Texas A&M boasted the No. 1 overall recruiting class in 2022, but that influx of talent didn’t translate into wins. The Aggies won five games that year and Jimbo Fisher was off of a 6-4 start in 2023 before receiving his walking papers. Mike Elko is now in charge of Texas A&M football recruiting as the team’s head coach. The Aggies landed at No. 19 in the Class of 2024 ranking, per 247Sports, but that slots them just ninth in the SEC with the newly-arrived Texas and Oklahoma ahead of them.
Elko didn’t have much time to work on the 2024 Texas A&M football class, but he’s already off to a strong start with the Class of 2025. With commitments from RB Deondrae Riden, CB Deyjhon Pettaway and LB Kelvion Riggins, the Aggies already have more four-star commits than Alabama and Georgia. While on-field success is what truly matters to the Aggie faithful, nailing the recruiting battle is a conduit to achieving that. If you want to see the latest Texas A&M recruiting news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at GigEm247, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Texas A&M.
GigEm247’s team of Texas A&M insiders are providing frequent updates on every recruiting development, including insights from Jeff Tarpley, who has covered the team for more than 25 years and has deep-rooted ties inside and around the A&M community. Tarpley helped GigEm247 report an unfiltered view of the behind-the-scenes talks that ultimately led to Texas A&M parting ways with former head coach Jimbo Fisher.
The team at GigEm has a complete recap of National Signing Day and some early updates on important 2025 recruits. Head to GigEm247 now to see them all.
Mike Elko Texas A&M recruiting updates
Texas A&M wrapped up a successful 2024 recruiting class by signing Bussey, Robert Bourdon and Ashton Bethel-Roman. Bussey is a two-way star who played cornerback and wide receiver in high school, and Texas A&M is expected to use him in several different ways. There was serious buzz regarding a potential flip to LSU on National Signing Day, but Bussey wound up signing with his in-state school. Bourdon was the first to sign on Wednesday, as the one-time Duke commitment flipped to Texas A&M following the coaching change.
The Aggies moved quickly in January, getting Bourdon to campus for a visit to make him feel comfortable with the flip. Bethel-Roman was the other key signing for Texas A&M after getting out of his letter of intent to sign with Arkansas. The wide receiver is a dynamic playmaker with elite speed, and he is expected to be a factor in the offense from the jump. See a full post-Signing Day recap here.
One player from the 2025 class who has already committed to Texas A&M is four-star linebacker Kelvion Riggins. The Forney, Texas, linebacker committed to Texas A&M at the end of January, giving the Aggies an explosive defensive playmaker in their 2025 class. Riggins spent the first two seasons of his high school career at South Oak Cliff High School, winning the state title and all-district honors as a sophomore. He played defensive end during that state title run before moving to linebacker at Forney. GigEm247 has a full breakdown of what he brings to the table.
Another player that Elko’s staff is interested in for 2025 is Top247 four-star cornerback Kade Phillips. Playing for Hightower (TX), just outside of Houston, Phillips is the No. 33 cornerback prospect in the nation. At 6-feet tall, he’s the kind of long, lanky corner that Elko likes as A&M recently added 6-foot-1 CB Dezz Ricks from Alabama and 6-foot-3 CB Will Lee III from Kansas State, both via the transfer portal. However, Texas A&M did lose cornerbacks Deuce Harmon and Josh DeBerry — who tied for the team lead in pass deflections in 2023 — so there is a need for someone like Phillips both immediately and in the long-term.
The Aggies have plenty of competition for Phillips, and an in-state rival recently joined the list of pursuers. The Texas Longhorns extended an offer to Phillips on Feb. 18, so he’s now up to 20 offers from around the country. Elko was a former defensive back, himself, while playing at Penn, and he also coached the position, which could only aid in landing Phillips. He made his first visit to A&M’s campus since Elko became head coach earlier this month, which followed several visits to College Station when Fisher was in charge.
Another player that Elko’s staff is interested in for 2025 is four-star athlete Kelshaun Johnson, who plays for Hitchcock High School in the Houston metro. He plays both receiver and defensive back at the small-school level, as Hitchcock is in a 3A conference in Texas. Johnson also ran track as a sophomore, with state qualifying times in the 100m and in various relays. He stands 5-foot-11 but weighs just 160 pounds, however that didn’t stop him from dominating overmatched competition. Johnson is the No. 7 athlete in the national 247Sports rankings and is the No. 28 overall prospect in Texas.
Johnson narrowed down his list of schools to 10 over the weekend, with half of that list being SEC programs. He made January campus visits to both Texas A&M and Texas, and he’s long been a target of the Aggies as the previous regime under Fisher was also interested in him. While A&M does have a hard commitment from Pettaway, it doesn’t have any WR commits from the Class of 2025, and that’s Johnson’s likely college position. College Station does have an advantage in that it’s closest, geographically, amongst Johnson’s list of 10 schools, but it will likely have to overtake Texas as his favorite, and Johnson is slated to visit Austin again on April 6.
Recently, GigEm247 broke down how Elko prefers to defend RPO, perhaps portending which recruits he’ll target. “Elko isn’t alone at this but he’ll rep his potential read defenders (also known as conflict or apex players) to be disciplined and remain in place, particularly at end and backer,” the site said. Read more here.
How to get insider Texas A&M recruiting updates
The Aggies are also targeting a 2025 four-star wide receiver who is expected to return to campus this spring following a junior-day trip. See who it is at GigEm247.
Who are the top 2025 recruits that Texas A&M is going after, and which four-star wide receiver is set to return to campus this spring? Go to GigEm247 to see the latest updates, all from a team of reporters with decades of experience covering the Aggies, and find out.
