Texas A&M does not often find themselves in high school recruiting battles against the Missouri Tigers, but when they have gone against Eli Drinkwitz and company on the trail for high-leverage targets, the record has been pretty good for the Aggies under Mike Elko. Two notable flips for A&M from Missouri under the current regime, Lamont Rogers and Jamarion Morrow, have become real contributors for the Aggies this season (despite the latter's injury) and will play a big factor in this game.
Morrow was a signing-day flip for Texas A&M after Elko's first season. Texas A&M was not a big player in his recruitment for a while, but when Trooper Taylor and this Aggie staff zeroed in on the man who now wears no. 2 in the Maroon and White, it was curtains for the competitors.
Rogers was a bit of a different story. The Aggies were after him hard early on, and many thought that he would end up committing to Mike Elko's program quickly in that 2025 cycle. However, Missouri came in out of nowhere, and the Aggies ended up holding the bag after his initial commitment.
Texas A&M's pair of former Missouri commits will be key in this weekend's upset bid
Adam Cushing and the Aggies didn't give up, however— and a massive win over the Missouri Tigers that 2024 season, one for which Rogers was in the stands, helped quite a bit. Rogers, one of three five-star in-state offensive tackles that cycle along with Michael Fasusi and Ty Haywood, ended up switching his commitment from Drinkwitz's Tigers to Elko's Aggies.
Now, both of them stand to make a major impact in this game against Mizzou. Rogers didn't see any snaps against Missouri last season when the Aggies ventured up to Columbia, while Morrow had a handful of carries. Rueben Owens was more of the star that day from the Aggie backfield, however.
This season, though, Morrow is looking to make this his breakout game. He had a couple of good carries against Missouri State in the opener, and had a number of touches against Arizona State. He's missed the last three games— two of those, he was listed as out on the injury report, but this last game he was listed as available. He simply didn't touch the ball as he continues to come back from injury.
With all of the excitement about KJ Edwards, fans have forgotten how electric Morrow can be with the ball in his hands. Take a look at his performance against LSU last year or even how he looked in the Aggie spring game for a refresher— he's going to be a massive part of this offense when he's fully ready to go.
Rogers has seen increasing snaps this season, as you'd hope for a five-star tackle in his second year. The man is simply massive, and as he's gotten his technique down, his play has demanded that he be put out there with the starting unit. In fact, they slid Wilkin Formby inside almost expressly due to how well Rogers has been playing, and it worked out well last game.
He'll have his hands full in this one against a Missouri defense that has excelled rushing the passer. If he can help keep the pocket clean for Marcel, then the Aggies will have a great shot at pulling off this upset. He'll be key in the run game as well, as Missouri will no doubt be committed to taking that aspect of the game away from A&M.
Both of these former Missouri commits were well-targeted flips by the Aggie staff, and they will have a chance to help A&M show the Tigers just what they're missing this Saturday. Hopefully, they do just that.
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