Jump to content

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


texifornia

Recommended Posts

Steve Wiltfong: Texas A&M has set up a massive recruiting weekend

Quote

Mike Elko and Texas A&M’s first-year coaching staff sits on On3’s No. 8 ranked recruiting class in the 2025 cycle. Over the last few weeks, Elko and company have put together a terrific transfer portal haul highlighted by what they’ve done at receiver and on the defensive line. They put the finishing touches on the group for now with coveted defensive back Jordan Shaw jumping in earlier this week.

The Aggies are also off and running in the 2026 recruiting cycle and this weekend will be huge in those efforts. Currently sitting on 10 commits and On3’s No. 5 ranked recruiting class, Texas A&M will host many of their top targets in the 2026 class.

The best of the best are coming to Texas A&M

The list begins with the On3 Industry’s top two recruits in America in five-star offensive tackles Jackson Cantwell and Immanuel Iheanacho. Both elite point-of-attack players spoke highly of the Aggies last week while in Florida for the Under Armour All-American Game. Cantwell is also strongly considering the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State and Miami.

“The Aggies they have a lot going for them,” Cantwell recently said to On3. “They put a lot of time into recruiting me. They’ve really showed I’m a priority there. I like their o-line coach. I think Coach Cushing has shown me a lot of great stuff so far in breaking down film with me and what I can do and how they’re successful. I like Coach Elko. He seems like a good dude.”

Iheanacho’s early list includes Oregon, Georgia, Penn State, Maryland, Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee, Miami and USC. “The 26 class is looking pretty good so far,” he said of Texas A&M. “If I could add to that they could go farther. This year they (were one game away from making) it to the SEC championship. They were No. 10 in the country at one point. I like the o-line coach there, Coach Cushing. They always reach out and keep good connection. I’ve always been interested in going out there. They offered me some time ago and I think it’s a good time to go out there.”

Other top-of-the-board targets coming

Beyond Iheanacho and Cantwell the list is terrific. Carrollton (Ga.) High On300 cornerback Dorian Barney will visit and Texas A&M has been trending since his game visit in the fall. Georgia and Ohio State are couple others he has a keen eye on. Major in-state targets include On300 receiver Kaydon Finley, On300 linebacker Tank King, On300 safety Chace Calicut, four-star athlete Jermaine Bishop Jr. and offensive lineman Nicholas Robertson.

Finley has been on campus a bunch, the Aggies look like the early favorite for King, Calicut has been a major priority since the summer and Robertson could be shaping up to be battle with the Longhorns. A few already committed are slated to return in tight end Caleb Tafua, athlete Madden Williams and defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin.

Aggies aiming to get out in front with 2027 prospects

Texas A&M will bring in some 2027s this weekend as well. That group will include the On3 Industry’s No. 2 ranked running back Landen Williams-Callis, receiver Tre Moore, running back Jakoby Dixon and defensive linemen Amari Vickerson and K’Adrian Redmond.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aggies, as usual, were so convinced new Coach Jimbo was Agge through and through. They fire him before the end of the season (with no plan, of course) and comically resent the fact that Jimbo expects them to honor his contract.

Now, it turns out, Jimbo doesn't even call that school down the road t.u.!  He made the Tox' 'Em Toxins handsign! 

Thank goodness we have Elko now! He's changing the culture and is Aggie through and through...

  • Haha 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

Aggies, as usual, were so convinced new Coach Jimbo was Agge through and through. They fire him before the end of the season (with no plan, of course) and comically resent the fact that Jimbo expects them to honor his contract.

Now, it turns out, Jimbo doesn't even call that school down the road t.u.!  He made the Tox' 'Em Toxins handsign! 

Thank goodness we have Elko now! He's changing the culture and is Aggie through and through...

I remember "Jimbo will resign and agree to a much lower buyout because he's such a good guy and just loves A&M so much" 😂

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

Lunch with Liucci:   w

  • It's the people that were like, "I didn't like seeing that." I explained that to them. I have talked to my own friends and been on the other side of it. I cut my night short and got home from the game. Being at the game, I don't give a damn. I was there in a credentialed capacity. Texas made me want to go to the Cotton Bowl more. I wanted to go to more games to see how they would hold up. The Ohio State sideline was the SEC Network crew.
     
  • I did speak to Ross Bjork. There are no hard feelings there. Everyone agreed that him leaving for Ohio State was better for all parties involved. I always liked Bjork. He is in an interesting situation up there with their fanbase ready to get rid of Ryan Day after the Michigan loss. A&M needs to remember that with Texas.
     
  • In a 12-team playoff, there are many different ways to get to a “successful” season. That doesn't mean you don't want to beat their ass every way, with baseball being at the top of that, but being down there, it was an eye-opener. It took me back about 12 years in that same stadium. Twelve years ago, I watched Alabama and Michigan. I didn't know as much about Johnny Manziel, and I didn't know A&M would be back in that same stadium after beating that same Alabama team.
     
  • Watching Texas for the second time in a month, field level, the thing that jumps out is how fast and effective they are in space. I said this all offseason, and I was crucified for it by the fanbase 90 miles away. I had questions about the consistency of Quinn Ewers. There was too much inconsistency. Now, they are all singing the same tune and ready to see him go. Same thing with Steve Sarkisian.
     
  • Four years in, I had questions about the consistency of Sarkisian's offense. Kelvin Banks Jr. turned pro. Jaydon Blue will be a pro. I know they lost CJ Baxter. Matthew Golden is a stud. Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr. Go up and down the list. Ja'Tavion Sanders and Gunnar Helm. With all of that, people understand what I was saying about some kind of inconsistency. This has zero to do with A&M. Watching Texas, they missed Baxter just like A&M missed Le'Veon Moss. There is a bit of irony there that Texas lost that game because they could not punch it in from the 1-yard line. They do try to do something different, and it got eaten up.
     
  • That yard here at Kyle Field will haunt us for a long time. It would have brought the Aggies within three. I think we would have been celebrating a win had they gotten that yard. I think Texas beats Ohio State if they would have punched it in.

Segment 2 (15:16:21 - 21:23:21)

  • Some of the chatter down at the game, there is truth to the fact that Ewers could play at Notre Dame next year for what I would describe as a “woah, really?" number. NFL people have said he has a substantial monetary number to play at a couple of places, including Notre Dame, in particular. I was like, "No way it's that much." That is through the pro and agent world. A&M is relevant because that has to do with two A&M opponents.
     
  • I have zero doubt that Sarkisian preps guys for the NFL, but I don't think it would hurt him at all because there is a great deal of space for him to improve his NFL stock. Ewers can improve, but he has played so much college football. I hope the Irish don't get him.
     
  • There is a lot of chatter that people were wondering if it wasn't just Ewers but Sarkisian walking off in burnt orange for the last time... I don't believe that. If a team wants to keep a coach, how much they are paid and how much they rule over their kingdom, it's like A&M from going to LSU or Sumlin from USC.
     
  • The only thing I will say is No. 1: If it's the Dallas Cowboys. I am skeptical. I am not buying that one. No. 2: We see coaches do weird things now in the days of the transfer portal and NIL. I don't see any pro coach rushing outside of Bill Belichick to the college ranks right now.

Segment 3 (21:23:21 - 53:08:08)

  • Before the game, Ohio State looked the part with their skill guys. Their defensive backs and wide receivers... They were so big and physical-looking. They are first-round picks. Their freshman receiver is as good as any in the country, even though he didn't have much of an impact on Saturday. I don't think Will Howard is great at all. He is a solid quarterback. He is so far from elite. That is why I give Notre Dame even a chance.
     
  • Quinshon Judkins was a star in the SEC. He led the league in rushing. That was a devasting loss for Ole Miss. He is No. 2 in that backfield to TreVeyon Henderson.
     
  • You watch them finish... That is the difference between Texas and Ohio State at the skill spots. You could see the effect that would have. They had pros galore, but where it stood out most was the line of scrimmage. Every one of them looked like Chase Bisontis. Their inside guys, it's the height and profile of them.
     
  • This is Mike Elko and the staff's full recruiting cycle, but where I saw Ohio State reminding me of what I saw from 2012 Alabama, old LSU and Georgia is their O-line. If I were Elko and his staff, I think this is what they are doing, but that is what I am looking for in recruiting and in the portal. This O-line class, those guys have that look.
     
  • SEC Mike put out interesting rankings for next year's SEC.

LSU at No. 3. They have hyped their portal class so much. Someone said Donovan Green is giving them as much portal credit in their rankings as Kevin Concepcion did coming to A&M. I like Green. It's not politics. He was injured and wasn't himself. He may develop it in Baton Rouge. People are giving too much hype to their portal class.
 

I think I would move South Carolina up, but they did suffer some losses on defense. Then Florida. They will be a wild card. Then, Tennessee. That's a falloff.
 

A&M is at No. 10 on SEC Mike’s rankings. That better not end up being true. I understand putting the Aggies behind these teams. They just have to prove it's not true.
 

The joke was, of the top eight, Texas plays two of them. The two-year stretch they were handed in this conference will be studied by future SEC football generations. The only team I could see cracking that is A&M.
 

A&M needs to go 4-0 at home against Florida, Auburn, South Carolina and Mississippi State next year. They have to. You have a road game vs. Missouri and Arkansas. As much as we talk about the schedule, there is a real opportunity for a good A&M team — if they are a good team.
 

This should be a good offense next year. Defensively, I think they have to make a massive jump in the back seven. For Elko, it will be a crusade after the USC game. He will spend his whole offseason figuring out how to make it happen, whether that's the defensive coordinator position or him looking at the process and changing it. Calling the defense is on the table. If they are the 15th-best team in college football, that schedule is manageable.
 

I think Mike McCarthy is a good coach, but he is not good enough to get the Cowboys where they need to, so you change. If Jerry Jones really wanted Sarkisian in 2025, that is the one job that would seem the hardest to turn down. I will believe it when I see it.
 

Sitting here as an Aggie, the hypothetical “Sarkisian to the Cowboys” thing is a bombshell that would drop on the SEC and recruiting. That is a talented Texas roster, and that would not be a coach going to another college where guys would follow him. You could see an exodus. That's what people thought would happen with A&M baseball. That is why this is interesting. The real side would be, "How does that affect A&M?" The recruiting in the state in terms of the 2026 class... The Aggies had a huge weekend in terms of talent on campus. That's where you claim momentum.
 

You don't see those coaches leave... But you do. Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma. Brian Kelly left Notre Dame. Lane Kiffin left Tennessee. Dennis Franchione left Alabama. It's not as common. Who has success doing that? That is the advice I would have given Jim Schlossnagle if I would've had any window to say, "What the hell are you doing?" I think it worked out for Aggie baseball. I wonder if it will work out in Austin for him. They have all the pieces and history.
 

The last time I was in Lexington was to go see Billy Gillispie in his second year there. A couple of weeks later, he got fired. We joked it was the last game they won. People were pissed, but that was explainable. It's Kentucky basketball.
 

You have some good damn coaches at A&M right now. Exciting young ones, you think of Michael Earley, Jamie Morrison, Mark Weaver, Gerrod Chadwell and Trisha Ford. You think of the big three: A&M's baseball has the No. 1 ranking. What an opportunity for Earley in year one. You think about what Williams is doing. With Elko, no one really knows how to feel. There was plenty that I saw that I would have optimism moving forward. They only lost one guy they had to fight to keep. It's a positon I still think they upgraded. I think he went in the portal to go to Georgia

  • Haha 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

Lunch with Liucci:   w

  • It's the people that were like, "I didn't like seeing that." I explained that to them. I have talked to my own friends and been on the other side of it. I cut my night short and got home from the game. Being at the game, I don't give a damn. I was there in a credentialed capacity. Texas made me want to go to the Cotton Bowl more. I wanted to go to more games to see how they would hold up. The Ohio State sideline was the SEC Network crew.

On the other side of what? The gloryhole?

  • Watching Texas for the second time in a month, field level, the thing that jumps out is how fast and effective they are in space. I said this all offseason, and I was crucified for it by the fanbase 90 miles away. I had questions about the consistency of Quinn Ewers. There was too much inconsistency. Now, they are all singing the same tune and ready to see him go. Same thing with Steve Sarkisian.

I don't think anyone's opinion has changed about Ewers' consistency. He played hard for us and he is going to the NFL. Next year is a new year.

Every QB can't be Conner Weigman or Marcel Reed or Branndon Stewart or Bucky Pullig or Reggie McNeal or Zach Calzada or Jerrod Johnson or Kenny Hill or Nick Starkel or Dustin Long or Kellen Mond or Ryan Tannehill or Haynes King or Stephen McGee. Man, what a strong tradition. That's a Who's Who of NFL Hall of Famers there!

 

  • That yard here at Kyle Field will haunt us for a long time. It would have brought the Aggies within three. I think we would have been celebrating a win had they gotten that yard. I think Texas beats Ohio State if they would have punched it in.
Yes. Yes. You've won every game you've never played and a few that you really would have gotten away with if it hadn't been for those damned kids!

This fucking guy.

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

Just now, nnm said:

They’re hanging their entire identity on their preseason #1 in baseball. With a coach that was a GA a couple of years ago. Bold plan, cotton. Let’s see how that works out for them. 

That is about like them counting on their #1 2022 football class this season. Go right ahead, fucktards.

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

Lunch with Liucci:   w

  • It's the people that were like, "I didn't like seeing that." I explained that to them. I have talked to my own friends and been on the other side of it. I cut my night short and got home from the game. Being at the game, I don't give a damn. I was there in a credentialed capacity. Texas made me want to go to the Cotton Bowl more. I wanted to go to more games to see how they would hold up. The Ohio State sideline was the SEC Network crew.
     
  • I did speak to Ross Bjork. There are no hard feelings there. Everyone agreed that him leaving for Ohio State was better for all parties involved. I always liked Bjork. He is in an interesting situation up there with their fanbase ready to get rid of Ryan Day after the Michigan loss. A&M needs to remember that with Texas.
     
  • In a 12-team playoff, there are many different ways to get to a “successful” season. That doesn't mean you don't want to beat their ass every way, with baseball being at the top of that, but being down there, it was an eye-opener. It took me back about 12 years in that same stadium. Twelve years ago, I watched Alabama and Michigan. I didn't know as much about Johnny Manziel, and I didn't know A&M would be back in that same stadium after beating that same Alabama team.
     
  • Watching Texas for the second time in a month, field level, the thing that jumps out is how fast and effective they are in space. I said this all offseason, and I was crucified for it by the fanbase 90 miles away. I had questions about the consistency of Quinn Ewers. There was too much inconsistency. Now, they are all singing the same tune and ready to see him go. Same thing with Steve Sarkisian.
     
  • Four years in, I had questions about the consistency of Sarkisian's offense. Kelvin Banks Jr. turned pro. Jaydon Blue will be a pro. I know they lost CJ Baxter. Matthew Golden is a stud. Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr. Go up and down the list. Ja'Tavion Sanders and Gunnar Helm. With all of that, people understand what I was saying about some kind of inconsistency. This has zero to do with A&M. Watching Texas, they missed Baxter just like A&M missed Le'Veon Moss. There is a bit of irony there that Texas lost that game because they could not punch it in from the 1-yard line. They do try to do something different, and it got eaten up.
     
  • That yard here at Kyle Field will haunt us for a long time. It would have brought the Aggies within three. I think we would have been celebrating a win had they gotten that yard. I think Texas beats Ohio State if they would have punched it in.

Segment 2 (15:16:21 - 21:23:21)

  • Some of the chatter down at the game, there is truth to the fact that Ewers could play at Notre Dame next year for what I would describe as a “woah, really?" number. NFL people have said he has a substantial monetary number to play at a couple of places, including Notre Dame, in particular. I was like, "No way it's that much." That is through the pro and agent world. A&M is relevant because that has to do with two A&M opponents.
     
  • I have zero doubt that Sarkisian preps guys for the NFL, but I don't think it would hurt him at all because there is a great deal of space for him to improve his NFL stock. Ewers can improve, but he has played so much college football. I hope the Irish don't get him.
     
  • There is a lot of chatter that people were wondering if it wasn't just Ewers but Sarkisian walking off in burnt orange for the last time... I don't believe that. If a team wants to keep a coach, how much they are paid and how much they rule over their kingdom, it's like A&M from going to LSU or Sumlin from USC.
     
  • The only thing I will say is No. 1: If it's the Dallas Cowboys. I am skeptical. I am not buying that one. No. 2: We see coaches do weird things now in the days of the transfer portal and NIL. I don't see any pro coach rushing outside of Bill Belichick to the college ranks right now.

Segment 3 (21:23:21 - 53:08:08)

  • Before the game, Ohio State looked the part with their skill guys. Their defensive backs and wide receivers... They were so big and physical-looking. They are first-round picks. Their freshman receiver is as good as any in the country, even though he didn't have much of an impact on Saturday. I don't think Will Howard is great at all. He is a solid quarterback. He is so far from elite. That is why I give Notre Dame even a chance.
     
  • Quinshon Judkins was a star in the SEC. He led the league in rushing. That was a devasting loss for Ole Miss. He is No. 2 in that backfield to TreVeyon Henderson.
     
  • You watch them finish... That is the difference between Texas and Ohio State at the skill spots. You could see the effect that would have. They had pros galore, but where it stood out most was the line of scrimmage. Every one of them looked like Chase Bisontis. Their inside guys, it's the height and profile of them.
     
  • This is Mike Elko and the staff's full recruiting cycle, but where I saw Ohio State reminding me of what I saw from 2012 Alabama, old LSU and Georgia is their O-line. If I were Elko and his staff, I think this is what they are doing, but that is what I am looking for in recruiting and in the portal. This O-line class, those guys have that look.
     
  • SEC Mike put out interesting rankings for next year's SEC.

LSU at No. 3. They have hyped their portal class so much. Someone said Donovan Green is giving them as much portal credit in their rankings as Kevin Concepcion did coming to A&M. I like Green. It's not politics. He was injured and wasn't himself. He may develop it in Baton Rouge. People are giving too much hype to their portal class.
 

I think I would move South Carolina up, but they did suffer some losses on defense. Then Florida. They will be a wild card. Then, Tennessee. That's a falloff.
 

A&M is at No. 10 on SEC Mike’s rankings. That better not end up being true. I understand putting the Aggies behind these teams. They just have to prove it's not true.
 

The joke was, of the top eight, Texas plays two of them. The two-year stretch they were handed in this conference will be studied by future SEC football generations. The only team I could see cracking that is A&M.
 

A&M needs to go 4-0 at home against Florida, Auburn, South Carolina and Mississippi State next year. They have to. You have a road game vs. Missouri and Arkansas. As much as we talk about the schedule, there is a real opportunity for a good A&M team — if they are a good team.
 

This should be a good offense next year. Defensively, I think they have to make a massive jump in the back seven. For Elko, it will be a crusade after the USC game. He will spend his whole offseason figuring out how to make it happen, whether that's the defensive coordinator position or him looking at the process and changing it. Calling the defense is on the table. If they are the 15th-best team in college football, that schedule is manageable.
 

I think Mike McCarthy is a good coach, but he is not good enough to get the Cowboys where they need to, so you change. If Jerry Jones really wanted Sarkisian in 2025, that is the one job that would seem the hardest to turn down. I will believe it when I see it.
 

Sitting here as an Aggie, the hypothetical “Sarkisian to the Cowboys” thing is a bombshell that would drop on the SEC and recruiting. That is a talented Texas roster, and that would not be a coach going to another college where guys would follow him. You could see an exodus. That's what people thought would happen with A&M baseball. That is why this is interesting. The real side would be, "How does that affect A&M?" The recruiting in the state in terms of the 2026 class... The Aggies had a huge weekend in terms of talent on campus. That's where you claim momentum.
 

You don't see those coaches leave... But you do. Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma. Brian Kelly left Notre Dame. Lane Kiffin left Tennessee. Dennis Franchione left Alabama. It's not as common. Who has success doing that? That is the advice I would have given Jim Schlossnagle if I would've had any window to say, "What the hell are you doing?" I think it worked out for Aggie baseball. I wonder if it will work out in Austin for him. They have all the pieces and history.
 

The last time I was in Lexington was to go see Billy Gillispie in his second year there. A couple of weeks later, he got fired. We joked it was the last game they won. People were pissed, but that was explainable. It's Kentucky basketball.
 

You have some good damn coaches at A&M right now. Exciting young ones, you think of Michael Earley, Jamie Morrison, Mark Weaver, Gerrod Chadwell and Trisha Ford. You think of the big three: A&M's baseball has the No. 1 ranking. What an opportunity for Earley in year one. You think about what Williams is doing. With Elko, no one really knows how to feel. There was plenty that I saw that I would have optimism moving forward. They only lost one guy they had to fight to keep. It's a positon I still think they upgraded. I think he went in the portal to go to Georgia

image.jpeg.9cc904ae144d30e1256a295e3dd45147.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Longhornfrenzy said:

That yard here at Kyle Field will haunt us for a long time. It would have brought the Aggies within three. I think we would have been celebrating a win had they gotten that yard. I think Texas beats Ohio State if they would have punched it in.

Liucci has gone full uncle rico

image.gif.3284d6fecdde3e413377fe449d5931d1.gif

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

image.png.a275b8abc6389cbdeb2197c2f289bd4d.png

I think we can all agree that Chase Bisontis is the standard all teams wish to attain. I mean, come on.

image.png.185a89e726a508824a0ce6c281ad6f3c.pngThis poster is on the wall of every natty wannabe recruiting coordinator's office.

But how did William get from skill positions to Bisontis?

image.png.5a6fe1d340cc712d5e4f0088c844aeae.png

What the fuck is William talking about? I get the pandering about the Texas schedule, but after that? Future SEC generations of football scholars poring over the 2-year stretch? That being cracked by A&M? In the future, A&M will lead in football conference studies of past SEC schedules? WTF?

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Navin R. Johnson said:

Sitting here as an Aggie, the hypothetical “Sarkisian to the Cowboys” thing is a bombshell that would drop on the SEC and recruiting. That is a talented Texas roster, and that would not be a coach going to another college where guys would follow him. You could see an exodus. That's what people thought would happen with A&M baseball. That is why this is interesting. The real side would be, "How does that affect A&M?" The recruiting in the state in terms of the 2026 class... The Aggies had a huge weekend in terms of talent on campus. That's where you claim momentum.
 

You don't see those coaches leave... But you do. Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma. Brian Kelly left Notre Dame. Lane Kiffin left Tennessee. Dennis Franchione left Alabama. It's not as common. Who has success doing that? That is the advice I would have given Jim Schlossnagle if I would've had any window to say, "What the hell are you doing?" I think it worked out for Aggie baseball. I wonder if it will work out in Austin for him. They have all the pieces and history.

One of the better spin jobs I’ve seen from Liucci

  • Hook 'Em 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...