Lane Kiffin 'closing fast' on 5-star Texas A&M target could be trouble for Mike Elko

Texas A&M's recruiting class for the 2027 cycle is already at an extremely elite level, even with only 21 commits in the boat and many elite players still yet to announce their decisions. One player that amny had counted as good as in the class, though, may be trending towards a hated foe.

Albert Simien, a five-star interior offensive lineman from Lake Charles, LA, has been predicted to land with the Aggies since last fall, but with a decision date coming up soon, it could well be that the in-state LSU Tigers have made a move that no one was expecting. You can never count out the Tigers with an in-state five-star player, but it looked for some time like LSU and Kiffin were running well behind Texas A&M and Notre Dame in this one.

Now, though, according to a report from Rivals, LSU is "surging" for Simien late in the game. Texas A&M fans feel like they've seen this movie before— and it has never ended well.

Texas A&M football fans shaken by report that LSU is surging for five-star Albert Simien

The Aggie faithful can't help but think of last year's saga with Lamar Brown, a five-star defensive lineman from Baton Rouge, who seemed extremely high on the Aggies right up until he wasn't. In fact, it seemed like LSU was not even that much of a factor for Brown early on, and he was possibly looking to get out of state, but then when the press came from the Bayou Bengals, it was over for everyone else.

Are we seeing this same thing play out with Simien? While Texas A&M fans hope that's not the case, you can never count out the Tigers in something like this. A&M has held the momentum and set the pace for most of this recruitment, but with the Tigers whiffing big on players like Jaiden Bryant, it could be that they have decided to put an extreme full-court press on for Simien.

If the Aggies don't get Simien, they still have a pretty great commit class at offensive line. DeMarrion Johnson, Kaeden Scott, Mark Matthews, and Kennedy Brown is an elite four-man group, with a great mix of starter-ready and developmental prospects in there. However, Simien has been the prize for an interior offensive lineman this entire cycle, so it would certainly be a disappointment.

With the news that five-star LB Kaden Henderson is leaning towards Notre Dame recently hitting, Aggie fans can't help but feel that this is yet another shot across the bow of the Aggies' momentum. LSU could hardly stand to see Texas A&M surging in the way that they are, and Kiffin could be taking this recruitment personally— with Ed O on staff, too, that looks even more formidable.

If that's what's happening, then Texas A&M and Mike Elko are certainly in a bit of trouble. Fans ought to buckle up— this is about to be a pretty wild close to a recruitment that seemed like it was over and done with before this.

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