Texas A&M is returning a lot of production for 2025, but one area where they'll need some young players to step up in a big way is along the defensive line. One of the key names that will need to make some noise there is former five-star David "DJ" Hicks, who signed with the Aggies in the class of 2023.
Since that time, Hicks has seen some on-and-off playing time for A&M, but hasn't quite broken through yet. Now, though, all attention is on him, and he'll be one of the most important players this year for the Aggies' squad.
As such, you can expect that he commands some significant NIL contracts— that's the way college football works nowadays, after all. But yesterday, Hicks showcased that he's willing to give back part of what he's earned in a big way.
David "DJ" Hicks gives back by donating ten grand to former high school
Hicks started off his high school career playing for Allen High School, north of Dallas, but closed out playing for Katy Paetow down in Houston. DJ decided to give back with a five-figure donation to the school, which was made public yesterday.
Cool to see: Texas A&M defense tackle DJ Hicks donated $10,000 to his old high school (Katy Paetow) today.
— Jaxson Callaway (AT) (@AggiesToday) May 10, 2025
His father is the head football coach for the Panthers, where DJ played his senior year of football at before signing with the Aggies. pic.twitter.com/6cL1N4gFtB
DJ's dad is the head coach at Paetow, so he obviously still has some strong connections to the school. College Station is not far from Katy at all, so it's not hard to imagine that Hicks is there regularly to see his dad, watch practices, etc.
Even with the level of contracts that players reportedly are receiving nowadays, it's not easy to give back to this degree. When we see players doing so, it deserves to be congratulated— way to go, DJ!