Texas A&M football picks up commitment from priority 2026 recruit to kick off cycle

Texas A&M football picks up first commitment in 2026 cycle from priority safety Markel Ford

Texas A&M football has been exceedingly organized and future-focused since Mike Elko arrived in College Station, and another evidence of that manifested itself today. Safety Markel Ford, one of the staff's top recruits for some time, announced today that he was committing to Texas A&M.

Ford has been on this staff's radar for quite some time, and is considered a top recruit in the state of Texas, even if national services haven't quite caught up yet. For example, though 247Sports has him rated as a three-star in their in-house ratings, Dan Campbell's Texas Football refers to him as an "elite four-star" and projects him to "be one of the highest-rated porospects in the nation."

The Aggies won out in this recruyitment over Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, and others. That's an offer list that should tell you something about this kid's stature in the recruiting world, if nothing else. As a sophomore, Ford racked up 56 tackles, 4 INTs, and 7 TFLs at Mesquite High School, earning himself the Defensive Newcomer of the Year award in his region and classification.

His provenance is notable for another reason. One of the top recruits on the baord for the Aggies in this current cycle, OT Lamont Rogers, is a teammate of Ford's up in Mesquite. With a decision likely coming soon for Rogers, having that teammate connection can only work in the favor of Texas A&M football.

This is a solid way to kick off the 2026 recruiting class in Aggieland. It projects to be more of a national class than Texas-focused, just due to the general dispersal of talent across the nation, so that makes locking down the priority in-state guys even more of a big deal. This is a good sign that the Aggies are on their way to doing just that.