Texas A&M has just received a commitment from five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, following weeks of growing momentum for the maroon and white. The Aggies managed to win out for Matthews over the home town Miami Hurricanes, who have been after the nation's top offensive lineman for years now.
That's not to say that Miami didn't make this an interesting race over the last few days. The Hurricanes have pulled out all the stops to attempt to keep Matthews in South Florida, and they won't stop just because he's given his verbal commitment to the Aggies. That said, this is a commitment that has real staying power thanks to the work of Adam Cushing and Mike Elko on the trail so far this year.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this completely reshapes the recruiting landscape in the nation for this upcoming class. Matthews was a homegrown talent for the Hurricanes who registered as a top-three player in the country, and at a position where Mario Cristobal specializes as well in a cycle where the Hurricanes just played for the national championship. Imagine beating out peak Nick Saban for a five-star defensive back who just so happened to be a resident of Tuscaloosa— that's what we're talking about here.
This is a flex that every team in the country will be taking notice of, in other words. This is not something that happens every cycle— this is a national championship level-program on the rise announcing themselves in a massive fashion.
Texas A&M pries away five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews from Miami Hurricanes
Matthews is the fourth offensive line commitment for Texas A&M this cycle, joining fellow five-star Kennedy Brown, who pledged to the Aggies in late April, as well as DeMarrion Johnson (who the Longhorns have been trying hard to flip) and Kaeden Scott.
That is an elite enough class already, but the Aggies are not yet done. Texas A&M still is in on high-level prospects like Albert Simien and Ismael Camara— both of whom are five-star recruits— and others. Simien will be a tough battle against the in-state LSU Tigers, and you can bet that the Longhorns will do everything they can to land Camara, but Texas A&M has done a fantastic job in both of these recruitments.
Matthews is the nation's top tackle for a reason, however: he's the biggest prize of the cycle. Every program in the country was tripping over themselves for a chance to have a seat at the table, but it was the Aggies who outpaced the competition and crossed the finish line first. Mike Elko has effectively erased all questions about his recruiting prowess by this point, which was the biggest gripe fans had when he got the job— things are trending up in a big way.
The Aggies further their grip on the no. 1 overall class with this commitment and are getting to a place where it seems impossible for any of their competitors to shake them from that spot. The Aggies are trending towards a historic finish, and it is beginning to look like no one can stop them. Their average commit rating is leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else right now, and it's only getting better.
Mike Elko and company are building something special in College Station— the addition of Matthews to this group further testifies to that fact. The offensive front will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come in Aggieland thanks to additions just like this.
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