Report: Texas A&M football picks up transfer portal commitment from Utah center Koli Faaiu
Adam Cushing has been on an absolute tear on the recruiting trail this past week for Texas A&M football. The Aggies have picked up three commitments from high school offensive linemen since last Sunday in Marcus Garcia, Connor Carty, and Jonte Newman. Now, Cushing is starting to reap results from the transfer portal as well.
According to a report from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, the Aggies are set to receive a commitment from center Koli Faaiu from Utah.
Former Utah center Koli Faaiu is set to commit to Texas A&M, his agent Alex Beglinger of Disruptive Sports tells ESPN. He played in 11 games for the Utes last year, starting the final nine.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) April 20, 2024
This is a great pickup for the Aggies. Though a three-star out of high school, Faaiu is a high-quality lineman coming from a program noted for their ability to develop players. Utes fans were not happy to see him go, describing him as a "bright spot" at center.
It's interesting to see this announcement coming from an ESPN reporter who sourced it to a player's agent. That's a much more NFL feel than college—we are obviously more used to commitment graphics and announcements from recruiting outlets than something like this. I guess this is part of the new wave, though—it's probably a smart thing to have an agent navigating these waters.
Former Utah center Koli Faaiu is committing to Texas A&M, his agent Alex Beglinger of Disruptive Sports confirms to @247Sports. Faaiu will not be taking any other visits@ESPNRittenberg first to report#GigEm X @GigEm247 pic.twitter.com/yk1QRExq7g
— Collin Kennedy (@CKennedy247) April 20, 2024
Utah has a reputation for having a physical offensive line; Faaiu stands squarely in that tradition. One of the points of interest here, though, is the depth chart at center now that he will be coming to campus. As I've written about previously, Bryce Foster's time at center has been up and down, and without him participating in the spring, the new coaching staff won't have a great handle on how he'll look in the offense.
Of course, Faaiu didn't participate in spring either. That the Aggies moved so quickly to pick him up tells me that they were dissatisfied with where their depth stood coming out of spring, so I imagine that the competition will mainly be between he and Foster during the fall.
This is a big time get for the Aggies. Faaiu was one of the top offensive linemen available in the portal, and this Texas A&M football staff moved quickly to bring him into the fold. With some of the prospects on campus, I don't think the Aggies are done yet for this weekend either.