Texas A&M Football: Versatile OT Signee Robert Bourdon Could Prove to be Steal

Mike Elko Draws on Previous Relationships to Land Robert Bourdon for Texas A&M Football

Texas A&M football, despite signing a smaller class, had added a great amount of exciting talent across the board after the 2024 early signing period. That said, there was a lot made of the receivers that they lost to decommitment after Dameyune Craig's departure, as well as the defensive linemen that looked elsewhere after Elijah Robinson left.

One position group that didn't get as much attention, but similarly saw a few decommits, was offensive line. Previous pledges Weston Davis and Coen Echols both decided to go with LSU instead—though, it should be said, Davis had decommitted prior to Jimbo leaving and insiders have mentioned that Echols was a prospect for which the new staff didn't make a huge push.

Be that as it may, that still left the Aggies with three signees. Now, those are three great signees—Blake Ivy, Papa Ahfua, and Ashton Funk would form a high-level core at the position at any school—but if Aggie fans know anything by now about the offensive line, it's that quality depth is of paramount importance.

That's part of what makes this late addition of Robert Bourdon so exciting. An unheralded three-star out of Tennessee, Bourdon wasn't on the radar of the previous staff. For Elko's Duke staff, though, he was a high priority. When Elko and OL coach Adam Cushing made the switch over to College Station, though, they kept him high on their list.

That's telling in a couple of ways. We've seen that Elko and the rest of the Texas A&M football staffers he brought over from Durham didn't do much in the way of pursuing previous players or commitments. They know that they are able to get a higher caliber of athlete, generally speaking, to College Station than they could to Durham.

Even with that reality in mind, though, they kept after Bourdon. A 6'6", 295 LB lacrosse player, he has shown the agility and athletic versatility that are coveted traits in tackle prospects. In fairness, he will likely end up as a longer-term, developmental guy, so we may not see him take the field from the first moment he gets on campus.

Even if he does stay on the bench for the first few years, this is still an exciting signing given how he projects. Under the tutelage of Cushing and the development of S&C legend Tommy Moffitt, Bourdon has a chance to be a great player for this Texas A&M football team. This was a great evaluation and close by Mike Elko's staff.