Recruiting Country: The latest recruiting news surrounding the Maroon & White

TexAgs' recruiting analyst Jason Howell joined TexAgs Live on Wednesday morning for another edition of Recruiting Country, highlighting the latest news and notes from the recruiting trail surrounding Texas A&M.

Key notes from Recruiting Country 

• There has been some breaking news on the National Letter of Intent (NLI) and the transfer portal. I've been working the phones a little bit, trying to figure out what it all means. With revenue sharing coming up, those contracts are going to be signed at some point, but for now, signing day will stay the same. You will have financial aid agreements and no letter of intent. 
   
• Previously, financial aid agreements were non-binding, but from what I'm getting, it will be binding in December. Prospects won't be able to sign with multiple schools and do all of this stuff. That is what things are trending to. That's what I've gathered from my sources is that these will be binding financial aid agreements, whereas before, it was binding only when the prospects were enrolled in the school. That is the way that things are trending in college football, and I'm probably speaking above my pay grade, but it should not change the landscape much with the way college is recruiting at the highest level. 
   
• The transfer portal is going to a 20-day window in December and a 10-day window in April. That's just when the player must tell the school they want to transfer or enter the portal. They can commit or enroll anytime after that. You're going to see those visits take place in January through December, and then you'll have that 30-day window that is still there in the case of a coaching change. So if a coach is fired or decides he is retiring or decides he's leaving for another job, every player on that roster still has a 30-day period that starts immediately after that announcement.
   
• You'll likely continue to see these changes. We won't know everything, but that is my latest interpretation and the information I've gathered on these new developments.
   
• I saw Nelson McGuire‍ at camp in June at TCU, and I thought he had the makings of a special talent. When he walked into the door at A&M camps, I said, "That's going to be your O-line MVP." He's only been playing on the O-line for six months. He was a basketball-focused player, and so in his junior year, he was mainly defensive line and didn't play a ton. He moved to O-line, and that's when things took off. His O-line coach coached him in freshmen basketball and told him at the time, "You're a football kid. You're good at basketball, but you're a football kid." He's 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds. He is nimble and athletic and has shown that he is mean, physical and nasty in the trenches.
   
• I think that the staff has done a phenomenal job at finding players who fit from a football need standpoint, character, program and vision. You see it this year where you have guys who are playing multiple spots, and you need guys who can be flexible with the positions that they play. Marcus Garcia‍ can play center to tackle. Connor Carty‍ plays guard, but he could also be a center. Jonte Newman‍ can play either side of the line and play inside at guard. It's always necessary to have that flexibility, especially in the SEC when guys get banged up. Overall, it has been a phenomenal job addressing those needs.
   
• You couldn't have asked for a better performance and weekend from Texas A&M on and off the field as far as a recruiting visit goes. The crowd was phenomenal as always, and that was just a thorough beating that A&M put on Missouri. Going into that game, I thought that it was going to be a close game, but then they put out a performance out there. "There's some steak to that sizzle," to rip off Brauny's saying right there.
   
• You had several big targets on campus. You had McGuire who ended up committing on the spot. He knew he was going to have to commit before he left. We had Lamont Rogers‍ on campus, and I do like the momentum that we have when it comes to recruiting him. Tobi Haastrup‍ is another fast-rising guy, and he is a crazy athlete. We expect A&M to stick around for that one for a long time. This weekend definitely helped A&M when it comes to recruiting.
   
• Daylan McCutcheon‍ visited a couple of weeks ago. He visited with coach Holmon Wiggins and Mike Elko. The feeling was that they wanted to continue to see what the offense looked like. I have not heard a whole lot of movement there lately. I know Texas is very involved. I have heard Miami and Nebraska are involved, as well as Florida State, where he is still committed. He is a player to continue to monitor. He is having a great year at Lucas Lovejoy. The Aggies will continue to monitor and vice-versa. 
   
• Texas A&M will recruit itself to a large degree because of its institution, facilities and fanbase, which it brings to the table every weekend. These are attractive regardless of what is going on on the field. It is a flagship university in a talent-rich state. There will be players who are naturally drawn to Texas A&M.
   
• Last weekend was awesome. It could not have gone any better. 
   
• This is a staff of teachers. They do a phenomenal job showing that on the recruiting trail. Coach Adam Cushing coaches and analyzes players when he comes in on visits. He also has video sessions with guys. He and the rest of the staff break things down in a way that relates to kids. They can grasp and understand things at a high level. That has resonated on the recruiting trail and drawn a number of top prospects. If A&M continues to do what they did on the field Saturday, they will be a player for whoever they want. 
   
• Three new scholarship offers went out to guys that visited this weekend. They are all underclassmen. Nolan Wilson‍, from Picayune, Mississippi, is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end. He did not have any offers going into last week. He picked up his first offer last Monday from Alabama. I want to say he ended the week with eleven offers, all from power programs. He is one to watch in that class. He is twitchy and explosive. The staff extended him an offer after spending some time with him. He enjoyed his time in College Station. He will be making the rounds to several different schools over the next few weeks. The Aggies were able to make a big impression right off the bat. 
   
• Kennedy Brown‍ is a 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle. He is in the 2027 class. His stock has blown up. Since mid-September, he has picked up offers from Texas Tech, UTEP, UTSA, Baylor, Tennessee, and now Texas A&M. This is his first year of varsity football. He has some nasty tape. He is fun to watch. He is nimble and has some power in his punch. The first play of his highlight tape is as impressive as any I have seen on young offensive linemen in a while. He blocked three different players in three different spots, and two were at the same time. That was pretty impressive.‍
   
• Beyond that, Texas A&M had a couple of guys with ties to other Texas universities that are big-time prospects. London Smith‍, out of Waco University, has two parents who both went to Baylor. He and Kaydon Finley‍, out of Aledo in that 2026 class, are both big-time playmaking receivers. Trooper Taylor has some ties with London Smith. Finley's dad is Jermichael Finley. Being in on those guys says a lot about coach Wiggins. They both liked what they saw. 
   
• You had a group visit from Mississippi. Mitchell Smith, Preston Ashley‍, Tyson Robinson‍ and Nolan Wilson were all in town. They all have offers from A&M and are guys to keep an eye on. Tyson Robinson camped at A&M this summer. They all had phenomenal things to say about their experiences this weekend. 
   
• I have to throw my guy Peyton Houston‍ out of Shreveport Evangel. He is a big-time quarterback in that 2027 class. He can whip the ball around the field as well as anyone. He made his way back to College Station. He has been recruited by the Texas A&M staff since the seventh grade.