Texas A&M Aggies Expected to Hire Miami Assistant with Key Recruiting Ties

The Texas A&M Aggies are reportedly set to bolster their recruiting staff with the hire of a Miami Hurricanes assistant coach.
Nov 23, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal look son from the sideline against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal look son from the sideline against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As the Texas A&M Aggies go through summer workouts on their way to the start of fall camp, they are expected to make potentially one of their final staffing additions until the end of this coming season.

As first reported by CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, the Aggies are "expected" to hire current Miami Hurricanes director of recruiting and assistant wide receivers coach David "Pop" Cooney. While no specific role has been revealed yet, Zenitz reported that Cooney is being brought to College Station for a recruiting role.

Now, what that recruiting role might be is currently unknown. Cooney is expected to give the Aggies a boost in the recruiting department, no matter his role. Before his eight seasons in Coral Gables, working with the Hurricanes, Cooney was a high school coach in the state of Florida, which helped develop "deep roots" in South Florida, as referenced in his Miami coaching profile.

Mike Elko
Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts during the second half against the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns defeated the Aggies 17-7. at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Cooney's expected hire makes for another off-the-field staff addition that Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has made this offseason.

Before the hire of Cooney, Elko also added Lyle Hemphill and DJ Mann to the staff. Mann, a Lubbock, Texas, native, just made the jump to the college ranks. He joined Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss staff last year as the assistant director of player personnel. However, now heading into his second season at the college level, he will be in College Station serving as the associate director of player personnel.

Meanwhile, Hemphill was a familiar name to Elko. The two worked together during Elko's prior head coaching job at Duke. He spent two seasons working under Elko at Duke, the last of those being as the co-defensive coordinator.

Then following the Aggies' hiring of Elko, Hemphill spent a season at James Madison as the defensive coordinator. That was before joining A&M's staff this offseason as a senior assistant.


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Harrison Reno
HARRISON RENO

Harrison Reno is a contributing writer for Texas Longhorns on SI and Texas A&M Aggies on SI. He is a rising senior at the University of Georgia studying journalism. In addition to his work covering the Longhorns and Aggies, he has previously covered multiple NFL teams as a contributing writer for On SI and other networks, including the Dallas Cowboys.