15 days ago by
Jason Howell
Texas A&M currently reaping the rewards of its big recruiting weekend
Mike Elko & Co. have never had a recruiting stretch quite like they did when LSU came to town over the weekend to battle for first in the SEC. The hype, stakes and atmosphere were different, and most importantly, the results on the field and recruiting trail were different, too.
DFW Under Armour Camp News, Notes, and Highlights
Today I will be out at the Under Armour Camp at Arlington Martin. Several top prospects will be on-hand and I will do my best to post news, notes, and tweets in this thread throughout the day.Here's a quick rundown of today's schedule8:30 am - Media check-in9-11:30 am - OL/DL10 am-12:30 pm - RB/LB11:30 am-2:30 pm - QB/WR/DBMost of the interviews will take place once an athlete is done with their sessionI highlighted several things about today's camp in My Three Things on Friday, so click the link if you want a refresher.Also here's a quick rundown of some top targets of interest-DeSoto RB Deondrae Riden is the only Texas A&M commit on the camp rosterOLOL Michael Fasusi, Lewisville - hearing a hamstring may limit him todayOL Lamont Rogers, Mesquite Horn OL Ty Haywood, Denton Ryan OL Connor Carty, ProsperOL Henry Fenuku, North CrowleyOL Drew Evers, Flower Mound (2026)OL Zaden Krempin, Prosper (2026)OL John Turntine, North Crowley (2026)DLDL Xavier Ukponu, Denton GuyerDE Kevin Ford, Jr, Duncanville (2026)DL Danny Beale, Cherry Valley (AR) Cross County (2026)DL Anthony Kennedy, Maumelle (AR) (2026)DL Darryus McKinley, Lafayette (LA) Acadiana (2026)*********RBRB Deondrae Riden, DeSoto - Texas A&MLBLB Riley Pettijohn, McKinneyLB Jayden Shelton, Dallas South Oak CliffLB Jonathan Cunningham, North CrowleyLB Jamarion Phillips, Dallas South Oak Cliff (2026)***********QBQB Keelon Russell, Duncanville - SMUQB Kane Archer, Greenwood (AR) (2026)QB Peyton Houston, Shreveport (LA) Evangel Christian (2027)WRWR Taz Williams, Red Oak WR Emmanuel Choice, LancasterWR Bryson Jones, Frisco Lone StarWR Jordan Clay, San Antonio Madison (2026)WR Brayden Robinson, Red Oak (2026)WR/TE Zachery Turner, Duncanville (2026)WR Ethan Feaster, DeSoto (2027)TE Zane Rowe, Denton Guyer (2027)DBCB Micah Strickland, BrownsboroS Sael Reyes, DeSotoS Nate Tilmon, Mansfield Timberview - SMUS Jordan Deck, Frisco Lone Star (2026)S Markel Ford, Mesquite Horn (2026)CB Taelyn Mayo, Lewisville (2027)Here's a few more highly rated guys who are expected to participate todayRB Michael Turner, North Richland Hills RichlandWR Dakorien Moore, Duncanville - LSUWR Daylan McCutcheon, Lucas LovejoyWR Elijah Thomas, Checotah (OK) - OklahomaWR Brock Boyd, Southlake Carroll (2026)TE Micah Jones, Madison (MS) LB Marcus James, Oklahoma City (OK) Carl Albert - OklahomaS Omarion Robinson, Little Rock (AR) ParkviewAlright, I got to hit the road. I'll try to update this thread as soon as I get there.
Visitor List: Texas A&M vs Mississippi St
Here's what we've got. We'll make adds throughout the day and into tomorrow. CommitsPrinceton (NJ) The Hun School QB Miles O'Neill Timpson ATH Terry Bussey Longview Pine Tree DL Dealyn Evans Lafayette (LA) Acadiana DL Dominick McKinley Shreveport (LA) Evangel DL Gabriel Reliford Jasper LB Tyanthony Smith Bellflower (CA) St John Bosco LB Jordan Lockhart Converse Judson S Myles Davis Blountstown (FL) S Jordan Pride Katy OL Coen Echols Katy Tompkins OL Ashton Funk Hallettsville ATH Layne Gerke (PWO commit)Targets/ProspectsMagnolia ATH Hunter Andrews (Utah)La Marque ATH Dylan Thomas Bellflower (CA) St John Bosco RB Cameron Jones (UCLA)2025 Bellflower (CA) OL Matai Jefferson 2025 CyFalls LB Kaleb Burns 2025 San Bernardino (CA) St Thomas Aquinas RB Jojo Solis (Cal)2025 Houston Second Baptist CB Ethan Dishman 225 Cy-Fair DL Landon Rink 225 Franklin 2025 RB Jayden Jackson 2025 Klein Forest LB TJ Burkhalter 2025 Lucas Lovejoy WR Rylan Streeter 2025 Katy Paetow CB Deyjhon Pettaway 2026 Denison ATH JD Isom 2026 Lafayette (LA) Acadiana DL Darryus McKinley 2026 Hutto WR Damian Escalante 2026 Prosper OL Zaden Krempin 2026 Duncanville DE Kevin Ford, Jr 2026 Houston Second Baptist QB Canon Toon2026 Duncanville ATH Ayson Theus 2026 Duncanville TE Zachery Turner 2027 Bellflower (CA) QB Kauahe Silva 2027 La Habra (CA) OL Cody Tuitoelua
Latest on Dominick McKinley - Friday Update
Friday Update: Dominick and his family are not visiting Texas or anywhere else this weekend*******There have been some rumors and reports about Lafayette (LA) Acadiana 2024 5-star DL Dominick McKinley visiting Texas, so I did some checking. I posted it earlier in another thread but it deserves its own. Here's the latest. Texas continues to pursue both Dominick and his younger brother Darryus McKinley. They have been invited to Texas, but they do not have a visit scheduled. LSU and others also continue to pursue and extend visit invitations which is to be expected. Texas A&M is in constant communication with the family led by Coach Robinson and Mason Smith, and right now the only visit they have scheduled is a trip to College Station for the Aggies' match-up with Mississippi State. It is currently the only visit the boys have said they want to take. They are excited and looking forward to the trip.Visits elsewhere are not completely out of the question but something to consider here is If a visit does get scheduled it has as much or more to do with Darryus who is a highly recruited 2026 prospect with offers and a recruiting process of his own.
Early Monday Afternoon Recruiting Notes and Thoughts
Getting Tupelo (MS) LB Tristan Jernigan to town before the Alabama OV was about as big as it gets. The Crimson Tide are coming on hard, so that is a situation to watch, but I think the Aggies are positioned as well as they could be going into that visit.This weekend only helped the Aggies' cause. They were able to roll out the red carpet. He was able to get his first game day experience in Aggieland which is about as positive as it gets in college football. He saw Edgerrin Cooper have a big day at LB, and he spent quality time with coach Durkin, coach Fisher, and some key members in the 2024 recruiting class. After the visit Jernigan said "I'm not going anywhere". He loves the program and all that the Aggies have to offer, and he has a great relationship with coach Durkin. We will see what happens on his Alabama visit this upcoming weekend, but the Aggies should feel good about their standing coming out of this weekend.I know Longview Pine Tree defensive line Dealyn Evans likes to joke around and flirt with other programs, but he has also been a big part of building Texas A&M's class. He was the first one in the boat and he is a vocal recruiter. His bond with coach Robinson is as strong as you will find out there too. He talked about those bonds in interviews with both Brauny (CLICK HERE) and I (CLICK HERE) this weekend. Honestly, if Robinson is at A&M, I feel pretty good about Evans ending up at Texas A&M. No doubt about it the Aggies are going to have to fend off some stiff competition for Timpson ATH Terry Bussey, but right now I do like the Aggies chances to keep him in the fold. I felt that way before the visit, but getting him back on campus over the weekend and around the program was definitely a big and positive development and only makes me feel better. I do not look for other programs to stand down anytime soon, but the Aggies are in a solid position here.Refugio (TX) athlete Ernest Campbell continues to see college programs come on strong, with TCU one program in particular who has ramped up their efforts. He was also in town over the weekend, and the Aggies seem to be on solid footing right now. Lancaster (TX) running back Kewan Lacy recently re-opened his recruitment, and as a running back prospect the Aggies worked to pursue earlier in the cycle there were some questions from you guys on the board. I touched base with a few sources on the subject and right now Ole Miss, SMU, Arizona State, and Florida are the main programs I'm hearing. That should not come as a surprise as those were also the main programs he was looking at before he made his Nebraska commitment. Right now, He does not have any visits scheduled. As for Texas A&M, I have not heard any talk there lately, but that is not to say it cannot happen down the line. There's quite a bit of time between now and then, but the Aggies next home game, an SEC match-up with Mississippi State is already shaping up to be a busy recruiting weekend. The Aggies are set to host several committed prospects. Already making plans are QBs AJ Maddox and Miles O'Neill, DL Dominick McKinley, and LB Jordan Lockhart. Look for Maddox to be joined by younger brothers Andrew Maddox (2025 DL) and Andrae Maddox (2028 DL) and for McKinley to be joined by brother Darryus McKinley (2026 DL) all of which have their own scholarship offers. I'm also keeping an eye on DeSoto 2025 RB Deondrae Riden for that weekend and Brauny mentioned it, Kobe Black also looks to be eyeing that weekend for his return as well.