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

TexAgs' recruiting analyst Ryan Brauninger joined TexAgs Live on Wednesday morning for another edition of Recruiting Country presented by American Momentum Bank, highlighting the latest news and notes from the recruiting trail surrounding Texas A&M.

Key notes from Recruiting Country

• We felt DaQuives Beck‍ was going in A&M’s direction after his teammate KJ Edwards‍ committed. The Aggies have a linebacker from an incredible program in Carthage. He made a ton of plays in the state championship game. That’s where I was unsure about Beck as a prospect, until that performance in the state championship game. This is the start of an off-ball linebacker class with him and Storm Miller‍ that can only get better. Upcoming decisions from Tank King‍ and Tamarion Watkins‍, and you could be looking at a four-linebacker class for Jay Bateman. What are numbers nowadays, and what do they matter? A lot of these players… You might have seven scholarship linebackers you feel good about, and ten months later, you have two. I don’t worry about the numbers, but if you think these kids can be good players and make an impact, you take them.
   
• I do wonder if some player movement is curtailed by the House settlement. Until it does, you have to recruit like it won’t. Recruit under what you know to be true… Get as many of the best players as you can. Look at tight end. They have two committed, and I put out a note on another tight end, Evan Jacobson‍, who could be making a decision soon. The staff is not super worried about having one more than we thought we needed.
   
• The crux of my article yesterday was what Mike Elko did last year when he got here. In the first month, he was on the road constantly, driving himself to high schools and the Texas High School Coaches Association. Not having a driver, doing it himself and making calls for staff members and recruiting. Look at where it all started when he got here. There were some people who had questions about him as a recruiter, and those have to be put to bed now. What he’s shown as a recruiter has been phenomenal, and it started when he was laying the groundwork.
   
• The 2024 class was scramble mode, but they still signed Terry Bussey and Myles Davis, who look like key contributors. They got some late recruitments in the transition class. The 2025 class is starting behind in terms of relationships, but we always pointed to 2026 as being even footing with competitors. They have the relationships and trust with decision-makers in the recruitment. They’ve shown that they’ve put the time and effort into that. They have also reinvigorated official visits and the media product coming out of them. You have to tip your cap to Elko and the organization for putting themselves in this position.
   
• Kaeden Johnson‍stands out the most to me. Every time he posts something on social media, that's 6-foot-7, 230 pounds moving like that. Nobody in Texas had the forethought to evaluate him as something other than a quarterback, except for Texas A&M. People are catching on now, so A&M will probably have to ward off some competitors. I think they’ll hold on. I think he’s a good kid, and his family appreciates A&M recruiting him at a different level than everybody else.
   
• You go back to Nelson McGuire in the 2025 class, a later evaluation, but nothing but praise for that kid since he arrived. They’re doing this across the country.
   
• Getting Caleb Tafua‍, who has offers all across the country... We’re also combing through all these kids in California, Florida or Texas, and we use our player model to make sure we don’t overlook a player. It’s a big week for A&M, and if they’re on the right side of a lot of decisions this month, how do you not give Elko and his staff an A-plus?
   
• David Nuño, can you not shave your beard during vacation? I want you to come back full salt and pepper. You don’t have to come on air, but take a photo. If you do that, I will completely shave my face.
   
• Tank King‍ and Boobie Feaster‍ have been equally pegged on the top of the board for a long time. It feels like King is coming down to A&M, Michigan, Texas and Notre Dame. I think A&M has been in the catbird seat for a while, and I don’t anticipate that changing. King has gone media silent since his official visits, and this would be a nice boost for the class and in-state perception. His name carries some weight.
   
• Just like Feaster, they’ve been on the radar for so long. Feaster was getting offers in the seventh or eighth grade. He’s making his decision on July 4, as well. A&M and USC seem like the two leaders. I’d lean toward A&M, but it’s not enough to make me certain. USC has the No. 1 recruiting class with 30 commitments, and A&M’s chasing them, so they’re a real threat for Feaster. To me, when I look at that recruitment, it’s a Texas kid that A&M has been on for so long. It’s a DeSoto kid with the connection to Von Miller and Tony Jerod-Eddie on staff, and Ar’maj Reed-Adams and Deondrae Riden. That’s why I’m leaning A&M’s way.
   
• Bryce Perry-Wright‍ will decide on July 5. Two days ago, I would have said Clemson for him. Now, I think A&M definitely has a real chance there.