Texas A&M has gotten off to quite the start in the 2027 recruiting class, and they are angling for a nation-leading finish, if all the signals we are seeing do indeed come to fruition. Texas A&M could easily end up as the nation's top recruiting class this cycle, but as we saw in 2022, just because you compile a huge number of highly-rated players doesn't mean you've signed a class that fits your needs.
Fortunately, Mike Elko is the ultimate strategist when it comes to these kinds of things. We've seen time and time again that he prioritizes fit over big name splashes in the portal, and it's reaped quite the rewards so far in his tenure in College Station.
Here are three areas that Elko has to make sure are squared away for Texas A&M in the upcoming recruiting class.
Three areas that Mike Elko needs to fortify in a big way for Texas A&M's 2027 recruiting class
No. 3: Defensive Back
This is one that I think we can pretty safely say that the head man has sufficiently addressed. The Aggies have three five-star defensive backs committed at the moment, and they are working on two more— likely, only one of those two will end up in the class, but they are at or near the top for both.
The Aggies are set to lose almost their entire secondary after this year. Dezz Ricks, Rickey Gibson, Julio Humphrey, Dalton Brooks, Tawfiq Byard, Bryce Anderson, and Marcus Ratcliffe will all be out the door— that's quite a lot of experience headed out. Elko has to make sure the cupboard is full going forward.
That said, the Aggies have some bright young talent already on campus. Brandon Arrington is the best example here, as he has already shined in the spring game, but somewhat forgotten players like Rashad Johnson will no doubt have their day in the sun as well.
All things considered, though, barring a bunch of flips, the Aggies are in a great spot right now. Elko will no doubt snag some talent through the portal as well, but the future looks very bright here.
No. 2: Edge rusher
Texas A&M looks like they hit it big with Anto Saka out of the transfer portal for this upcoming year, but he will be a one and done player. Marco Jones will have a lot to say about the position going forward, but Elko will need to back fill this one in a big way.
Maybe that's still because we are in the post-Cashius Howell era right now, but there is a certainly a need that Aggie fans are feeling to add to this position. Zyron Forstall, a five-star at the edge rusher position, is a big boost here, but the Aggies are hopefully looking to add more than one.
Kaden Henderson, a five-star linebacker that the Aggies are sitting in a great position for, is a target who could fill this role, though likely not as a full-time rusher. If he and Forstall both end up in the class, though, it will be quite the haul.
Don't sleep on Kaden McCarty, either— the current Aggie commit is one of the top pass rushers in the state of Texas and figures to make an impact early when he arrives on campus. The Aggies are getting close to having this position figured out as well.
No. 1: Quarterback
This is the million dollar question. The Aggies picked up a commitment from quarterback Jayce Johnson when he was a top-50 player in the nation and Collin Klein was the offensive coordinator. Johnson has dropped in the ratings since then after a few camp circuits and a season of experience, and Klein has moved on.
This was a guy that Klein had hand-picked as his choice at signal caller for the upcoming season. The Aggies are sticking with him for the moment, but is he the answer moving forward?
There's already quite a bit of chatter about what the position will look like in a post-Marcel Reed world. Ever since the portal really got crazy, Texas A&M has not had to go big fish hunting for a quarterback, but if their options are Brady Hart and Jayce Johnson next offseason, then they may just have to do that.
There's a lot of potential with Johnson, is the point, but he needs to develop more for Aggie fans to feel good about what he can do in the maroon and white. We'll see how this unfolds going forward.
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