Texas A&M currently has the seventh-ranked recruiting class for 2026 according to Rivals.com with just 11 commits. Who's still on the board and what are their needs? We take a look.
Departures after the 2025 season
DE Dayon Hayes
DT Albert Regis
DT Tyler Onyedim
DE Cashius Howell
DE Sam M'Pemba, DT Albert Regis and DE Rylan Kennedy will all be draft eligible
Potential 2026 defensive line pipeline (*redshirt utilized)
The commits
Primary remaining targets
Jones and Brown are two of the biggest fish still in the pond at any position, and the Aggies are in the mix for both. A&M has made up a lot of ground in a short time with the 5-star end, but he hasn't set up any official visits yet beyond one to Auburn (this weekend, in fact). Other schools from the former SEC West will make this especially competitive, especially Alabama and Auburn.
Brown is down to A&M and LSU, and the team in the lead varies day-by-day. He has a huge pull to LSU due to location and pressure from everyone around him, but he also really loves A&M. It's probably a coin toss at this point.
Wilson will kick off A&M's official visit schedule with his trip tomorrow. He may be tough to pull away from in-state Ole Miss, but the Aggies get the chance to make their case first.
A&M has really pushed hard for Carlton over the past six weeks to two months and, depending on who you talk to, may have passed Texas for the lead to land the No. 46 overall prospect.
Perry-Wright is another big target, literally and figuratively, for A&M. They're in very solid shape to land him and they will have the last chance to get in his ear with a June 20 official visit scheduled.
A closer look
This is a really good defensive line class, especially for ends and EDGEs, and the Aggies are looking to stock up. Carter is one of the nation's best, and he's been extremely solid since committing. Moala could be a JACK, and Kinsler projects to be one of the heavier ends as he's already over 250 pounds. He may play in the 265-pound range.
They're not looking at many tackles beyond Brown, which may mean they're pretty satisfied with the idea of Hicks, Evans, Scarlett, Rink, Sanders and Sims in 2026 -- or that they'll be looking to add through the portal. But, if you get Brown and add him to that mix, they'll have one of the nation's top tackles for 2026.
If the Aggies got Brown and held onto the other three commits, most teams would be happy with that haul. A&M, on the other hand, is looking to heavily invest on speed at defensive end. Jones is the big prize as the 5-star with great quickness and length, and Perry-Wright could be another big end who holds up against the run but can also be a three-down player. Carlton is already closing in on 250 pounds, but has the speed to and frame to handle more weight.
Right now, A&M is either ahead of close for Jones, Brown, Perry-Wright and Carlton. If they were to land all four of them to go with the three commits they already have, that's a defensive line class that would be extremely tough to beat.
