Texas A&M lands former 5-star Indiana forward from the transfer portal
New Texas A&M basketball head coach Bucky McMillan gained one of the top players on the transfer portal on Thursday. Former North Alabama star guard Jacari Lane and Kansas center Zach Clemence will be joined by Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako, a former five-star prospect who, along with two former Texas A&M centers, DeAndre Jordan, is now the highest-rated player to ever commit to the program.
Mgbako was the second-ranked player in the 2023 class, according to ESPN. After two seasons at Indiana, his entry into the transfer portal was somewhat surprising, given his vast improvement after averaging 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, shooting 43% from the field, 32% from 3-point range, and 81% from the free throw line.
With Lane and Clemence, Mgbako fills another huge need in the frontcourt. He will enter as an immediate starter with a chance to lead the Aggies in several categories next season. The New Jersey native is an elite athlete with a soft touch near the rim, and in McMillan's high-paced system, he'll likely thrive developing an elite connection with Jacari Lane.
McMillan out-recruited new NC State head coach Will Wade, so far, the Aggie fans worried about the pace of landing prospects, Mgbako's commitment is a very, very positive sign.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
No. 6 Notre Dame names CJ Carr starting quarterback over Kenny Minchey
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman named second-year quarterback CJ Carr his starting quarterback Tuesday, ending the preseason competition with Kenny Minchey. The announcement was made on the official social media account of the Fighting Irish football program. Carr made one appearance for the Fighting Irish during last season's run to the national championship game but has not thrown a college pass. He played in the second half of a historic 66-7 rout at Purdue last season. He was a three-time all-state quarterback in Michigan and is the son of former Michigan football player Jason Carr and the grandson of former Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr. Minchey appeared in three games with the Irish in 2023 and completed both of his attempts for 12 yards. He also appeared in last year's Purdue game, completing his only pass of the season for 4 yards and rushing two times for 12 yards. He scored his first TD on a 7-yard run. Steve Angeli, Riley Leonard's top backup last season, also was in the battle during the spring. He replaced Leonard in the title game late in the first half against Penn State in the national semifinal and led the Irish to a score that helped them get back in sync. But he transferred to Syracuse after spring ball, turning the expected three-man battle into a two-man competition. Angeli was named Syracuse's starter earlier this week. Notre Dame opens the season in primetime Aug. 31 at No. 10 Miami. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and The Associated Press
USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Watch: Notre Dame's new starting quarterback CJ Carr's high school highlight reel
While we haven't seen much of Notre Dame football's new starting quarterback CJ Carr at this level, we can go back and look at what he did in high school. Coming out of Saline High School in Michigan, Carr was a nationally ranked prospect as the No. 68 overall recruit in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite. Sure, we saw him during the past two years of Blue and Gold games, but those are set up for success for the quarterbacks. During his final season of high school, Carr would throw for 2,754 yards with 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, while running for 91 yards, but accounting for 9 other scores. Over his three years starting, he threw for a total of 8,135 yards with 78 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, while accounting for 312 yards rushing and 16 scores. Those are very impressive numbers from Carr, and hopefully he can replicate that success with the Irish. Check out below his senior year highlights, for a glimpse of what is to come when Notre Dame takes the field on the road against Miami at the end of the month. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen
NBC Sports
29 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
The bumpy, windy road that built Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt
Curt Cignetti chats with Nicole Auerbach about how he plans to build upon Indiana's success last season, what he wants to see out of transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza and his expectations for the Hoosiers in 2025. For the first time in nearly a decade, Elijah Sarratt didn't spend his summer packing boxes, changing zip codes or learning a new playbook. For the Indiana wide receiver, that alone was a relief. 'I don't like packaging up my stuff and leaving, but I found a great spot here,' Sarratt said. 'There's no other place I'd rather be than in Bloomington right now.' It's a moment of stability that has been a long time coming. Sarratt's football journey — one of persistence, doubt and resilience — has taken him from small-town Virginia to the fringes of college football obscurity, through a carousel of schools, quarterbacks and coaching staffs. Now, entering the 2025 season as an AP preseason All-American and Pro Football Focus' No. 4 ranked receiver in the nation, the Virginia native finally has a home. Sarratt's path to the top wasn't straightforward. He started at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, Va., before transferring to St. Frances Academy in Baltimore ahead of his senior year. From there, he landed at Saint Francis (PA), a tiny FCS school with fewer than 2,500 undergraduates. The odds have always seemed stacked against him. As a high school senior, he had no Division I offers. He sent out emails to junior college programs across the country, hoping for someone to take notice. Nobody replied. He would step into his coach's office each week hoping to hear some good news, but the responses from college coaches were blunt and discouraging. 'I don't know if you can play here. I don't know if you can do this or you can't do that,' Sarratt recalled of those conversations. He was left questioning what his future in football would look like. Yet, he refused to fold under that weight. Zach Browning, 'That's really where I feel like I got my hard work from,' Sarratt said. 'Nobody was calling, but I was still outside every day by myself on the field — grinding — and it eventually worked out for me.' When Saint Francis came calling, Sarratt finally had his shot. And once he got on the field, he didn't waste it. As a true freshman in 2022, he caught 40 passes for 700 yards, ranked fifth nationally in the FCS with 13 touchdowns grabs and started the final four games of the season. He became a FCS Freshman All-American. It was the breakthrough he had been waiting for, validation that his lonely summer sessions in high school were worth it. Even with that success, Sarratt knew he wasn't done climbing. He transferred to James Madison, where he played the 2023 season alongside his brother, Josh 'Cheese' Sarratt. That year was a turning point for Sarratt personally and professionally. Playing with his brother deepened their bond, and Cheese became both mentor and motivator. When Elijah needed someone to show him how to take his game to the next level, Cheese was there. That bond didn't end when Cheese's playing days did. Today, they live together in Bloomington, where Cheese continues to push him daily. If Elijah comes home bragging about the extra work he put in, Cheese is the first to humble him, reminding him there's always more to do. It's the kind of brotherly accountability that keeps Elijah from getting complacent. 'He's not just my brother. He's like my best friend,' Sarratt said. 'We've been like this since we were little … I appreciate him a lot.' Change has defined Sarratt's journey. From Colonial Forge to St. Frances to Saint Francis to James Madison and finally to Indiana, Sarratt has had to adapt to new environments, new teammates and new playbooks almost every year. He has also caught passes from a carousel of quarterbacks: Cole Doyle at Saint Francis, Jordan McCloud at James Madison, Kurtis Rouke at Indiana in 2024. Now, as he enters his senior year, Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza will be his signal caller. By his own count, it will be the sixth different starting quarterback Sarratt has played with in six years dating back to high school. Rather than complain about yet another change, he embraces the challenge. Each quarterback has required him to adjust, to reestablish timing and chemistry. This offseason, Sarratt and Mendoza have built that connection by working together after every practice and staying in touch almost daily. The instability of Sarratt's past has made this summer's consistency feel like a gift. For the first time since before his junior year of high school, he stayed in one place all offseason. He wasn't worrying about moving or meeting new teammates. Instead, Sarratt was able to focus on refining his game, taking care of his body and building bonds with teammates in Bloomington. He even took the time to catch an Indiana Fever game in Indianapolis, enjoying the community he now calls home. 'It's definitely my home away from home,' Sarratt said. 'It's just the community — it's a chill community. There's not too much going on. I go out and people are showing me love and saying what's up; it's just chill.' That sense of comfort is allowing Sarratt to focus on the bigger picture in 2025. His 2024 season was stellar: 53 catches for 957 yards and eight touchdowns, earning him All-Big Ten recognition. Yet, he insists he is not satisfied. 'I'm just focusing on going out and having the best season of my career,' Sarratt said. 'I feel like I've been putting in the work, and it's just a matter of continuing to put in that work day in and day out.' Sarratt's determined to elevate his game beyond his junior-year production, and he knows what it will take. His offseason regimen has gone beyond extra routes or weight room reps. He's poured hours into film study, recovery and detailed work on his craft. He sees his senior season not only as another chance to prove all those who have doubted him wrong, but also as an opportunity to put himself in the best position possible for the NFL. 'I'm nowhere near where I want to be right now; all I can do is keep on improving,' Sarratt said. 'The goal is the NFL. I don't just want to be [in the NFL], I want to be a guy in it.' That dream feels closer than ever. Once, he wasn't sure if he'd even got a scholarship offer to play Division I football. Now, he enters 2025 recognized nationally and sitting on the brink of a professional career. 'It's crazy how close it is. I try to tell myself not to think about it,' Sarratt said. 'I just focus on game in and game out doing what I have to do, and everything else will fall into place.' What's striking about Sarratt is that through it all — the rejections, the transfers, the instability — he has not let bitterness define him. Instead, those bumps in the road have shaped his mentality. They made him tougher, more adaptable and more appreciative of the journey itself. He has emerged as both one of the nation's best wide receivers and a respected voice among his teammates. Nicole Auerbach, 'I definitely feel like I'm a little bit more outgoing talking to the guys … just becoming more of a leader,' Sarratt said. 'I feel like I've stepped into that role more and more.' Indiana will open its season against Old Dominion in less than two weeks. Sarratt knows the Hoosiers' offense will once again lean heavily on him. He also knows that expectations are higher than they've ever been. For the first time, those expectations don't feel like a weight. They feel like a reward — the product of years spent grinding on empty fields with no coaches watching, the result of refusing to give in when no recruiters were calling back, the payoff for all those long nights talking football with his brother. Sarratt's road to Bloomington was anything but smooth. It has been filled with twists, setbacks and uncertainty. Yet, as he steps into the 2025 season with his eyes set firmly on the NFL, one truth stands out: The bumps in the road didn't slow him down. They built him. About the Author Zach Browning is a senior at Indiana University and is a senior writer for a website powered by the Rivals Network that covers Indiana athletics. Zach also broadcasts Indiana sports for WIUX Sports, Indiana's student-run radio station, as well as Big Ten Plus, a student-run broadcasting program powered by the Big Ten Network StudentU program. Jordan Cornette and Joshua Perry discuss Indiana's mindset following a historic College Football Playoff run a year ago, breaking down comments from linebacker Aiden Fisher and why the team has a chip on its shoulder. Indiana continues its hot streak when Kurtis Rourke connects with Elijah Sarratt on a 4-yard touchdown, giving the Hoosiers a two-score lead over Michigan State.
