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 

• Over the weekend, the big pickup for the Ags was Amari Niblack. He brings a lot of the great size, 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds. Known mainly as a pass catcher at the tight end position and is a big target. He had a really great 2023 at Alabama. He set himself apart and made some pretty big plays there. Last year, he didn't get a lot of great opportunities at Texas.
   
• The relationship there with Coach Holmon Wiggins, who helped recruit him to Tuscaloosa to begin with, and the ability as a pass catcher were a couple of things that immediately caught A&M's eye. After entering the portal, he took his only visit to Texas A&M. It was a done deal before the weekend was over. A&M got in and made hay pretty quickly to land a guy that makes the roster a little bit better.
   
• You got to feel good about the weapons you have there. You have some versatility. You have some guys that can do a little bit of everything and some guys that can sub into different packages. I know Collin Klein likes to use that tight end, and he's definitely got some weapons there.
   
• Niblack's been at three different schools now, but this is the day and age we're living in. You've got guys moving around and looking for their best opportunity. You've got teams pushing guys out. It's a two-way door, not just a one-way street there. Niblack's relationship with the coaches and the history of knowing what he brings to the table definitely helps. The demeanor and type of guy he is helps to ease any worries.
   
• He's a big target. A&M was in the market for a big target, whether a receiver or a tight end. Niblack gives them something in that form. It was a big need. You see Noah Thomas leave, you need to try and address it. I'm not saying this is a one-for-one kind of comparison, but he is a big target known for his receiving ability and a guy you can flex out. Marcel Reed can easily find him out there with that size.
   
• A&M is probably still looking at receiver and defensive line. They'd like to add a body or two there. If the right kind of person hits the portal, then it would draw an eye. There are no known targets just yet. More than likely, it's going to be the spring portal window before new additions are added.
   
• I think going in, A&M wanted to hit receiver and defensive line in particular. They gave it everything they could. They tried to address those, and I think they got some really good additions at both of those positions. I still think you're looking for a piece or two at both as the dust settles, and you look towards the spring. Overall, I think they did a really good job at keeping key contributors from going into the portal. Then they brought in some guys that can really help and add to the roster. 
   
• That defensive back group they brought in, you've got some real players there that can make some waves fairly early. You've got some EDGE guys. You've got some intriguing pieces on the defensive line. You add experience at quarterback right off the bat, which I think was also a big need.
   
• They hit the ground running, so I give them a solid B, and we'll see what happens in the spring, maybe an addition or two there. Overall, they did a really good job of being flexible with the portal and moving with the ebbs and flows, getting guys on campus and making things happen when they had the opportunity.
   
• The next portal window is not quite as long, and there are more restrictions. You won't see guys moving from SEC team to SEC team. The way these rules change, who knows? It seems like every day there's a new thing that's happening that changes the dynamic of the whole deal. Right now, I think it's 15 days. You have the grad transfers that are always eligible. It's fun times in college football.
   
• The most recent Junior Day went really well. They had 11 states represented with 22 prospects. It was a small group of really top-notch prospects and key targets. A lot of these national guys are prospects that are making their way back, so these are return visitors. You've got some guys who are really interested, but you also had guys like Nick Abrams II‍, a stud linebacker out of Maryland who was making his first trip.
   
• When it comes to linebacker prospects around the country, keep an eye on Abrams II. He's rated about a mid-level four-star right now. I have a feeling his stock is rising. I know A&M let him know how much of a priority he was. Jay Bateman basically told him, "If I could draw up a linebacker, you're that guy. You have the size. You have the speed, the quickness, and all that stuff that we look for." He definitely shows it on tape. After his visit, this was his first trip, he said, "I'm coming back." A&M made a strong impression there.
   
• They had Trashawn Ruffin‍ back in town. One of the things that happened was he said, "Oh, I'm still looking at my options." This weekend, in an interview, he shut that door big time. A&M is his home, and he loves everything about A&M. He couldn't have said more emphatically how much he is not only locked in with the Aggies but how much he loves the staff and what Coach Tony Jerod-Eddie and Coach Sean Spencer are doing out there on the defensive line. Coach Mike Elko, in particular. He mentioned Derek Miller, the GM who has played a significant role there.
   
• There were a number of guys, 22 total prospects, and every one of them left holding an offer from Texas A&M, and all of them came in with multiple offers from across the country. The 2026s and 2027s, all of them got a lot of great attention from the staff. No new commitments, but that wasn't necessarily the focus. This was about furthering relationships. Every one of these guys talked about coming back for another visit, which is exactly what you want. Let them know what A&M's about, get them back around the staff, and get them excited about coming back.
   
• A&M has made some inroads with some top targets in Louisana. This year, they're definitely looking at a national group, and it showed in both Junior Days. You also had a strong group from the state of Texas, so they're not leaving the state of Texas. Nine prospects from the state of Texas. You had Florida and Georgia in there. North Carolina was represented by Ruffin. You had a couple of guys from New Jersey, both from Bergen Catholic, one of the top programs up there in New Jersey and the Northeast. Overall, it was a showing of the efforts that Elko and his staff are making to continue the work of making A&M a national brand.
   
• Credit goes to former defensive line coach Elijah Robinson, who helped those efforts, but a head coach named Mike Elko also has some really strong Northeast ties and knows a thing or two about recruiting in that area. They continue to bring that talent down.
   
• There was only one California prospect in town. Don't sleep on Richard Wesley‍. He's a defensive end, and I think he's already about 6-foot-5, 260 pounds in the 2027 class with everybody on him. Getting him to town was a major accomplishment. It sounds like the Aggies will be a team that continues to draw his attention over the next few years. That California pipeline and getting in on another big-time target out of the West Coast.
   
• Jayce Johnson‍ is a Valdosta, Georgia quarterback who is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. He had 1,800 yards passing, 16 touchdowns and three picks last year. He's seen his stock rise over the year. You see his highlight reel, and he's got a strong arm, a quick release, and he's a big dude back there compared to his competition. He's a young kid. He's been on the radar of college programs since before his eighth grade year.
   
• Johnson is going to be a national prospect, and A&M getting him on campus, jumping in the mix and making that offer in person are a few things they did to leave an impression. Coach Klein and the Aggies are going to give him a good look, and I expect him to be one of the guys they watch closely in that 2027 class.

• It's looking like there are gonna be more out-of-state guys in this class.

• Jabari Mack‍ was in town, and he is a guy that A&M is right there in the mix for. Texas, LSU and one other school were really coming on strong. He's got a top 10. He was talking about making it back to College Station this spring. I look for the Aggies to get an official visit there when the time comes.

• Mack's looking at a decision in April. He gave a window of April to July that he's still trying to figure it out. He is looking at a preseason decision. He loved his visit. He loved how Elko showed his family just as much attention as they did him and how much his family enjoyed being back in College Station. He has made multiple trips, and he talked about knowing guys on both sides of the A&M-LSU basketball game and how cool it was watching that atmosphere. It made another big impression there.

• Colin Klein was visiting Helaman Casuga‍’s family. They made sure to give Klein a Hawaiian feast when he was in town. They had some short Teriyaki spare ribs. I actually just caught up with him, and we have an interview with him where he talks about his rehab process in the spring. He suffered a Lisfranc injury in the first of the season. There's a video out there of him throwing around the football that he posted this morning, so he's making some waves. We talked about Jerome Myles‍, who played a big role in helping to recruit to A&M, so he is excited for his future in Aggieland, and he definitely rolled out the red carpet for coach Klein.

• JD Edwards‍ still has a bit to go as a 2028, but he shows a lot of potential there as an all-purpose receiver, running back type. KJ Edwards‍ has been on the radar since his freshman year. Trooper Taylor went by there, and A&M has made him one of the top running back targets in this class. If you're looking for a position that is going to be in-state heavy, I think running back is probably right up there on the list right up there with guys like KJ, Jonathan Hatton Jr‍ and some of the other guys out there.

• KJ was telling me how much he loved seeing Coach Trooper Taylor, the energy he brings and getting a sit down and meet with him. I think his next trip is going to be this Texas Junior Day coming up this weekend. It doesn't have anything locked in for A&M, but I look for that to change over the next few weeks and over the course of the spring.

• I just talked to Dez Bryant Jr‍’s trainer out here, and I was told he's not the biggest guy. He was listed as 5-foot-10,160 pounds. He played varsity this year, so he's got varsity experience and the book on him. He has really strong hands. He does a great job in traffic making those contested catches. He may not be the biggest guy, but he is hard to tackle, and people don't want to get near him when he's on the run. He brings a lot to the table.

• Bryant Jr. is a 2028 out of Colleyville Heritage High School. A&M was the first to put an offer on the table for a guy who is sure to continue his rise already working with older guys. You can expect to hear Dez Bryant Jr. more than a few times over the next couple of years. He's like a puppy. He's still got plenty of room to grow. I don't expect that size to stay the same. His dad was plenty big, and he may not be as big, but I'm sure he'll be just fine.

• Me and Cade Draughon are going to a couple of camps. We got Next Level Athlete. That's always one of our favorite camps. We get a lot of headshots. We see a lot of guys that are really starting to jump into the recruiting process as far as picking up steam.

• I have an interview coming up with KJ Edwards as well today, and we are continuing to track down some of these guys who have been in town the last few weeks and some of the guys that A&M has visited.

• I hear there is a big visit today to see Jackson Cantwell‍, a five-star who was recently in town for the January 11 Junior Day. There are a lot of things brewing, and we're continuing to track the movements over across the street as they hit the road and make waves on the recruiting trail.