Texas A&M football caps off defensive line haul with huge head-to-head win over Texas

Texas A&M football outlasts Alabama, Michigan, and huge push from Texas to land explosive DL DJ Sanders

Yesterday was almost a terrible day for Texas A&M football on the recruiting front. The Aggies had faded in the Kaliq Lockett race as the Longhorns pushed their chips to the center of the table, and there were murmurings that Texas had also pulled ahead in the recruitment of the top DL target in the state, DJ Sanders.

Sanders, a hulking defensive lineman out of Bellville, Texas, is—by all accounts—a pretty quiet guy. He’s one that’s hard to get a read on in a lot of ways, but the Aggie insiders had always felt pretty good about A&M’s chances with him.

However, as the Longhorns’ recruiting continued to flounder, they grew more and more desperate. After losing out on Dakorien Moore, they pushed as hard as possible for Lockett; after striking out on multiple DL targets, they were now zeroing on Sanders.

Recruiting in the world of NIL is hugely different in many respects than it was beforehand, and Texas has a reputation for being one of the biggest spenders out there. When they decide to start zeroing in on a target, in other words, sometimes the best strategy is to wait to make a move until later.

It was beginning to look as if this was the tack Texas A&M football would need to take in both the Lockett and Sanders recruitments. Instead, late last night, an announcement came suddenly out of Bellville; Sanders had committed to Texas A&M.

It looks as if the long relationship the Aggies had cultivated with Sanders paid off after all. Being a small-town kid only an hour from College Station, the Ags were an early presence in his recruitment, before he shot up the recruiting boards.

To be clear, it’s extremely possible that Sanders is not done rising up the ranks, either. Since he doesn’t compete in 6A football or participate much on the camp circuit, rankings aficionados usually slot him lower than they would otherwise. 

Make no mistake, though—Sanders is every bit of a five-star talent. His combination of explosiveness and agility at his size is extremely rare. If you don’t believe me, just watch his tape—it’s some of the most impressive you’ll see.

This is a huge recruiting win for the Aggies. This was a heavyweight bout where Elko and Sean Spencer came out on top, and it caps off a huge defensive line haul for the Ags. The attention of A&M fans now turns to the announcements of Michael Fasusi and Jonah Williams later this month—which could well be another split between the Maroon and White and the burnt orange.