Texas A&M takes recruiting gut punch as top target begins trending elsewhere

Texas A&M has been putting together a really strong class for the 2026 cycle, but no matter how well things are going, it won't only ever be sunshine and rainbows. The Aggies have gotten commitments from a lot of their top targets so far in this class, with only a few misses, but it's looking like there's one that's trending in the wrong direction right now.

Dorian Barney is a corner out of Carrollton, Georgia, who had originally committed to Alabama early on in his high school career. After he backed off of that verbal pledge, however, the common thought was that he would be bound for College Station.

That was a well-founded inference, as Barney was in Aggieland quite a lot, and had formed some pretty strong bonds with the A&M coaching staff. As the number of visits piled up, though, Barney remained uncommitted— and though many thought it was only a matter of time, it now looks like this one may be trending in the wrong direction.

Texas A&M CB target Dorian Barney predicted to land with Penn State

Despite the strong connection between Barney and the Aggie staff, On3's Steve Wiltfong registered a prediction today that Barney would end up committing to the Penn State Nittany Lions. This comes on the heels of a visit that Barney took to State College recently, where James Franklin and company may just have gotten the job done.

The Aggies currently have a high-level cornerback committed in Victor Singleton, out of Ohio, who flipped to the Ags from Illinois. A&M is still in pursuit of Brandon Arrington, a five-star athlete out of California who projects as a defensive back at the next level as well.

If Barney does indeed end up committing to Penn State, landing Arrington to go along with Singleton would certainly help numb that blow. However, as the Aggies' top DB prospects come off of the board, like Jermaine Bishop who just committed to Texas, it makes getting another one in the fold sooner rather than later an important task.