Aggies add IMG Academy linebacker Santino Marchiol to 2017 class

The Texas A&M commitment train kept rolling on Tuesday, as the Aggies added a key piece of the defensive puzzle.  

IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) standout Santino Marchiol gave a pretty strong indication that the Aggies were trending when the blue-chip linebacker flew from South Africa to London to Houston in time to drive straight in to College Station for last Saturday's 'YESSIR!' BBQ.

Marchiol gave Kevin Sumlin the go-ahead to fire off a 'YESSIR!' of his own upon making the call and informing the Aggies' head man, Chavis and area recruiter Noel Mazzone that he had decided to become a part of Texas A&M's rich linebacker lineage and join the Wrecking Crew.

Rated a four-star prospect, Santino ultimately chose the Aggies over runners-up Ole Miss and Tennessee. The 6-2, 230-pounder also held offers from Florida State, LSU, Miami, UCLA, Stanford, Penn State and Nebraska, among others.  

As a junior at Cherry Creek High School in Englewood (Colo.), Marchiol totaled 48 tackles (29 solos and 70 assists) with 3.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions.

The latest A&M commitment pushes the Aggies' 2017 total to fourteen, with Santino being the first linebacker and first front seven defender to join the class.