Texas A&M Basketball Lands Another Top 40 Recruit in Class of 2026

McMillan, from downtown, BANG!

Ever since being hired back in April following the departure of former head coach Buzz Williams, Bucky McMillan has continued the Texas A&M coaches' trend of elite recruiting skills, and he just landed another one Thursday morning.

Josh Irving, a four-star center out of Pasadena High School in California, announced to On3 Sports' Joe Tipton that he would be committing to the Aggies, opting for a maroon and white jersey over the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals, also receiving offers from Kansas, SMU, San Diego State, and USC, amongst other schools, according to Rivals.

Irving Is a Top 10 Player in California

Irving served as the second commitment that the new Aggie hoops coach landed in the 2026 class, after Neiko Mundey also announced his commitment to Texas A&M just last month.

Oct 15, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

In an offensive gameplan that is built on big man versatility, "Bucky Ball" should be lucky to have a player like Irving joining with his supreme rebounding ability, though it won't be until next season.

According to the Top 150 Player Rankings in the Class of 2026 on Rivals, Irving is currently ranked as the No. 40 overall player in the class, the no. 6 ranked center, and the no. 9 overall in the state of California.

By the time Irving joins the team next season, McMillan will have had a full season under his belt in College Station, and with an entirely new team that he'll be leading in his first season, there will obviously be some kinks to work out as the team goes through 2025, but chemistry should be much stronger by the time Irving and Mundey take the court at Reed Arena.

"Irving is most effective right now as a rim-runner, shot-blocker, screener, and lob threat," wrote 247's Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein. "He’s still working on being more forceful through contact, finishing plays around the rim when he can’t dunk and getting to the free-throw line more, but he can use both hands, is quick off his feet for his size, has multiple jumps, and a huge catch radius. Long-term, there are signs of budding two-way versatility with growing floor-spacing potential and some lateral mobility to match, but is working on his decision-making on the perimeter."

In Buzz Williams' final season in College Station last year, the Aggies finished with a 23-11 regular season record, defeating Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, only to fall short to the Michigan Wolverines in round two.