Texas A&M in contention for first No. 1 recruiting class since 2022

Mike Elko - Texas A&M Football

Coming off its first College Football Playoff appearance, Texas A&M continues to hit the accelerator on the recruiting trail.

Earlier this month, the Aggies secured their second five-star commitment of the cycle in EDGE Zyron Forstall out of IMG Academy in Florida. His addition, which was the first for A&M since January, also vaulted them into the No. 1 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. It’s a position they haven’t been in since 2022, when Jimbo Fisher and Co. signed what’s still the highest-rated class ever in the recruiting media era.

Mike Elko and his staff are looking for better results than that group had, with Forstall and five-star safety Kamarui Dorsey as the two headliners. Elko’s early success in College Station has been a huge selling point to both.

“I feel like I fit perfectly in Texas A&M’s defense,” Forstall told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman. “We went over a few defensive schemes that I really feel like I can play in that defense and dominate. It’s an SEC school, and it’s one of my dreams to play in the SEC. It’s one of the harder conferences, so really just to get that challenge, and get prepared for the NFL and great relationships with Coach Elko, Coach Mason, Coach Tony, Coach E.”

Maybe even more impressive is that Forstall is the 10th blue-chip commitment this cycle for the Aggies, who are focusing heavily on quality over quantity under Elko. In 2026, the Aggies signed 27 players, with 22 of them being ranked four- or five-star prospects.

Their lone three-star commit this cycle, cornerback Hakim Frampton, sits just outside of blue-chip status.

Aggies building in the trenches

One of Elko’s other big priorities when he took over, outside of improving the roster talent, was stacking talent and depth along the offensive and defensive lines. They’ve done that in each of the past two classes, and appear poised to do so again in 2027.

Already they have five commitments from blue-chip players in the trenches, headlined by Forstall and elite defensive lineman Myels Smith, who Rivals ranks as a top-35 prospect nationally. Rivals top-100 interior mauler Elijah Patmon is in the fold, as well as coveted edge rusher Kaden McCarty.

On the offensive side are a pair of four-star bookend tackles in Kaeden Scott and DeMarrion Johnson — both hailing from inside the state.

No one is happier about than than blue-chip quarterback commit Jayce Johnson, the No. 11 passer in this class. Johnson was the first to commit this cycle back on August 3, and he got the ball rolling to build around. He, along with their trio of elite defensive back pledges, makes Texas A&M one of two schools with with five top-100 commitments thus far.