Texas A&M's defensive backfield was an issue last year— one that will hopefully be fixed by the addition of new coach Lyle Hemphill. There's plenty of skill on the back end for the Aggies— Bryce Anderson and Dalton Brooks were both highly-rated coming out of high school— but they haven't quite performed to expectations all the time.
Both will be able to move on to the NFL after this season, raising questions about who will succeed them. The Aggies have some options, such as Myles Davis (who has been making a lot of noise this spring) and Jordan Pride, but until then, it's an open question.
Fortunately for A&M, they're in on some pretty high-end safety talent in this current recruiting class— the kind of guys that will be able to start on day one. One five-star, Jireh Edwards, just released his top six schools, and the Aggies made the cut.
Texas A&M football makes top five for five-star 2026 safety Jireh Edwards
Edwards, a prospect out of Maryland, is a nationwide recruiting battle that is beginning to heat up in a big way. You can see the coast-to-coast nature of his recruitment in the finalists on the list below:
BREAKING: Five-Star Safety Jireh Edwards is down to Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Auburn, Florida, and Texas A&M, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 28, 2025
The No. 2 Safety in the ‘26 Class will announce his Commitment on July 5th
Where Should He Go? 👀https://t.co/ESr4XwxInV pic.twitter.com/xO7G3MGe8b
This is yet another high-leverage prospect who is announcing in early July, which will be a massive time on the recruiting calendar for the Aggies, one way or another. Five-star after five-star has set their commitment dates for that timeframe: WR Ethan Feaster, ATH Brandon Arrington, ATH Lamar Brown, DE Jamarion Carlton, and CB Dorian Barney are all set to make announcements in the first five days of July.
It is unlikely that the Aggies will land each and every one of these players, but they have a solid shot at all of them. It's no exaggeration to say that the fate of the Aggies' class will be shaped in that stretch of time.
The Ags will have their work cut out for them with Edwards, given their competition, but these are the big time battles that A&M needs to be able to win. Time will tell if they have the ability to do so.