Elite Top-20 LB Delivers Major Recruiting Blow to Two College Football Programs

These two SEC football programs missed out on the commitment of a 2027 four-star linebacker prospect.

Don Bosco's Mikahi Allen (18) gets ready for defense during Non-Public, Group A semifinal football game between Don Bosco and Bergen Catholic at Granatell Stadium in Ramsey on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

2027 linebacker prospect Mikahi Allen put an end to a heated SEC recruiting battle over the weekend.

The four-star committed to Texas A&M on Saturday, choosing the Aggies over Texas and South Carolina.

Where does Allen rank in the class of 2027?

The 6-foot-1, 240-pounder from Ramsey, New Jersey, is the No. 17 linebacker, No. 5 prospect from New Jersey and No. 201 overall prospect in the class on Rivals' 2027 industry rankings.

Allen is new to the linebacker position, as he previously played safety for Don Bosco Prep. He finished his junior season with 58 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two pass breakups, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Following his junior season, Allen participated in the 2026 Under Armour All-America Game. Allen also competes on Don Bosco's track and field team; he participates in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports said Allen "can do a little bit of everything as he can attack the corner while playing on the ball, shoot gaps when positioned off the ball and impact passing lanes in coverage" in a scouting report from June.

Implications of Allen's decision on Texas A&M's 2027 recruiting class

Prior to Allen's commitment, the Aggies already boasted the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. 17 of Texas A&M's 26 commitments in the class of 2027 are rated as blue-chip prospects, and six of those blue-chip commitments are from five-star prospects.

Allen's commitment marks the third by a linebacker to Texas A&M's 2027 class. Three-star Aston Whiteside was the first to commit on June 1, and the Aggies' linebacker haul strengthened on June 18 with five-star Kaden Henderson's commitment.

Implications of Allen's decision on Texas and South Carolina

Kentucky running back Dante Dowdell (2) is stopped by South Carolina linebacker Dylan Stewart (6) and linebacker Justin Okoronkwo (17) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of Allen's two finalists who missed out on his commitment, South Carolina is the only one with a linebacker commit in its 2027 class. Jackson Ross, the No. 56 linebacker in the class, committed to the Gamecocks back on June 28.

Barring a flip in the coming months, it appears very unlikely that the Gamecocks and Longhorns will recruit a blue-chip linebacker to their classes. Four-star Brayton Feister is the only uncommitted blue-chip linebacker in the class of 2027, but he is leaning heavily toward Oregon.

Texas recruited a pair of top-three linebacker commits in its last two classes in Elijah Barnes and Tyler Atkinson, but the former transferred to Kentucky back in January.

Cade Haug is the linebacker prospect most likely to commit to the Longhorns this cycle; the three-star ranks as the No. 44 prospect at the position.