Aggies add third 4-star wideout

Hornsby, who plays for Winslow Township in Atco, N.J., keeps A&M's streak of landing talent from the Northeast intact. Defensive tackles coach Elijah Robinson has been particularly effective recruiting in his home state of New Jersey, helping A&M land the likes of Fadil Diggs, Isaiah Raikes and Chase Bisontis.

Hornsby's initial interest in A&M led him to visit this spring, a trip that helped push the Aggies to the top of his list past Penn State. During his official visit in mid-June, he told the coaching staff of his intent to commit to A&M, which they were happy to accept.

Last season, Hornsby caught 23 passes for 441 yards (19.2 YPC) and a pair of touchdowns. He chose the Aggies not only over the Nittany Lions, but Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Michigan and many others.

Hornsby is A&M's 15th commit and the eighth in nine days. He is the third 4-star receiver to join the class, along with Debron Gatling and Dre'lon MIiller.

The Aggies now have commits from two players from New Jersey, two from Mississippi, one each from California, Louisiana, Georgia, Illinois and Florida. Twelve of the 15 commits are rated as 4-star prospects by Rivals.com.

Since high school football in the Northeast can get a little dicey north of Pennsylvania, I wasn't sure what to expect when I turned on Hornsby's highlights.

I sit corrected. This kid is a player.

First off, he's got size. Rivals has him at 6-foot-3, and that seems about right. He's around 200 pounds, but could probably put on a little more if he wanted. But he's already a physical receiver that shrugs off weak tackle attempts or hits above the waist.

This is a young man who averaged 19.2 yards per catch making a habit of breaking out on bubble screens. He looks to have really good speed, covers a lot of ground with long strides but also has the ability to be elusive when he's in a crowd.

What I liked the most, though, was his ability to find the football and make a play on it. He can turn and spot the ball fast when he goes deep, and he has the anticipation to out-jump defenders (or double-teams). I finds soft spots in zones, sits down and gives his quarterback a good target to work to. He needs to come back to the bubble screens better, but hopefully A&M's not going to be throwing many of those anyway.

Hornsby won't get a ton of hype in this class, but it doesn't mean he's not a baller. This is a really good pickup for the Aggies, who are suddenly loaded at wideout. Putting Hornsby in with Gatling, Miller, Evan Stewart, Noah Thomas, Micah Tease, Raymond Cottrell, Jordan Anthony and Jahdae Walker (if everyone stays) gives the Aggies a whole lot of weaponry in 2024.