Texas A&M Football: Implications of losing top 2023 QB commit

For the Texas A&M football team, there hasn’t been much bad recruiting news in recent memory. The Aggies finished with the greatest-ever recruiting class for their 2022 cycle, led by seven five-star commitments. It’s the type of class that could send the Aggies into the next echelon of college football.

And to start 2023, it looked like that momentum was ready to continue, as the Aggies had another top ten class that looked like it could threaten for the top spot again. Unfortunately, you’ll notice that I’m speaking in the past tense.

This past weekend, Texas A&M lost a commitment from its top overall 2023 prospect and by a mile, its most important commit in the cycle so far. That commit is Eli Holstein, a high-four-star quarterback out of Zachary, Louisiana. Holstein holds offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, etc.

What does the Texas A&M football team’s 2023 recruiting loss imply for the future?

To me, this lost commitment shouldn’t be something to worry about. Jimbo Fisher isn’t the type of coach who would simply let a player slide out of his grasp. There’s more to this.

It’s never great to have a cycle without a quarterback commitment, but Texas A&M’s young talent at that position is impressive. Take your pick — Conner Weigman and Haynes King are among the most promising young passers in the country.

It’s hard to say what the long-term play looks like here but after a 2021 football season that saw the Aggies struggle with depth under center, it seems very unlikely that the 2023 class will not have a quarterback commitment.

As things stand, there are a few other passers in Jimbo Fisher’s sights. Nobody else looks like an A&M lean, but the Aggies have extended offers to Malachi Nelson, Nicholaus Iamaleava, Marcel Reed, and Marquis Roby Jr. Nelson is a five-star prospects while Iamaleava and Reed are four-star prospects. Roby Jr. is a three-star prospect.

Expect the Aggies to pick up some steam with other recruits as this cycle continues, as the loss of Holstein will be felt in this cycle. The former Aggie commit had moved all the way into the top-60, ranked as the 8th-best quarterback in his class.