One of the most unexpected and happy surprises of the Mike Elko tenure thus far for Texas A&M football is the recruiting dominance that this staff has demonstrated in some of the most prolific talent-producing states in the South. The Aggies have been cleaning up in Florida in this cycle in particular, snagging an unbelievable five of the top seven player from the Sunshine State per the 247Sports Composite rankings.
However, it’s not Florida where the Aggies have had the most success since Mike Elko took over the mantle as head coach for Texas A&M football— it’s Georgia. Texas A&M has been absolutely plundering the Peach State over the past two cycles, winning some big time recruiting battles— and that’s more evident this year than ever before.
Two of the brightest stars in Texas A&M’s class hail from Georgia in five-star safety Kamarui Dorsey and four-star receiver Jaden Upshaw, the nos. 2 and 3 players in the state, according to the 247Sports Composite. A recent graphic put out by Rivals shows the Aggies right at the very top of this list (though they erroneously designate Dorsey as a four-star, when both Rivals’ in-house rankings and their Industry Rankings have him as a five-star):
Top committed recruits in the state of Georgia🍑https://t.co/0YqgAY91Ig pic.twitter.com/eQX0StBtlu
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 8, 2026
This isn’t even to mention commitments like DL Elijah Patmon or QB Jayce Johnson, both of whom many other programs in the country would have loved to have. And then, from the previous cycle, you have names like WR Aaron Gregory, DE Bryce Perry-Wright, EDGE Tristian Givens, and RB Carsyn Baker.
This is a real feather in the cap for Texas A&M and Mike Elko, of course— when you’re reaching down into a state like Georgia and pulling out the top talent, it means you are recruiting like an elite program. However, there is also a warning that Aggie fans should take heed of that comes along with this honor.
Texas A&M fans should celebrate Georgia dominance, but with caution
Something that sticks out pretty strongly form this graphic is the fact that the top-rated Georgia Bulldogs commitment on this list is all the way down at 5th. That’s pretty low for a program that has recruited at a patently elite level this entire run under Kirby Smart, and landed four of the top five in-state recruits only two years ago (all five-stars, by the way).
It’s hard to imagine Kirby Smart and company being okay with the way this list looks right now, and though Georgia’s threat is not as insurmountable as it once seemed, this is still a premier program that needs to be taken pretty seriously by Aggie fans when it comes to recruiting battles.
If Smart decides to go all-out for one of the Aggie commitments here, Texas A&M needs to be ready. We’ve seen big time programs put together pitches like that to shake the Aggies from their top position in several recruitments already this cycle, and Georgia won’t take a backseat to anybody in that department.
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