Texas A&M beats out SEC foes for defensive end Gabriel Reliford
Texas A&M has landed its second commitment in as many as days with four-star Weston Davis committing on Monday and Gabriel Reliford following suit on Tuesday.
Reliford is a three-star defensive end out of Shreveport, Louisiana, and he chose the Aggies over a final grouping that also consisted of Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. His comfort level and the opportunities in College Station led to A&M winning out in the SEC race.
"It's just the best of both worlds: great football and great academics," Reliford told Rivals.com about his decision. "They’ll best prepare me for the NFL."
The newest Texas A&M pledge has stuffed the sheet in a big way on the high school level. As a junior, Reliford racked up 129 total tackles, amassed 27 tackles for loss, and got to the quarterback six times. He made 15 sacks during his sophomore season.
Reliford has natural ability to create pressure as evidenced by his production. He is a quick-footed player that displays some explosiveness on the defensive side of the ball. That should be a good fit with all of the other talent already at the Aggies' disposal.
"I think I’ll fit in great, especially with coach (Elijah Robinson) as my coach. I feel like I’ll be well taken care of," said Reliford.
The Louisiana native becomes the 12th commitment in the Aggies' 2024 haul that is currently headlined by Rivals100 defensive end Dealyn Evans. Reliford's commitment is the latest in what could be a big week for Texas A&M with top target Dre'lon Miller set to announce on Thursday.
"I'm going to add a lot of speed and aggression to the Texas A&M defense," Reliford said.