Tag: texas aggies football

2025 4-Star WR out of Milton (GA) has placed Texas A&M in his Top 10 program list

Texas A&M has made the cut for one of the top-ranked wide receivers in the 2025 cycle, 4-star CB Wiley out of Milton, Georgia.

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has a lot on his plate, but in just three months on the job, recruiting some of the top athletes in the Lone State State has not been an issue in the slightest.

With the 2025 recruiting cycle in full swing, Elko and his staff have already acquired three out of four total commits in the class, most recently landing 4-star running back Deondrae “Tiger” Riden out of DeSoto, Texas. Looking to add more wide receiver talent with future departures after the 2024 season, The Aggies have made 2025 4-star WWR CJ Wiley’s Top 10 program list.

Wiley, who hails from Milton, Georgia, has received over 40 offers but will now focus on LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Colorado, Florida State, Auburn, Ole Miss, Michigan, USC, and Texas A&M.

Standing at 6-4 and weighing over 190 pounds, Wiley inherited his size from his Father, former All SEC LSU defensive end Chuck Wiley, who spend six years in the NFL. The younger Wiley is an absolute mismatch on the outside, recording 68 receptions for 1,473 receiving yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns on the year.

According to 247Sports Composite, Wiley is currently positioned as the 210th-ranked prospect in the 2025 cycle, the 25th-ranked wide receiver, and the 31st-ranked prospect in Georgia.

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SEC Quarterbacks rankings ahead of 2024 spring football practices

Ahead of spring football practices, the SEC still reigns supreme, and the 2024 QB slate should create storylines from top to bottom.

Heading into the 2024 college football season, changes are upon us, led by the expanded 12-team playoff structure which will create much needed parity within a sport that a handful of team has dominated throughout the last decade.

The SEC will also expand starting in July, with the inclusion of Texas and Oklahoma as the most powerful conference in the country, which has become stronger and more prominent, especially due to the high-level quarterback play on nearly every respective roster.

For Texas A&M, new head coach Mike Elko has been provided a gift in the form of incoming junior quarterback Conner Weigman, who, due to injury, missed the Aggie’s last eight games in Jimbo Fisher’s final season at the helm, but it now healthy and ready to continue his development under Elko and new offensive coordinator Collin Klein.

However, Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers is looking to cement himself as a future NFL first-round pick, while the 2024 squad surrounding him is as loaded as ever, looking to go on a championship run in just six months.

Focusing on the signal callers who lead the SEC next season, a slew of newcomers could surprise us, while all eyes will certainly be on players like Ewers, Weigman, and Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold.

Here are our pre-SEC quarterback rankings ahead of what should be a highly entertaining spring football season.

2025 4-Star out of Dallas (TX) has placed Texas A&M in his Top 10 program list

2025 4-star linebacker Elijah Barnes out of Dallas (TX) has officially placed the Aggies in his Top 10 program list.

Texas A&M and head coach Mike Elko are still in the market for one or two more linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class after landing 4-star linebacker Kelvion Riggins, recently landing in 2025 4-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn’s Top 6 program list, while 4-star LB Elijah Barnes has now followed suit.

Coming off his recent visit to College Station last month during one of Texas A&M’s junior days, Barnes has been on Elko’s radar ever since he stepped on campus, knowing that Riggin’s commitment could help reel in the Dallas, Texas native, who possesses all the necessary traits to thrive as an inside linebacker at the next level.

To start off March with a bang, Barnes announced his Top 10 program list, which officially includes Texas A&M among LSU, Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Ohio State, USC, Nebraska, SMU, and Texas.

Set to enter his senior year at Skyline High School, Barnes’ 2023 junior campaign is just the start of what we should expect from one of the premier backs, recording 65 tackles (57 solo tackles), three sacks, five interceptions, and 12 tackles for loss on the year.

Like Kelvion Riggins and Riley Pettijohn, Barnes has a nose for the football, possessing the pursuit speed and understanding of blocking angles in the run game, with the instincts and athleticism to cover the middle of the field.

According to 247Sports Composite, Barnes is currently positioned as the 83rd-ranked player in the 2025 cycle, the 14th-ranked linebacker prospect, and the 18th-ranked player in Texas.

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Here are Texas A&M safety Demani Richardson’ 2024 NFL Combine measurements/results

Here are former Aggies’ safety Demani Richardson’s 2024 NFL Scouting Combine results

The second day of the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is nearly complete, as defensive backs took the field to show out for all 32 NFL team representatives, which included Aggies safety Demani Richardson, who departed the program after four productive years.

Leading the Aggies in tackles during the 2022 season, Richardson may not be the rangiest safety available in the draft. Still, it should thrive in the box due to his vision and pursuit speed against the run, accumulating 17 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks during his collegiate career.

However, no matter how his average 40-yard dash time is scrutinized, Richardson has shown ability in deep coverage. However, whatever organization drafts him will plan on using him in special teams while slowly making his way up the depth chart as a strong safety.

We can poke a pry at his numbers, but at the end of the day, it’s how he performs on the field once his name is called in late April. Here are Demani Richardson’s NFL Combine measurements/results.

Here are former Texas A&M LB Edgerrin Cooper 2024 NFL Combine measurements/results

On Thursday, former Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper showed up and showed out during his 2024 NFL Scouting Combine performance.

The first day of the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine was a success, as a bevy of veteran defensive linemen and linebackers descended on Lucas Oil Stadium for the first day of the three-day event, which included former standout Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.

Cooper is coming off an elite 2023 junior season with the Aggies, as one of the more passionate players in the country became a bonafide superstar through hard work and dedication, ending his final season with the program with 84 tackles (sixth in the SEC), 8 sack (fourth in the SEC), and an impressive 17 tackles for loss, good forth fifth in the country.

Cooper’s draft stock certainly leaped after Thursday’s combine performance. While he is a lock to be at least a second-round pick at worst, Cooper’s 40-yard dash time and impressive measurements will aid a potential leap into the first round for a linebacker-needy team.

We can poke a pry at his numbers, but at the end of the day, it’s how he performs on the field once his name is called in late April. Here are Edgerrin Cooper’s NFL Combine measurements/results.

Here are former Texas A&M DL McKinnley Jackson 2024 NFL Combine measurements/results

On Thursday, former Texas A&M defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson helped his draft stock during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

This week, former Texas A&M defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson, who spent four successful years in College Station, made his way to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday afternoon. By all accounts, all he did was solidify his standing as an intriguing option in the middle of the draft.

Late last month, Jackson took part in the annual Senior Bow, recording measurements; he listed at 6-1 and 320 pounds, including impressive 34-inch arms, which are the exact numbers every scout observing his play this week will consider when combining his strength, high motor, and explosive athleticism after the snap.

While the combine is not a tell-all concerning any player’s NFL future, performing well doesn’t hurt. Still, for a defensive lineman tipping the scale at nearly 330 pounds, it’s fair to expect a slower 40, especially concerning Jackson’s fit as a rotational nose tackle with future starting potential.

We can poke a pry at his numbers, but at the end of the day, it’s how he performs on the field once his name is called in late April. Here are McKinnley Jackson’s NFL Combine measurements/results.

WATCH: LB Edgerrin Cooper runs an impressive 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Combine

Former Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper has recorded one of the best 40-yard dash times among both linebackers and defensive linemen thus far!

Former Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is one of the top 25 athletes in the 2024 NFL Draft, bar none. On Thursday, during the first day of the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Cooper continued to show off his elite athletic traits during the first portion of linebackers’ on-field workouts.

During the 40-yard dash portion, the most popular among viewers and scouts who put speed over any other trait, Cooper’s performance certainly impressed a vast majority of the representatives for all 32 teams. Running second in the 40, Cooper recorded an impressive time of 4.52, which remained the best time among linebackers until former North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson recorded a blazing time of 4.44.

During his breakout 2023 campaign, Cooper recorded 17 tackles for loss, ranking fifth among Power Five players. Doing all the dirty work inside, Cooper’s team-high 84 total tackles and 8 sacks ranked sixth and fourth in the SEC, one of the primary reasons for his increased draft stock, which will continue as the Draft gets closer.

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Johnny Manziel named to ESPN’s top 80 quarterbacks list of the 2000’s

Ranking the Top 80 quarterback since the year 2000, Texas A&M legend Johnny Manziel’s 2-year run was dutifully recognized.

Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was pure electricity on the field during his two-year career in College Station, and outside of the extracurriculars that led to his short NFL career, Aggie fans remember the young man who elevated the program nationally.

This week, ESPN’s Bill Connelly released its “Top 80 quarterbacks of the 2000s” rankings (subscription required), including nearly every impact signal caller that college football fans remember spanning 24 years cut. At the same time, Manziel surprisingly didn’t make the Top 10, landing at No. 13 right below former Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy (of course).

Like all of us, Connelly remembers the whirlwind of Manziel’s freshman season, which included defeating No. 1 Alabama on the road while earning the Heisman Trophy and destroying the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl to end the year.

“Texas A&M won 20 games in the Johnny Football era, beat Alabama (and nearly did so twice), and immediately put to rest any silly “Yeah, but can that Big 12 offense work in the
SEC?” qualms as the Aggies joined the league. But that alone doesn’t describe just how much one player could dominate the sport’s consciousness over multiple seasons. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him because you really, really needed to see what he might do next.”

During his two historic seasons, Manziel recorded 7,820 passing yards (69% completion percentage), 63 passing touchdowns, and just 22 interceptions, coupled with 2,169 rushing yards and 30 scores on the ground.

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SEC’s Top 10 ‘under-the-radar’ incoming freshmen ahead of the 2024 CFB season

Ahead of the 2024 season, 247Sports released its Top 10 “under-the-radar” incoming SEC freshman ahead of the 2024 CFB season.

A host of structural changes are coming ahead of the 2024 college football season, including the inaugural campaign for the 12-team playoff structure that will finally provide football parity the CFB landscape has been yearning for over the last decade.

Year after year, contending teams, especially in the SEC, are led by at least one freshman stud on offense or defense who makes a consistent impact throughout each season to put any contender over the edge. While it may be early in the offseason, spring practices are less than a month away, and many young talent are set to take the field in the South Eastern Conference, which now includes Texas and Oklahoma.

For Texas A&M, several incoming freshman offensive and defensive playmakers have a chance to show off this spring, including wide receivers Izaiah Williams, Ashton Bethel-Roman and speedster Ernest Campbell.

While the Aggies under defensive-minded head coach Mike Elko should thrive on that side of the ball, all three receivers listed will be depended on in some shape or form starting next month.

This week, 247Sports provided their own thoughts on the subject, ranking their top 10 “under-the-radar” SEC freshman poised to make the biggest impact in 2024. Here is that list.

2025 4-Star WR out of Sachse (TX) will reportedly visit Texas A&M in late April

According to Rivals’ Landyn Rosow, Texas A&M and head coach Mike Elko will host 2025 4-star WR Kaliq Lockett on April 20.

Texas A&M’s 2025 recruiting class is shaping up to be a massive success for new head coach Mike Elko, who is just six months away from leading the Aggies on the field for the inaugural 2024 campaign.

Amid the bevy of announcements concerning the 2025 prospects who will be visiting College Station in the coming months, 4-star wide receiver Kaliq Lockett has stood out the most, not just due to his elite potential but his deep family connections to Texas A&M combined with his budding relationship with Elko and his staff.

After taking an unofficial campus visit during the Aggies’ junior day on Jan. 13, it has been confirmed by Rivals’ Landyn Rosow that Lockett will make his way back to CSTAT for Texas A&M’s Maroon & White Spring game on Saturday, April 20, and will get his first look at new offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s offensive scheme.

According to 247Sports, Lockett is currently positioned as the 11th-ranked player in the class, the 2nd-ranked wide receiver, and the 3rd-ranked player in Texas, as the Sachse (TX) native is coming off his highly productive 2023 junior campaign, recording 59 receptions, 1,299 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.