Aggies pick up 4-star who can play linebacker
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Texas A&M has picked up one of its top linebacker targets for 2024 in La Verne (Calif.) Bonita 4-star Noah Mikhail.
The Aggies started recruiting Mikhail seriously while Jimbo Fisher was head coach, but things picked up steam with the arrival of Mike Elko and Jay Bateman late last year. Mikhail visited in the spring and, after that, the Aggies pushed ahead of major competitors Oregon and USC. His official visit last weekend helped close the deal.
Mikhail has an extremely impressive offer list, including the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State among the more than three dozen suitors. He is the third commit from California in the 2025 class, along with 4-star quarterback Husan Longstreet and 4-star cornerback Adonyss Currie.
Mikhail joins 4-star Kelvion Riggins, another very early target, as the first two linebacker commits for the class. In 2023, he racked up a staggering 166 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, a sack and 2 interceptions.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
To succeed at any position in the SEC, you need to have speed. Mikhail has it in spades.
Even though he's listed as an inside linebacker, Mikhail has the speed to be a will in a Mike Elko defense. He's aggressive, runs downhill very well and is faster than nearly anyone on the field. He's on running backs before they even get started.
Mikhail is physically imposing. He's every bit of 6-foot-3, but he's now up to close to 230 pounds, meaning he's SEC ready in that category right now. He's also clearly got the ability to drop into coverage, as evidenced by his game film and the two interceptions he had last season. He also played safety in the past, so he really brings plus ability in that category.
I liked his offensive highlights too. Not because I want him to play on offense, but because they showed his agility and field awareness. Those are instinctive things that you can't really teach, and he's got them.
If Mikhail keeps his speed, which I suspect he will, he could move into the two-deep rotation next year at linebacker. That's not to say the guys ahead of him are bad, because the Aggies actually have one of their deeper linebacker groups in a while this year, but because he's that good. This is an awesome get for Elko and Bateman.