For 2025, the top 16 TX recruits passed on us. The highest rated TX recruit we got was TX No 17 Kiotti Armstrong. He is ranked 88 as per 247.
Even TCU has done better. Alabama has 2 higher ranked TX recruits and Texas has 3.

Are we neglecting TX and going national? Our top recruit is from CA.

https://247sports.com/Season/2025-Football/CompositeRecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&State=TX

In comparison:
2024: TX No 3, overall No 11 (Bussey)
2023: TX No 1, overall No 7 (Hicks)
2022: TX No 4, overall No 11 (Stewart)

Elko has lost control of Texas recruiting!

Did I dream hearing that Elko is generally well liked by the Tx Hs coaches? I thought I heard that somewhere and it seems believable .

It's harder to recruit when you are not seen as a program that can compete for SEC or national championships. Elite players want to showcase their talents on TV.

I doubt they are neglecting it. Texas move to the SEC took away one of our advantages. Then you add on their success and our lack of it and you have recipe for some struggles in that area. Nothing that can't be overcome in my opinion but certainly a more challenging path.

At least Elko is in good graces with the high school coaches. That's all that matters.

BreckCO2000 said:

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At least Elko is in good graces with the high school coaches. That's all that matters.

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Elko will get his after TXHSFBC take care of whoever is in Austin first. I don't like this at all, but generally speaking it's how it's always been. Except for the early solo SEC years.

Sumlin's lost control of Elko.

infinity ag said:

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For 2025, the top 16 TX recruits passed on us. The highest rated TX recruit we got was TX No 17 Kiotti Armstrong. He is ranked 88 as per 247.
Even TCU has done better. Alabama has 2 higher ranked TX recruits and Texas has 3.

Are we neglecting TX and going national? Our top recruit is from CA.

https://247sports.com/Season/2025-Football/CompositeRecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&State=TX

In comparison:
2024: TX No 3, overall No 11 (Bussey)
2023: TX No 1, overall No 7 (Hicks)
2022: TX No 4, overall No 11 (Stewart)

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LOL…. we're not neglecting Texas….we're just getting schooled.

TexasAggie_97 said:

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It's harder to recruit when you are not seen as a program that can compete for SEC or national championships. Elite players want to showcase their talents on TV.

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I wonder if Texas joining the SEC has begun to show its impact on our recruiting. We don't have a trump card anymore.

I don't blame Elko, we are recruiting good it's just hard to compete when all the top programs are hitting Texas so hard. the only thing that will change that is a really good year or 2 of winning big. Im talking 11wins..not just ranked 12th at year end.

Thank the ad and our admin for letting t.u. In the conference.

More success on the field and we might start getting those that are going elsewhere. Not being the only team from Texas in the SEC isn't helping, nor is the sip success going to help us. If we don't contend for a playoff spot then we will likely backslide even more when it comes to getting top Texas talent.

Recruiting is different now with the transfer portal being a major factor in retooling your roster each year.

We're not neglecting it. We're being out-recruited for the top tier in state this cycle.

Elko hasn't even been with the program for a year yet, and his biggest focus initially (and rightly) was replacing the plethora of players who bailed after Fisher's firing.

I don't think we see that huge of a turnover again, but there will always be players that leave for greener pastures under the current scenario, so he'll have to simultaneously manage that and HS recruiting.

infinity ag said:

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TexasAggie_97 said:

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It's harder to recruit when you are not seen as a program that can compete for SEC or national championships. Elite players want to showcase their talents on TV.

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I wonder if Texas joining the SEC has begun to show its impact on our recruiting. We don't have a trump card anymore.

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I don't wonder about this at all.....it's a given

We lost our golden opportunity

infinity ag said:

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For 2025, the top 16 TX recruits passed on us. The highest rated TX recruit we got was TX No 17 Kiotti Armstrong. He is ranked 88 as per 247.
Even TCU has done better. Alabama has 2 higher ranked TX recruits and Texas has 3.

Are we neglecting TX and going national? Our top recruit is from CA.

https://247sports.com/Season/2025-Football/CompositeRecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&State=TX

In comparison:
2024: TX No 3, overall No 11 (Bussey)
2023: TX No 1, overall No 7 (Hicks)
2022: TX No 4, overall No 11 (Stewart)

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Bro, you realize in 22 we had the greatest recruiting class of all time.

QB1 said:

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infinity ag said:

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For 2025, the top 16 TX recruits passed on us. The highest rated TX recruit we got was TX No 17 Kiotti Armstrong. He is ranked 88 as per 247.
Even TCU has done better. Alabama has 2 higher ranked TX recruits and Texas has 3.

Are we neglecting TX and going national? Our top recruit is from CA.

https://247sports.com/Season/2025-Football/CompositeRecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&State=TX

In comparison:
2024: TX No 3, overall No 11 (Bussey)
2023: TX No 1, overall No 7 (Hicks)
2022: TX No 4, overall No 11 (Stewart)

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Bro, you realize in 22 we had the greatest recruiting class of all time.

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Yes, but how many are left? Practically everyone transferred but a few. I don't think we have any big stars among them

"For 2025, the top 16 TX recruits passed on us. The highest rated TX recruit we got was TX No 17 Kiotti Armstrong. He is ranked 88 as per 247.

Even TCU has done better. Alabama has 2 higher ranked TX recruits and Texas has 3."

The Jimbo fiasco is still hurting us badly. Elko and the entire staff is playing catchup to build relationships with 2025 recruits.

What we need to do is win games and persist in the multiyear recruiting process.

And no we will never go back to the days where tu annually dominated recruiting for a period of years. They are at a zenith right now because they were able to claim to be SEC while playing a soft schedule. They won the Big 12 Championship 4 times in 27 years. Hardly a juggernaut.

Don't even go back to the mindset of the years where they were the larger school with better facilities, and we were pissing in troughs and had tons of bat**** under the stadium.

The roles have reversed. I am an old guy and I am saying be patient and watch.

for what it's worth we have 4 of the top 10 players in california.

Detmersdislocatedshoulder said:

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for what it's worth we have 4 of the top 10 players in california.

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Didn't realize that... One is a 5*, I hope the rest are good too.

All we have to do is sign all of Tascosa's graduating seniors.

Replace neglect with can't.

Coaching matters, too. Recruits need to trust the coaching staff can develop them into NFL prospects. If they see a program struggling to win big games, they might question if the staff can help them reach that next level that they aspire very badly.

You just have to win. Winning is fun for players. And you have to pay money like Sips do. Elko and staff have not had personal relationships with these recruits very long…so this is the consequence. This school doesn't recruit itself (history of titles) and is very easy to make fun of thanks to a Gameday tradition. So it takes personal relationships to really spike recruiting when your Year 1 coach isn't famous already.

Texas has been in the SEC for 3 years now, remeber? Masters of marketing.

I was looking at sips 22' class and they had a ton of transfers too. He who controls the portal, controls their destiny. Look at Ole Miss.

Aggie87 said:

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Elko hasn't even been with the program for a year yet, and his biggest focus initially (and rightly) was replacing the plethora of players who bailed after Fisher's firing.

I don't think we see that huge of a turnover again, but there will always be players that leave for greener pastures under the current scenario, so he'll have to simultaneously manage that and HS recruiting.

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First: Elko was faced with an unprecedented situation. We have never had a new coach have to replace almost half the roster in a matter of weeks- due to the transfer portal. He did a commendable job.

Second: We have a perfect storm with the sips peaking as they enter the SEC...and getting a cakewalk schedule. Elko has a tough mountain to climb.

Third: Just win, Elko must create excitement by winning. Beat the pigs, Missouri and LSU and play the sips close or knock them off and we will have strong in state momentum.

Where we stand now reminds me of the early 2000s when the sips started to roll under Mack Brown. Yet, things are different:

- Elko is not Fran
- We have great facilities
- We have an incredible stadium
- We are now a national brand
- NIL and the portal can work in our favor.

It will take three years.

If you are a top TX recruit with no family ties to A&M, why would you pick A&M over Texas right now?

infinity ag said:

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TexasAggie_97 said:

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It's harder to recruit when you are not seen as a program that can compete for SEC or national championships. Elite players want to showcase their talents on TV.

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I wonder if Texas joining the SEC has begun to show its impact on our recruiting. We don't have a trump card anymore.

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It's a factor, for sure, but rogers, fasusi and Haywood all went out of state

Tu in the sec is just one factor

The damage jimbo did to the program is the biggest, especially on the offensive side of the ball

Agree with everything you said except the national brand part. We just haven't won enough to be that.

Chance for immediate playing time?

trip98 said:

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infinity ag said:

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TexasAggie_97 said:

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It's harder to recruit when you are not seen as a program that can compete for SEC or national championships. Elite players want to showcase their talents on TV.

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I wonder if Texas joining the SEC has begun to show its impact on our recruiting. We don't have a trump card anymore.

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I don't wonder about this at all.....it's a given

We lost our golden opportunity

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This is true as it stands today.

But if Oklahoma can do it then we surely can.

halfastros81 said:

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Chance for immediate playing time?

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Maybe, but I think a lot of people overestimate the importance of immediate playing time. Bama stacked 5-stars for years who knew they were going to sit for a year or two. But they knew Bama won championships and put people in the NFL.

I don't disagree but it is a possible motivator for a recruit.

In this day and age of the portal it's hard to stockpile talent like say what Saban did. I think that was a heavy motivator in his retirement decision.