Eric McFarland III

It was a productive spring for Texas A&M, both on the field and on the recruiting trails, as Mike Elko & Co. have plenty of momentum on their side. With 12 commitments in the class of 2027 already, the inroads made during this spring should help the Ags in their quest toward the nation's top spot.

Texas A&M closed the books on spring ball with another big visit weekend. 5-star OT Mark Matthews headlined another strong group of top uncommitted prospects who were also joined by a group of committed standouts. Of course, Matthews is the news of the weekend, and make no mistake the Aggies are a top contender. They have now hosted the Fort Lauderdale (FL) standout on multiple occasions including a couple of times already this spring, and they made the cut in early April alongside Miami, LSU, and Alabama.Being a Miami area prospect, the Canes have been in hot pursuit, and he has been a frequent visitor in Coral Gables as well. However, the Aggies are making a strong push and continue gain momentum coming off another strong visit. Will it be enough to pull him out of South Florida? That's the big question. Miami will no doubt pull out all the stops, but if there is anyone who can make it happen I give Texas A&M the best shot. The Aggies have some coaches with strong Miami ties on the staff and there is no doubt strong interest on Matthews' part with his repeated visits. Before diving too much into the weekend, let's hit on some other big 2027 targetsGilmer (TX) five-star OL Ismael Camara, I fully espect him to take a loaded list of visits this summer before making his college decision. The Aggies remain very high on his list and are strong contenders. They are not the only contender though with Texas, Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee, and a whole host of others in hot pursuit. DeSoto (TX) stud RB SaRod Baker, I fully expect him to take his official visits before making a decision, and I would put the Aggies in the top one or two on his list. Texas Tech is the one coming on strong and he took two unofficial visits to Lubbock this spring. Make no mistake the Red Raiders are pushing hard. Texas is also very much in the mix and also has an OV scheduled. As for the Aggies Trooper Taylor is leading the way and has made a very strong impression as a man, father, and coach on Baker and his family. The Aggies also have Tiger Riden on campus which is a major plus both on the field and off, and coach Tony Jerod-Eddie's DeSoto connection is as strong as it gets. Fort Worth (TX) North Crowley five-star CB John Meredith III continues to navigate his recruitment and like the two above I fully expect him to take his official visits before making his decision. He has visits schedule to Alabama, Texas, and Ohio State in addition to the Aggies and as we head toward the end of April it is clear Texas has put a very strong foot forward over the last two weekends. I continue to give the Aggies the edge there but I would say Texas is the top competition and right now I'd say it looks like it is going to come down to the Aggies and Horns.I also caught up with IMG Academy (FL) five-star WR Eric McFarland III this weekend. He has been busy with several college visits this spring including back-to-back weekends in College Station. Coach Perry, coach Wiggins, coach assistant WR coach Denzel Nickerson have made some strong impressions. The Mario Craver comparison and plan has definitely helped the Aggies efforts. He says he plans to take his official visits and he has trips planned to Georgia, Tennessee, and Ohio State in addition to Texas A&M. https://texags.com/s/75590/eric-mcfarland-iii-shares-his-impressions-of-texas-ams-coaching-staffNow for some more visitor type notesRichardson (TX) OL Jasper Ngokwere was back on campus. He continues to keep an eye on the Aggies, and we will see how things progress this spring. Right now the Aggies are well down the road and have OVs scheduled for several top national talents. Ngokwere has some very intriguing tools, and has been on the Aggies radar since very early in his recruitment, but he does not have a Texas A&M OV set at this time. Right now he plans to visit Missouri, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, and Texas. Having commits JayQuan Snell, Kaeden Scott, Kaden McCarty, and Myles Smith was a big plus. Snell has continued to see interest from other programs, mainly Oklahoma and Miami, so getting him back on campus for the second time in the last few weekends was a big move. He is saying all the right things and the Aggies definitely made him feel at home this weekend. Right now I get a good sense about things on that front and feel confident he is pretty locked in with his commitment.McCarty is my pick as the ace recruiter of the class, and it is a class full of guys working hard to help bring in top talents. He has been mentioned by several high priority targets and he is very active on social media. Plus he is a special talent himself that others want to play with just go listen to Zyron Forstall's post commitment interview where he talks about their chemistry on the field. https://texags.com/s/75572/edge-commit-kaden-mccarty-becoming-a-leader-ams-2027-classThis weekend he and Kaeden Scott were both locked in on Mark Matthews which is always a good thing.Speaking of Kaeden Scott, he is another who is locked in and not going anywhere. Kaeden does not say as much out there, but you can see in his recent interview with Brauny after the spring game just how firm he is in his decision. Now, his mom leads the way for parents on social media. She has been very vocal in her praise for Mike Elko and the staff and the overall Texas A&M program, and may be just as important as any player or coach as a recruiter to other parents. https://texags.com/s/75571/ol-commit-kaeden-scott-says-relationships-won-out-for-amI am working to catch up with Myels Smith but he had a nice crew in town with him and had the special distinction of being able to see his brother TJ Smith who transferred over from Houston Baptist out on the field for the Aggies this weekend. The Aggies also hosted several top 2028sIt was the first trip for a few big standouts. Powder Springs (GA) McEachern S Casey BarnerCornelius (NC) Hough LB Ryan PetersonFayetteville (GA)/IMG Academy (FL) DT Chase FosterSylvester (GA) Worth County EDG Malik MuhammadAll four made their way out to College Station for the first time, and all are making plans to return. Barner had one of the most dynamic performances I saw last fall and I wasn't even there to see him. Anyway the playmaker has been busy taking trips to Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, ad LSU in addition to Texas A&M, and the Aggies put a strong foot forward. The coaches, the players, the playing style all caught his attention. He spoke on coach Ish Aristide in particular, and the campus. He wants to return this summer and get out to Kyle Field for a game.https://texags.com/s/75580/2028-safety-casey-barner-shares-first-impressions-of-texas-amPeterson gave a 7-minute post visit interview, and he could not have been more complementary about the Aggies and his first visit. He was able to sit down with coach Travis Williams, DC Lyle Hemphill, and head coach Mike Elko while him and his family were in town. He actually found out his cousin is really good friends with coach Elko's mom. After the visit he said Texas A&M will always be a top school for him. He prides himself on being a student of the game and he likes how the Aggies grow their LBs from a mental aspect as much as a physical aspect. He plans to get back this summer for camp. https://texags.com/s/75596/2028-lb-ryan-peterson-is-already-planning-a-return-to-amFoster was particularly impressed with the staff. He has had relationship with coach E since the eighth grade, and he mentioned DJ Hicks and how he was utilized as something that piqued his interest as well. His teammate Zyron Forstall being committed was something he mentioned and as he was leaving he tweeted about how he cannot wait to get back. https://texags.com/s/75626/aggie-coaching-staff-stands-out-for-2028-dl-chase-foster/25Muhammad was joined on the trip by his mom and he mentioned the family feel, how welcoming the Aggies were, and how they utilize their edge defenders out there. https://texags.com/s/75595/malik-muhammad-speaks-on-his-high-expectations-from-aggielandWe also caught up with TE Ridge Janes and ATH Gabriel Player who have previously visited. Janes is one of the top TEs in the 2028 class with several offers. He visited for the South Carolina game so this was his first time to spend time around coach Shay. Player is a versatile linebacker type with a lot of length and athleticism. Think Tamarrion Watkins. He visited earlier this spring but he returned with his mom this time. https://texags.com/s/75598/ridge-janes-details-what-stands-out-about-texas-ams-program/25https://texags.com/s/75614/ams-atmosphere-and-culture-impresses-2028-ath-gabriel-player/25In-state Anna (TX) 2028 OL Sean Sherman had some great things to say about his trip and he looks to get back soon. He recently made the move to Anna after being a standout at McKinney. He received his offer last summer following a strong summer camp performance and he is regarded as one of the top iOL types in the class.https://texags.com/s/75582/personality-of-ams-offensive-line-impresses-2028-ol-sean-shermanI was also able to catch up with 2028 QB Neimann Lawrence. He has been a long time target of the Aggies and he is regarded as one of the top QBs in 2028. He recently visted and met with coach Joey Lynch and OC Holmon Wiggins. He has visted in the past so this was not his first trip. He has talked about making a decision somewhat soon which is not all that surprising considering QBs typically decide earlier than most, but he said he currently did not have any decision plans in mind. I look for him to be a guy the Aggies try to put some eyes on this spring.https://texags.com/s/75593/2028-qb-neimann-lawrence-discusses-his-recruitment-processAnd last but certainly not least, check out the interview with Texas A&M commit Kamarui Dorsey. He is right up there with Kaden McCarty as far as a vocal recruiter. He was back in town over his spring break and said he spent four days in College Station. He spoke about his time in College Station, his commitment decision, and his recruiting efforts. He mentioned Kaden Henderson and a few others specifically. This weekend he was also having fun with the newest addition to A&M's class Jaden Upshaw at OT7s in Dallas. As for Upshaw I didn't catch up with him for an interview considering we just talked to him about his commitment. Upshaw was glad to be in Texas and he is excited to get back to Aggieland soon.https://texags.com/s/75592/safety-kamarui-dorsey-reflects-on-his-commitment-decisionThe Texas A&M staff is hitting the road since spring ball has come to a close and we will be tracking those movements and talking to top prospects as the Aggies drop through during the spring contact period.

2027 IMG Academy (FL) five-star receiver and key Texas A&M target Eric McFarland III was back in Texas this weekend for OT7 after spending two straight weekends at Texas A&M. He spoke to TexAgs about his Aggieland experiences and the next steps in his process.