney did a good job of keeping a couple of those guys.
 

I have heard Hugh Freeze is fighting dirty. It's a tired game, but it's not going anywhere.

Segment 4 (34:48:24 - 48:08:25)

The Peach Bowl was a lot of entertainment.
 

First and foremost, for everyone in New Orleans, be safe. Everyone is hopeful everything is under control, which I believe it is. To me, it was obvious to move back a day, and I think it was necessary. I am excited about Georgia-Notre Dame. I would bet the under, and I don't even know what it is.
 

I felt like Ohio State was a better football team the Oregon going in. What we saw against Ohio State against Tennessee was that playing at home and it all coming together, or was that Ohio State turning a corner and the Michigan game woke the sleeping beast? That's what it was. They look like the team everyone thought they would be.
 

People were asking me which team was better equipped to beat Texas. Will Howard looks as good as any quarterback in college football. I kept saying it's Ohio State because they have the line of scrimmage to line up with Texas. The Arizona State defensive front completely shut down the run game.
 

What Ohio State has at the skill positions... It's a lot of high-round draft picks. They can match up well with the back seven for Texas. I think Jeremiah Smith is so much better than Marvin Harrison Jr. I think Oregon got royally screwed by the seeding method to open up the playoff with Ohio State.
 

Texas vs. Arizona State. Let's start with the targeting. I will start with this because I don't want to be that guy... I actually do like being that guy. I am going to be fair here. The Arizona State kicker was not going to win the game. If Bert Auburn had gone down and kicked the field goal at the end of regulation, the non-targeting call lost that game for the Sun Devils because it gave Texas enough time. If they had called it and the Arizona State kicker missed, there would have been no time left, and they would have gone to OT. When it happened, you thought it would have cost them the game. You gave Texas a minute left with the ball, but Auburn is a mess at the worst time. That's kickers for you.
 

Steve Sarkisian probably has no faith in Auburn, so you do something drastic... Like trying to hypnotize him. Then he missed it. The targeting no-call didn't necessarily lose the game. I think Arizona State would have had time to run the offense, and I think they would have won the game with a walk-off field goal if the refs called targeting. It doesn't guarantee it. As soon Arizona State lined up on fourth down... Don't make Quinn Ewers snap, catch and throw an accurate ball to an open receiver. He will do that all day. That was a disastrous call by Kenny Dillingham on a day where he flat-out outcoached Sarkisian. He dared a veteran quarterback with great receivers to beat them on fourth-and-13.
 

Where does Ewers rank NFL-wise? Does Texas want him there next year? Can he get paid? We know the answer to that. I don't know if it's $6 million, but it probably is. I think the NFL ultimately wins out. Either NFL, go to a program for a kajillion dollars or ask Texas to match, and I don't know if they want to. That's fascinating.
 

That was 1,000 percent targeting. Some Texas fans own it, but they have gotten every break this year on every level. If I am a Texas fan. I would not apologize for it. I would go into my weekend assuming that it would keep going and that it would be the year to win a national championship because they have been chosen by the football gods. They drew an easy schedule. They didn't get SMU and Boise State in the CFP. They got Cade Klubnik and Cam Skattebo, who, by the way, behind the freshman dynamo at Ohio State, is the best player in this playoff. Skattebo is incredible. He is a badass. That was legendary stuff.
 

If I am Elko and A&M, I am watching the game and going... I might take that big defensive lineman for the fake punt purposes. What a call and what a catch by him.

Segment 5 (48:08:26 - 1:02:24:14)

Again, refer to what I said last night on the forums. When your defense or any side of the ball when A&M performs as it did down the stretch and then it's followed up by the comments Elko made after the game, there is a common sense element. Take the feeling out. If you hear the comments and combine them with the performance done by the stretch, you can assume where it's going. There would be odds that would favor you being right.
 

What I will tell you today is what I said last night: That is not a sure thing. Mike Elko has a really tough decision to make on where he wants to go with the trajectory of his defense an what he wants to do to change it. When you are the defensive coach, know you will build it around a tough, hard-nosed, physical tackling, stingy defense when it comes to rushing yards and points. We did not see them play like that enough. Against Texas, they were stingy with points but not rushing yards.
 

Auburn, they gave up yards and points. USC, you didn't have guys, but neither did USC. You also had a lot of guys playing the other night that will start next season. Giving up 44 to South Carolina, and it was the tackling or lack thereof. Go back to Notre Dame, where big gash running plays cost you. All in all, it was a disappointing year on defense, and Elko is not the type to sit back and sit pat.
 

Do you want significant change? Do you get involved yourself? Then you go against what you thought you wanted to do as the head coach here. That is very much on the table for Elko to decide. Your other decision is if you say change is the path you go, who is the answer? That hire becomes incredibly important if you choose to go down that road. I saw the rumors. This agent driven stuff. Ninety percent of stuff from national media on teams they don't cover is agents yapping to manipulate this on social media. It works every single time. If I hear agent stuff, I try to cross-check it several ways.
 

You read about Tyler Santucci, and it raised everyone’s eyebrows. Everyone assumes he would be here because it's Elko, and he has been at A&M. I really don't see that happening. I think Santucci would end up at Miami or stay at Georgia Tech. Never say never, but I do not see that one happening.
 

Elko knows he has to get this right. If you are listening and think you know something, I know what's out there. You are jumping off the bandwagon and don't know shit, or you kind of do and hear a reiteration of what I hear. Of all the things you know about Elko, he has to stop short on paralysis by analysis. He will analyze every angle.
 

Remember those choose-your-own-adventure books? You pick one way or the other. That is Elko's mind right now when he thinks about what his defense will look like in 2025. His comments postgame weren't to calm people down. That was his inner monologue being heard. Now, he has to figure out how he ensures he will never see that again. It's not as simple in his mind as it is to everyone on message boards.
 

When he got here, Elko made a run at Adam Fuller at Florida State behind the scenes, but it was over before it started. Fuller got a massive raise coming off a great year. A year later, he was fired. Why? My point is there is no easy answer. Or A&M can find the next John Chavis, which could be a complete disaster or they could find the next Elko.
 

If you look at the style of defense Elko likes, I think it's an NFL-style defense. I don't think that would be out of the question if he made a move. This is lower down on my list of things to happen, but you could find an up-and-coming guy, and then Elko gets involved. I don't know where it will go. My post last night had to do with the whole "Why aren't you addressing the rumors?" thing. I post when I get the full scope of information, and I am armed with actual facts.
 

If something ends up happening in terms of movement at DC, things have to get approved, and wheels have to go in motion. Elko is still figuring out what he wants to with with his defense, and if anything real happens, we will report on it.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

That was 1,000 percent targeting. Some Texas fans own it, but they have gotten every break this year on every level. If I am a Texas fan. I would not apologize for it. I would go into my weekend assuming that it would keep going and that it would be the year to win a national championship because they have been chosen by the football gods.

A 50 (something) year old man who has never seen his team play for anything of consequence telling us how he would act if it were him is adorable. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
  • Haha 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

Liucci 

 

Elko is still figuring out what he wants to with with his defense, and if anything real happens, we will report on it.

Holy shit…a defensive head coach still trying to figure out what he wants his defense to look like.  And he knows it’s too soon to fire a coordinator because he needs to save that card for another season or two.  This guy isn’t in over his head at all…

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Haha 1
  • Drool 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...