Markel Ford

I will start with Denton (TX) Ryan OT Ty Haywood. He is not one to really tip his hand but it is safe to say the Aggies are a team of high interest. Coach Cushing has done a great job establishing a relationship and he has visted for Junior Day, spring practice, and already has an OV scheduled for the weekend of June 6.He has already taken an OV to TCU (May 3) and UCLA (May 10), and he has Alabama (May 31), Oklahoma (June 14), and Florida State (June 21) in addition to the AggiesHe was his dominant self when I dropped by last week and here's a quick clipDenton Ryan 2025 OL Ty Haywood@TyHaywood_ | @DRR_Recruiting | @RyanRaiderFB | @DaveHenigan | @CoachDeLaTorre | @CoachMyronN | @TA_Recruiting pic.twitter.com/ftfkV6RqvP— Jason Howell (@Jason_Howell) May 10, 2024 Sticking with the offensive line, the Aggies continue to trend well with Mesquite (TX) Horn offensive tackle Lamont Rogers. He has a top 8 coming and I not only expect the Aggies to make the cut, but from what I'm hearing the Aggies are towards the tip top of that last. Last week Rogers mentioned the Aggies sent nine coaches to Horn when they dropped by including offensive line coach Adam Cushing who made his presence felt around Rogers and the OL. He also gave Rogers some feedback on what he saw and some coaching points. He is holding the cards pretty close to his vest beyond his top list, but in talking to some key sources I would put the Aggies up there in the top two or three with a good shot at being No. 1 in the end. Texas A&M also remains high on the list for Horn 2026 DBs Markel Ford and Ryan Gilbert. Ford has been a top priority since Mike Elko and his staff touched ground in Texas, and both Elko and Ish Aristide have his attention. LSU, Texas, SMU, and Oklahoma are all in the mix, but word I am hearing is the Aggies have the edge right now. Big reasons include Elko being a defensive minded head coach, his bond with coach Ish, being close to home, and competing in the SEC. Gilbert has also felt the love from the Aggies and coach Jordan Peterson has done a great job building that relationship. In addition to the Aggies, I get the feeling Arkansas, Oklahoma, and LSU are also very high on his current list. He has a high interest in the Aggies and things seem to be trending the right way, but based on what I am hearing I do not get the feeling a leader has emerged at this early point. When that time comes, I do believe the Aggies are well positioned to make a move though. All three Horn prospects plan to be back in College Station this summer. Rogers has an OV planned for the June 6 weekend, Ford has plans for a June visit and he really wants to get a workout in while in town, and Gilbert plans to take an unofficial visit as well.I stopped through North Crowley last week to see 2026 OT John Turntine and 2025 iOL Henry Fenuku. There is still a long way to go with Turntine, but the ball continues to roll in a positive direction. In fact, Turntine walked through the fieldhouse doors wearing an A&M shirt. I would not read too much into that and there is no doubt he will be a high priority prospect for college coaches across the country, but it is a positive sign. The shirt was not the only positive sign, the word around North Crowley is the Aggies have been trending positively there.As for Fenuku, he had some great things to say about the Aggies in my recent article. He is an interior OL and right now the Aggies OL class is pretty strong on the interior. I could see that impacting the Aggies standing with him and vice versa. Right now I see that one trending elsewhere, but he is an athletic guy the staff obviously holds in high regard and he is not shy about his feelings. I would keep him as a target to continue to watch as the recruiting cycle plays out. In McKinney, I made sure to catch up with LB Riley Pettijohn. USC was in town with several coaches and the McKinney sidelines were packed with college coaches. Pettijohn did not disappoint. He can certainly play some linebacker and DC Jay Bateman has the Aggies in the running. I do feel like the Aggies are playing catch up right now, with everyone chasing Texas. Pettijohn did not say who his leader was but he did say he had a leader and this one has had a Texas feel for a good bit now. All hope is not lost for the Aggies, they are still in the picture, they get the final OV, and if there is a coach out there who can turn things around in this particular recruitment Bateman is the guy. Brauny and I have talked about how the OL picture is starting to come into focus and with the recent commitment of Cobey Sellers the DB picture is getting clearer as well. I believe WR could be the next and a couple of key targets have scheduled OVs.Following his April 13 visit, Lancaster (TX) standout Emmanuel Choice told TexAgs he planned to schedule an OV, but he had to sort out his schedule. He now will take an OV the weekend of June 6. He previously had Missouri scheduled for that weekend. His OV schedule began with Nebraska (April 26), and continues with USC (May 31), Texas A&M (June 7), TCU (June 13), and Oklahoma (June 21). Those are the schools he is focused on right now. Lancaster 2025 WR Emmanuel Choice@EmmanuelChoice7 | @LancasterFBwebo | @TheCoachPaul7 | @KWhitley20 | @TA_Recruiting pic.twitter.com/lek0FvL1Fc— Jason Howell (@Jason_Howell) May 13, 2024 Clemson sent three coaches out to Lancaster practice on Friday including OC Garrett Riley and WR coach Tyler Grisham and continues to hotly pursue too, and I am sure Mizzou will continue to fight for a spot. However, I see this one coming down to Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and TCU. He was wearing TCU gloves and Horned Frog WR coach Malcolm Kelly has done a great job leading their efforts, and Emmett Jones and Oklahoma have been high on his list from the beginning. The Aggies have been making up ground since the arrival of coach Holmon Wiggins and the spring visit helped the Aggies become a real player in this one. The proximity to home, the SEC, and coach Wiggins make me feel like the Aggies have a real chance.Another standout wide receiver prospect who told TexAgs he planned to take an official visit to A&M, but had to figure out when has decided to take his OV the weekend of June 7. Sachse wide receiver Kaliq Lockett confirmed the 247 report he has scheduled his Texas A&M OV. His OV schedule begins with LSU (May 31), and continues with Texas A&M (June 7), Florida State (June 14) and Texas (June 21).While I was traveling around I had one SEC OL coach tell me how much he liked A&M's OL recruiting right now. He liked the type of guys, the versatility, and the potential the guys had there. I touched on this earlier last week following my stop at Richardson, but the story on how coach Cushing came upon 2027 OT Jasper Ngokwere just shows how being out among the high school coaches pays off. Coach Cushing presented at an OL coaching clinic hosted by Prosper and Richardson's OL coach happened to be there and told him afterward "I have a guy you need to see." Next thing you know, Cushing stops by and sees Jasper and the rest is history. No varsity tape, played OL and DL last fall on the freshman team, but Cushing saw the size, the potential, and the overall athleticism and put the offer on the table. The Aggies became the second offer following just an hour behind San Diego State. Since then Ngokwere has received offers from Florida State, Texas Tech, SMU, and Arizona State. The day I was there Texas dropped by and there was no question who they were there to watch either. Richardson (TX) 2027 OT Jasper Ngokwere@jasper2027 | @Richardson1FB | @Coach_KHolloway | @TA_Recruiting pic.twitter.com/fnsX0QHPlf— Jason Howell (@Jason_Howell) May 8, 2024 I also dropped by Arlington Lamar to see 2027 offer Trenton Yancey. Yancey earned district Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors as a freshman and he is quickly establishing himself as one of the top up and coming prospects in the country. Clemson was in the house along with Texas taking a good look. Texas ended up offering that day. Coach Wiggins has already made a very strong impression, and he said the Aggies' WR coach stands out the most. Arlington Lamar has a few more 2027s I would put on the radar as well. CB Shahariam Thurston and LB Braylon Williams are a couple I would throw in there. Thurston checks in at 6-2, 168 now and he holds offers from UNT and Texas State. Braylon Williams earned first-team all-district honors as a freshman and checks in at a solid 6-1, 230 with sideline-to-sideline ability. Holds offers from Texas Tech, Nebraska, Baylor, UTEP, Arkansas, SMU, UNT, and Utah.Great rep between Arlington Lamar 2027sWR Trenton Yancey/CB Shahariam Thurston@d1trent_ | @ShahariamT | @CoachSkinz | @CoachMonyeMax | @LHS_Recruit_APT pic.twitter.com/o2LhIAASJA— Jason Howell (@Jason_Howell) May 9, 2024 Lancaster 2026 RB Izayah Lee caught my eye while I was out there on Friday. He has added offer from the likes of Baylor and TCU this spring and he is a violent and versatile runner. He moved to LB last fall where he had a strong season, but he is back at RB and turning heads this spring. McKinney 2025 ATH JaBree Bickham is another to watch. I don't know if he emerges as a target for the Aggies but at 6-4, 190 with a 10.9 100m he brings an intriguing skillset to the table. He has been at WR but this spring he is working at both and offers have arrived from Boise State, Bowling Green, Michigan State, and Arkansas State.McKinney 2025 ATH Ja’Bree Bickham@JabreeBickham | @McKinneyFBall | @CoachLeonardTX | @CoachMikeMills pic.twitter.com/KRnBnOu5V0— Jason Howell (@Jason_Howell) May 9, 2024 One of my last stops of the week was to Lakeview Centennial and coach Saincilaire has a very promising group of 2027s worth watching.TE Khing Thibodeaux (6-3, 230, 4.8 40) is already receiving interest from Texas A&M with coach Christian Ellsworth leading the way. He has been a two-way standout and could end up being recruited as a defensive prospect too. His dad played at Louisiana Tech and his cousin Wallace Foster is a CB at LSU. He already holds offers from San Diego State and UNT.CB Montre Jackson (6-1, 170) is the Patriots top prospect. He has a 21.5 200m under his belt and offers have been rolling in this spring. Recently he received offers from Ole Miss, UNT, Illinois, and Tulane and he has already reached double digit offers. Oklahoma and Baylor have offered and are coming on the strongest. He also has some athletic genes, his twin sister is also a standout in basketball and track. Speaking of twins the Patriots also have Jaxson Wilson and Carson Wilson. Jaxson is a standout DL and Carson is a DB. Their older brother Trey was pretty highly regarded and is currently playing at Baylor. Jaxson recently received his first offers with UNT, Sam Houston, San Diego St, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Grambling on the table. Carson is a multi-sport standout and attracting plenty of attention of his own.A couple of others who caught my attention were DL Camden Currie (6-4, 230) and OL Chris Udeh (6-4, 260). Both have caught the eye of college coaches this spring and their coaches believe they have the potential to be highly recruited.