Jimbo Fisher's biggest recruiting victories at Texas A&M
Starting with his first full recruiting class in 2019, here is a look at 10 of the biggest recruiting victories during Jimbo Fisher’s era at Texas A&M. This is not just a list of his highest-ranked signees but also players who have made the biggest impact in College Station or are expected to during their careers:
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An early commitment to Oklahoma didn’t last and during the all-star season, Cooper chose Texas A&M over LSU and Utah. He didn’t even get an offer from the Aggies until late but took his official visit in December and the rest is history. A four-star prospect from Covington, La., Cooper was a big recruiting win but his ranking has not reflected how impactful he’s been for the Aggies’ defense. He’s totaled 191 tackles in his career and Cooper has seven sacks this season alone.
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Known as The Mountain in high school, a Game of Thrones reference, Texas A&M edged out Oklahoma in a hotly-contested recruiting battle for Foster, rated as the second-best offensive guard in the 2021 class behind only Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson. He started all 12 games as a freshman and then all four before getting hurt last season. The five-star is back as the starting center for the Aggies again.
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Texas, Texas A&M and LSU were the three front-runners for the five-star offensive tackle from Humble (Texas) Atascocita and he picked the Aggies in the summer before his senior season. Starting at right guard and then moving to left guard and showing position versatility throughout his college career, Green dominated on Texas A&M’s offensive line and the five-star became a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
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The expectation was for Hicks to announce for Oklahoma during a ceremony at his school but Texas A&M beat the Sooners for the five-star defensive tackle from Katy (Texas) Paetow who finished third overall in the 2023 class after dominating the Under Armour All-America Game. In nine games this season, Hicks has 11 tackles (two for loss) including a sack but his aggressive and violently physical play should make him a dominant force on the Aggies’ defensive line in the coming years.
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An early Tennessee commit, Johnson backed off that pledge and then picked Texas A&M over Alabama, Illinois, Missouri and others as the Aggies really emerged for the high four-star safety from East St. Louis, Ill. after an unofficial visit to College Station. One wonders the numbers Johnson could have racked up for the Aggies if the COVID season didn’t interfere with his time there. But in that shortened season and two others, the high four-star totaled 164 tackles including 14 for loss and an interception. He was a fifth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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After a dominant performance at the All-American Bowl, the Converse (Texas) Judson five-star defensive end moved to No. 10 overall, tops in the Texas state rankings and No. 2 at strongside defensive end in the 2019 rankings. His recruitment basically came down to Texas and Texas A&M and the Aggies won out in the spring before his senior season. Leal was excellent for the Aggies totaling 133 tackles (25 for loss) with 13 sacks and two forced fumbles before becoming a third-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Even though he attended high school down the road from Tennessee and Georgia was coming on strong as well along with Alabama and others, Texas A&M won out for the five-star defensive tackle in the 2022 class who finished second overall behind only Travis Hunter. Nolen has totaled 61 tackles early in his career and he’s coming along with four sacks after having one as a freshman. A plug up the middle, Nolen has the potential to dominate even more heading into next year.
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The Waxahachie, Texas four-star safety committed to Texas A&M over Texas and others in the late winter before his senior season and he’s been a dynamite defensive player for the Aggies over his career. Since stepping on campus, the four-star who finished No. 109 nationally in the 2019 class has totaled 295 tackles with four forced fumbles and four interceptions.
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An early Texas commit, Stewart ended up picking Texas A&M over the Longhorns, Florida, Alabama and LSU. Rated as the last five-star in the 2022 class, Stewart has been dominant in the Aggies’ offense since stepping on campus leading the team as a freshman with 53 catches for 649 yards and two touchdowns. In seven games this year, the former Frisco (Texas) Liberty standout has 37 receptions for 506 yards and is tied for the team-high with four TDs.
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Texas, LSU, Alabama and Georgia were the other finalists but Turner was swayed heavily by Von Miller’s success in College Station as the two are both alums of DeSoto High School. The first player outside five-star status in the 2021 class, Turner has posted 75 tackles so far in his career but has really stepped it up with six sacks this season. That’s good for second on the team behind Cooper.