Ten recruiting misses that helped doom Jimbo Fisher's Texas A&M tenure
Starting with his first full recruiting class in 2019, we take a look at 10 top prospects who doomed Jimbo Fisher’s time at Texas A&M:
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An early Ohio State commit, Adeleye backed off that pledge and then chose Texas A&M as the Aggies looked to add another major defensive line piece since the Katy (Texas) Tompkins standout was a five-star prospect and rated as the third-best strong-side defensive end in the 2021 class behind Korey Foreman and J.T. Tuimoloau. But Adeleye had only six tackles at Texas A&M and has since transferred to Michigan State where he only has nine stops this season.
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If Lincoln Riley stayed at Oklahoma, then Brownlow-Dindy would have been playing for the Sooners. But when Riley left for USC, Brownlow-Dindy forced himself to sit down and make his choice - and that was to flip to Texas A&M. But the high four-star defensive tackle from Lakeland, Fla., has been plagued by injuries in recent years and has only played in three games this season making little impact with just one tackle.
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One of the more physically-gifted receivers in recent memory, Demas was ranked No. 15 overall and the second-best receiver in the 2020 class as a five-star prospect. But he finished his career in College Station with only 15 catches for 235 yards and one touchdown and was arrested for an alleged assault. Demas went to the portal and has now landed at Garden City (Kan.) CC where Louisville, Purdue and others are recruiting him.
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A five-star prospect from Houston (Texas) North Shore, Texas A&M beat out LSU, Alabama and others for Harris, who played only one season in College Station and kept running afoul of team rules. He totaled 14 tackles during that year but was regularly in trouble and has since transferred to LSU. He faced another possible suspension after a fight broke out at practice. He’s played in five games this season with seven tackles and two pass deflections.
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An early Miami commit who then chose Texas A&M over LSU and others, Harris finished his two-year career in College Station with only three tackles. There was a report that the former high four-star medically retired but then he emerged on the signee list at ULM however he’s not currently on that roster, either. He was ranked No. 47 nationally and the second-best weak-side defensive end in the 2020 class behind Alabama’s Will Anderson.
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Ranked as the second-best running back in the 2021 class, Johnson was supposed to be the next big thing in Texas A&M’s backfield, a mix of power and elusiveness but it never materialized. In two seasons, the high four-star from Cypress (Texas) Cypress Fairbanks totaled just 31 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson has since transferred to SMU (along with No. 1 RB that year Camar Wheaton) where he has 78 carries for 427 yards and two scores.
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Texas A&M beat out Alabama, Notre Dame, UCLA and LSU for the high four-star defensive end from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral although it really came down to the Crimson Tide and the Aggies. But Lucas would only last one season in College Station - where he totaled 10 tackles and no sacks before transferring to USC. He was ranked No. 57 overall and the ninth-best strongside defensive end in the 2022 class.
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After an impressive Under Armour week, Marshall was under five-star consideration but ended up as a high four-star and the No. 8 receiver in the 2022 class. He played in only six games in College Station, though, where he totaled 11 catches for 108 yards as he had multiple off-field issues. Marshall transferred to Ole Miss where he was also dismissed and he’s since landed at Kilgore (Texas) Kilgore JC.
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Stewart, who was elevated to a five-star after an impressive week at the Under Armour All-America Game, showed a lot of promise in his first season at Texas A&M with 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Unfortunately, Stewart's production has dipped significantly in Year 2 and he has only nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in 10 games. Ranked as the fourth-best defensive end in the 2022 class, the Aggies hung on over a late push by Miami to keep Stewart.
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A five-star cornerback in the 2019 class out of Richmond (Texas) Bush, Young was ranked fifth at his position and sixth in the state (even one spot ahead of Garrett Wilson) but his career never materialized at Texas A&M. He finished with 17 tackles and one interception before going in the portal and then ending up at Blinn College.