Loyola Marymount transfer forward Jalen Shelley commits to A&M hoops

Former Loyola Marymount forward Jalen Shelley has announced his commitment to Texas A&M.

At 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, Shelley averaged 13.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a sophomore for the Lions. He shot 45.7 percent from the field, 28.7 percent from 3-point range and 70.4 percent at the free-throw line.

Shelley is the athletic, long wing the Aggies need to complete the middle of their lineup. The Little Elm native is a target they’ve been watching all season and have prioritized since the portal opened. The former four-star recruit was the No. 3 player in Texas in the class of 2024 and a top-90 prospect overall. He committed to Arkansas and then followed Eric Musselman to USC, but after playing sparingly, Shelley transferred to Loyola Marymount, where he thrived.

Shelley finished inside the top-15 in the WCC in points per game, rebounds per game, defensive rebounds, free throw percentage, two-point field goal percentage, free throw attempts, defensive rebound percentage, block percentage and points produced per game.

Don’t be fooled by the sub-29 percent 3-point shooting mark. This staff believes Shelley is an improving 3-point shooter that they can continue to develop to stretch the floor. He shot 32 percent from deep in WCC play on 3.4 attempts per game. With plenty of shooters around him, A&M doesn’t need him to be a high-volume shooter. The Aggies need his role to be slashing downhill, rebounding, playing physical defense and using his athleticism to impact the game with occasional three-point shooting.

Shelley helps complete a size overhaul for the shortest team in the SEC last year. After 6-foot-9 Mackenzie Mgbako went down with a season-ending injury, only one player taller than 6-foot-7 played more than eight minutes per game in 2026, and it was 6-foot-11 Zach Clemence.

Playing so much small ball put a ton of pressure on 6-foot-7 Rashaun Agee to man the front court, but now the Aggies won't be challenged vertically. This upcoming year, Bucky McMillan expects to have five contributors taller than 6-foot-7:

• Jalen Shelley - 6-foot-8
• Mackenzie Mgbako - 6-foot-9
• Cade Phillips - 6-foot-9
• Zach Clemence - 6-foot-11
• Jamie Vinson - 6-foot-11

Shelley went on a visit to College Station over the weekend, and he committed to McMillan and the Aggies over Virginia and Vanderbilt.

He arrives in Aggieland with two years of eligibility left.