Quality Over Quantity: Texas A&M Lands 'Right Talent' In Mike Elko's First Recruiting Class
COLLEGE STATION -- Mike Elko joked that he'd never been so glued to an Instagram Live feed before in his life, but perhaps it was necessary on a day like Wednesday.
Texas A&M isn't done trying to convince high-profile recruits to come to College Station, but it did secure the signatures of 11 players as part of its Early Signing Period class. Some were names that had previously committed to the school under the Jimbo Fisher regime. Others were new faces buying into Elko's philosophy.
"The group we put together is about quality, not quantity," Elko said Wednesday following the early stages of the signing period. "When you're a new coach and new staff, you have to make some serious decisions, and you can do a lot of things in your first 18 days that could really set your program back for a long time.
"What we wanted to focus on was quality, and we wanted to make sure the young men that we added to this program represented the direction we wanted Texas A&M football to go."
Texas A&M defensive line commit Kendall Jackson
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun-USA TODAY NETWORK
Diversity stands out in Elko's first class in more ways than one. A&M landed seven offensive players and five defensive names. Seven hail from Texas, four come from Florida and the rest come from coast to coast.
That's a positive for the program. Elko is laying down roots throughout the country for future classes. Ones that are expected to expand in the coming years and will feature a blend of quantity and quality.
"It'll always start in Texas. Texas will always be primary, but we're going to have to have the ability to get out and identify prospects all over this country we want to continue to elevate our brand and grow," said Elko.
Several recruits could see the field early on in their tenure at Kyle Field. Izaiah Williams, a four-star receiver who flipped from Florida at the last second, could replace the departed Evan Stewart as A&M's new vertical threat. Four-star safety Myles Davis from Converse (Texas) could carve out reps in place of the departed Demani Richardson.
Others, like four-star quarterback Miles O'Neill from Marblehead (Mass.), could take a season or two to flourish in the new offense headlined by Collin Klein before seeing the field. O'Neill, who threw for over 4,300 yards and 43 touchdowns during his two seasons at the Hun School (N.J.), likely starts off as QB No. 3 or 4 behind Conner Weigman, Jaylen Henderson, and 2023 recruit Marcel Reed.
"He’s a big-armed kid who has a really great presence about him,” Elko said of O’Neill. "We're really excited he'll be the quarterback of this class."
Versatility could be another strength in time for the Aggies. Four-star safety Jordan Pride was a two-way player at Blountstown (Fla.) High School. Four-star linebacker Jordan Lockhart could add juice up the middle as a pass rusher on third down.
Over the past 18 days, Elko has had little time to do anything but recruit. Relationships will be forged in time on the recruiting trail.
In building his first class, Elko chose to look for the right players, not the abundance of ones.
"We were able to add a lot of real quality additions to this class, and between now and Friday, hopefully, we'll be able to add more to it," said Elko.
