Less than a week after his former teammate at Mesquite Horn and fellow secondary member Markel Ford kicked off A&M's 2026 class, 3-star cornerback Ryan Gilbert of North Forney has followed suit.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Gilbert announced his commitment on social media Wednesday afternoon. Even though he still has two seasons of high school football to play, Gilbert already had plenty of big offers, including from the likes of Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

Gilbert received his offer from A&M in March and camped in College Station last month. During that trip, he got to spend time with defensive backs coach Jordan Peterson and head coach Mike Elko. That turned out to be enough to convince him that A&M was the place for him, and he decided to make it official.

During his sophomore season at Mesquite Horn, Gilbert tallied 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 2 interceptions.

I thought 5-foot-10 was a little undersized for a Mike Elko corner, but I've since seen that he's up to 6 feet. Still, it doesn't matter. This guy has elite cover skills.

It doesn't matter if he's up at the line or playing off, he's a glove. He picks up receivers immediately and sticks with them. He has the agility to make cuts to stay with a wideout if they make move, or the speed to turn and run. He's got those cornerback hips that you hear so much about, where he can just flip them and go.

Gilbert not only does a superior job sticking with receivers, he does a great job anticipating the throw and finding the ball in the air. That frequently places him in a position where he's in a better spot to make the catch than the wideout.

I also like that, in spite of giving up some size and weight, he's more than willing to stick his nose in and hit someone to make a tackle. Fearlessness is always appreciated in a corner.

I really like this guy. He looks like he can be put out there on a receiver, by himself, and shut them down. Considering he's got two years left, I can't wait to see what his progression looks like.