Texas A&M Football in Mix for Top Class of 2026 Running Back KJ Edwards
The Texas A&M Aggies have a Top 10 recruiting class lined up already for 2026, and they're in the hunt to add another massive piece this summer.
Advertisement
Head Coach Mike Elko and his staff have their sights on Carthage (Texas) product KJ Edwards, who is among the nation's Top 50 players in the Class of 2026. Edwards is also ranked the seventh-best player in the state of Texas and the third-best running back nationally in his recruiting class in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mike Elko holds his headset on the sideline during one of the Aggies' games. Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images.
Edwards is a highly sought-after prospect, and it appears he's coming close to making his decision on which program he wants to suit up for collegiately -- and Texas A&M fans will be excited to hear that the Aggies are still in the running for the stud tailback.
According to Justin Wells, who works for On3's Inside Texas, Edwards will be making his decision on August 2, and the three programs listed as "in the mix" are the LSU Tigers, Texas Longhorns, and Texas A&M Aggies. Wells posted the news alongside footage of the Carthage, Texas native putting his elite speed on showcase and hauling in a deep pass with the ease of a wide receiver.
"We call him lightning. He's very physical," Carthage head coach Scott Surratt told Times Record News. "He does a great job in the passing game. He's a third-down back just for protection and stuff. And he is durable. He's just a great player.'
Advertisement
As a junior, Edwards rushed for 1,789 yards and 23 touchdowns while averaging 12.6 yards per carry. He also became a dynamic target in the team's passing game, adding 30 receptions for 383 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran a 10.99 second 100-meter dash during his sophomore season of track and field.
247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks' latest evaluation of Edwards pegs him as one of the top running backs in the nation, saying that he "plays at a different speed" in pads and that he "displays impressive ball skills and body control as a pass catcher."
"Frequent big-play threat. Excels as a cut-and-go slasher with agility in the hole to make a man miss and hit the second level unencumbered," Brooks also wrote. "Slippery strong with a low center of gravity that fosters positive pad level. Not stylistically an open-field move-stringer, but capable of stacking cuts and gaining yards after contact."
Related: Top 10 Class of 2027 OL Prospect Impresses at Texas A&M Football Camp
Related: Texas A&M Star WR Boosts NIL Valuation in 2025
Related: Texas A&M Aggies Add Another 3-Star Recruit To Amplify Quarterback Competition
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jets' rookie tight end could play a major role
The Jets used their second-round selection of this past draft on tight end Mason Taylor out of LSU. And while he is just a rookie looking to cement his name in the league, he could play a major role for this Jets team. Mason Taylor has succeeded as a pass catcher before At LSU, Taylor broke records and was an absolute stud at the tight end position. He seemed to always be open, and the Tigers used him heavily as a receiver. In his final collegiate season, the Jets' tight end put up 546 yards and two touchdowns on 55 receptions. He is seen as the most productive tight end ever at LSU. The Jets will need Taylor this upcoming season, as behind him at the tight end position, they do not have a lot of depth. He is clearly their top guy and will provide big relief for the Jets' offense. Jets need a safety blanket for Justin Fields The Jets do not have many big targets for their offense this season, so having a safety net on in the passing game will be important. This is what Taylor can bring to the field. The Jets can run different play actions and different standard passes, all while having Taylor run some form of block and releases, giving new QB Justin Fields a guy to whom he could check down if nothing is open. He is working to become a complete tight end, so once he develops his run blocking more, the play-action game could open up. Taylor can be a big threat in the passing game, and they will use him in many ways other than just as a safety blanket. This season, we might see a breakout right away for the Jets' tight end. He has been having a strong camp and could bring that to the game on Sundays. Related Headlines Jets' promising mid-round pick could steal WR2 job out of camp Do the Mets have another rotation problem to solve in addition to Frankie Montas? Yankees star outfielders discuss impending free agency BKFC 82 will be headlined by Mike Perry – Jeremy Stephens for the King of Violence Championship
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Texas A&M will host elite 2026 4-star SF in early September
With new head basketball coach Bucky McMillan now at the helm, Texas A&M's recruiting efforts have increased significantly this summer concerning the 2026 cycle. So far, four-star small forward Bryson Howard and four-star shooting guard Dakari Spear are two players to watch, as Howard will visit College Station at the end of the month, while Spear placed the Aggies in his top 5 program list. On Sunday, it was revealed that another elite 2026 prospect, four-star small forward Ralph Scott out of the prestigious IMG Academy, will reportedly visit Texas A&M in an official capacity on September 5, followed by OVs to Tennessee and LSU. While the Aggies have yet to land a 2026 prospect, McMillan's success in landing 13 players from the transfer portal, which now includes former Southern Illinois star guard Ali Dibba, is built around relationships, similar to Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko's recruiting efforts. On the court, Scott possesses an inside and outside game with the size and length to rebound at a high level, but, most importantly, he is an elite athlete who will likely lead a team in scoring at the next level. Scott will also take an official visit to Houston at the end of the month, which is likely Texas A&M's biggest competition outside to Tennessee. According to 247Sports, Scott is currently positioned as the 44th-ranked prospect in the class, the 18th-ranked small forward, and the 8th-ranked prospect in Florida. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
College football's new era: Big money, same old powerhouses line up as the favorites
The first includes college football's biggest brands, which are dominating the list of favorites once again: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 4 Clemson. Advertisement Second are teams we've talked about over the past few decades that are using money and celebrity coaches to elbow their way into the conversation: Colorado, North Carolina, and No. 23 Texas Tech. And then there are those who see the second year of the 12-team playoff and a different playing field created by revenue sharing and think they might be able to fashion a turnaround not unlike No. 20 Indiana's worst to (almost) first resurgence last year: Pick a name, any name, but a good starting point might be UCLA (now with star QB Nico Iamaleava ) or Virginia (which, like Indiana last year, avoids pretty much every top team on its conference schedule). Advertisement Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who helped broker the 'It's a big change,' Kessler said. 'But I think the system will adapt and the better-managed athletic departments will do well, as they always do. And athletic departments that are poorly managed won't do so well, and probably didn't do so well in the old system, either.' Heisman watch equals title watch Pay or no pay, one thing hasn't changed in college football or any sport: Great players win games. It's no big surprise, then, to see Texas at the top of almost everyone's watch list. Leading the Longhorns is none other than Arch Manning, the sophomore quarterback with the reported $6 million-plus NIL deal, and the latest burgeoning star in a family that has produced lots of them, from Archie to Peyton to Eli. 'For Arch, he grew up in this era of seeing high-level football,' Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. 'He's watched Super Bowls. He's watched gold jackets getting put on. He's been to playoff games. He's been recruited at the highest level as the No. 1 player in the country.' Texas quarterback Arch Manning is among the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. Tim Warner/Getty Though it doesn't always work out, there are plenty of schools where a player with hopes of winning the Heisman Trophy also will have a legitimate chance to win the CFP. Besides Manning, other favorites include receiver Jeremiah Smith, whose success with defending champion Ohio State figures to depend a lot on whether the Buckeyes' next quarterback, Julian Sayin, who is also in the Heisman mix, is as good as advertised. Advertisement Clemson QB Cade Klubnik is among the favorites, as are the Tigers for a repeat title in the ACC. Quarterback Drew Allar is in his fourth season at Penn State, where the Nittany Lions are expected to face Ohio State for the Big Ten title (They play Nov. 1, and coach James Franklin is 1-10 against the Buckeyes). Meanwhile, LSU appears to be only a secondary threat to Texas as Georgia and Alabama are in the SEC, but Garrett Nussmeier is in that Heisman mix and can stay there with a good performance against Klubnik and Clemson on Aug. 30. Is the hype machine same as the win machine? Nobody has defined this new era of NIL as much as Colorado coach Deion Sanders. Sanders brought his unapologetic swagger to a program that had been in the dumps for decades. He made the Buffaloes relevant, producing TV ratings, celebrity sightings, a Heisman winner in Travis Hunter, and maybe the most talked-about player in the sport in his own son, Shedeur, whose Winning? That was another thing. Deion Sanders is 13-12 over his two seasons, and now that Hunter and Shedeur are gone, the only big expectations for CU are coming from Boulder. 'The next phase is we're going to win differently, but we're going to win,' Sanders said. Another celebrity coach, Bill Belichick, will start answering the question of whether fans and wins will Advertisement The 73-year-old coach said he was building an NFL-style program — meaning everything he does, from nutrition to training to, yes, contracts, will look more like the pros. It was the sort of notion that used to be spoken softly but can now be used as a selling point. 'Everything we do here is predicated on building a pro team,' said Carolina's new general manager, Mike Lombardi, who worked with Belichick in the pros. 'We consider ourselves the 33rd [NFL] team because everybody who's involved with our program has had some form or aspect in pro football.' Over in Lubbock, Texas, the Texas Tech athletic program has never been afraid to swing big. The program that gave us swashbuckling coach Mike Leach and Super Bowl quarterback Patrick Mahomes is being bankrolled by the billionaire head of its board of regents, Cody Campbell, who now has the school's football field named after him. Texas Tech has made a series of high-profile and expensive player signings — some for high schoolers who haven't arrived yet — and is estimated to be spending more on NIL than any program in the country besides Texas. 'I know there's a lot of expectations on this team,' said coach Joey McGuire, who is coming off an 8-5 season. 'We look at it as opportunities.' Do new payrolls mean even footing for everyone? The new world of revenue sharing and an expanded playoff does give more reason for hope across the country. When searching for blueprints of how that can work, most long-suffering programs will look to Indiana. The Hoosiers were an also-ran for decades, with one Rose Bowl appearance ever and one winning record in a non-COVID-19 season since 1995. Then coach Curt Cignetti arrived, brought 54 new players from the transfer portal and turned Indiana into a winner overnight. Advertisement It was a remarkable turnaround that ran counter to the realities seen in these stats: ⋅ There are 70 teams that make up the Power Four conferences, plus Pac-12 leftovers Oregon State and Washington State. ⋅ Since 2000, 36 of those teams have captured a total of 137 outright or shared league titles that have been won between the five largest conferences. ⋅ Of those 137 titles, 92 (67 percent) have been captured by 10 programs that have won five or more. The other 26 have combined to win 45. ⋅ That leaves 34 programs (48.5 percent) that haven't won any. In the NFL over the same period, only 10 teams (31 percent) have failed to reach the Super Bowl. Those numbers reflect how hard it is to break through in big-time college football but also the size of the glass ceiling that could be shattered in this new era of college sports. 'I think the rev-share world definitely has a chance to bring things to a more balanced circumstance,' said Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinksi, whose football program has a new coach, Barry Odom, after going 1-11 last season. 'Will there always be some programs that operate in a little bit of a different reality? Of course. But we're not concerned about that, nor are we crying in our beer about that. We've just got to find a way.'
