Elites Still on the Board for No. 1 Aggie Recruiting Class
Sunday could be just but a blip.
Such is the luxury of Texas A&M football recruiting in the current age, where a nationally-televised commitment from the top in-state linebacker recruit plays like a footnote -- but here we are.
SEC fatigue types, continue to look away.
Harold Perkins became verbal commitment No. 28 for the top-ranked Texas A&M recruiting class on Sunday and as the nation watched the next wave of college prospects make plays at the Under Armour Next All-America Game. Perkins played both ways just as he has all season long for Cypress Park High School.
It was hard to miss him.
Perkins became SI99 recruit No. 13 for Jimbo Fisher and company on that afternoon, but as peer recruiter and fan-favorite Bobby Taylor II long predicted and again reiterated over the weekend...it's not over just yet.
Taylor is right, but how many spots can be left as the class nears 30 recruits in the 2022 cycle?
Shemar Stewart is for sure on the shortlist. The Miami (Fla.) Monsignor Pace star pass rusher, another SI99 recruit and a top 10 one at that (as well as the highest-ranked among those undecided) has long held the Aggies in high regard and he took a pair of trips to College Station down the stretch of 2021 -- including for his list visit of the year instead of a closer look at local Miami under Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes are in the mix, but it could be Georgia that plays chief competition for the All-American leading up to his announcement on the radiational national signing day on February 2.
No program had a bigger batch of commitments in Orlando for the Under Armour festivities than the Aggies, and Stewart spent considerable time with the A&M contingent from Taylor to top-ranked recruit Walter Nolen and countless others on hand. Stewart has previously admitted to the Aggie angle being the most consistently appealing from a peer perspective. Will it be enough to overcome the closer-to-home options Stewart has among the finalists?
It wouldn't be the first time A&M pulled it in the cycle.
Another SI99 recruit with the Aggies in the mix is Jacoby Mathews, one of the nation's top safety projections. The Louisiana native was once on board with Ed Orgeron and LSU, but he has since taken his time to sort through options after the wild coaching carousel to cap 2021. Florida is set to host him for an official visit in mid-January, once the contact window opens back up while A&M, LSU, Alabama, and Texas are in the mix as well.
A final decision is likely the same date Stewart plans to reveal -- February 2. He was considering a decision at the Under Armour Game, something Aggie recruits were pushing for after spending time with him in both Texas and Florida for the all-star festivities.
"From when I visited for the first time, I clicked with the coaches," Mathews told Rivals. "Also the active players on the roster and the recruits.
"I've never enjoyed a visit as much as I enjoyed College Station. Since that day, building the relationships have been more comfortable."
It's unclear whether more programs will get the top uncommitted safety recruit in the country on campus for more opportunities beyond Florida, but the heavy hitters on Mathews' list would be big for any program to overcome.
Ditto for Stewart of Florida. The current Aggie haul, impressive as it is, has just one Floridian and one Louisianan on the list to date. Adding to either with prime SI99 targets would further vault the 2022 A&M class into its own modern recruiting-era stratosphere. Either would play as a strong defensive cherry on top of the class, while both would flood speculation into the spring and summer months as to just how Fisher and his staff got all of this talent headed to an 8-4 team.
Never a dull moment in the SEC West.
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