On June 16, the No.1 CB, Brandon Arrington, just flipped the script—and fast. The five-star corner out of Mount Miguel (Calif.) shocked pretty much everyone when he dropped his top two schools on Instagram: Texas A&M and Oregon. That’s it. No Bama. No Penn State. Not even USC or Washington. Just the Aggies and the Ducks going head-to-head for the top-ranked athlete in the 2026 class.

What’s wild? Arrington had just finished his official visit to Alabama and sounded all in. Said they were one of the hardest schools not to pick, talked about early playing time and development like it was a done deal. Then—boom—he cuts them, cold. His commitment was supposed to come on July 5, but now he’s pushing it up to Thursday, June 19. That’s right, this week. He’s in full decision mode, and the rest of his officials? Canceled or irrelevant.

Brandon Arrington is far more than a five-star name on a recruiting board. With rare two-way talent, he’s as dangerous lining up at receiver as he is locking down a corner. As a junior, he hauled in 31 catches for over 500 yards and five touchdowns, and still found time to deliver 26 tackles and an interception on defense. And also ranked No.1 Cali prospect in the 2026 cycle.

Arrington shuffled up his official visit plans to slide through Eugene on June 6. His pops told On3’s Steve Wiltfong, “Everything was good. Great environment, great coaches. Just the coaching, experience they got, [the] defensive guys they got, the plan, and all that. They came from Georgia and Alabama, so you know they have that defensive pedigree.”

And the player himself? He’s feeling the love: “With Oregon, it is about the relationships I have with Coach [Chris] Hampton and Coach Tosh [Lupoi]. We are close, and I am so cool with Coach Hampton. Coach [Dan] Lanning always checks up on me, and that bond I have with the staff is so good.” The Ducks are pushing hard — Wiltfong says they’re “in the thick of it” to land the Loganville-Grayson five-star.

But, guess what? Texas A&M’s HC Mike Elko is putting together a monster close. Mike Elko is making Texas A&M’s recruiting game feel like the Wild West — and he’s the gunslinger flipping top prospects left and right. Since taking over in College Station, Elko has turned heads by pulling off major recruiting flips that few saw coming. Early Signing Day? He snatched five-star Lamont Rogers straight from Missouri and stole five-star Jerome Myles right out of USC’s hands.

The real question: Could the Aggies crash the party again?

Can Mike Elko close in on Brandon Arrington?

The Aggies are sitting on a No. 6-ranked 2026 class with 15 commits already locked in—but here’s the kicker: not a single five-star in the group. Their top dog right now is corner Victor Singleton, a four-star checking in at No. 84 nationally. Good? Sure. But elite? That’s where Brandon Arrington could flip the script.

Texas A&M’s been hovering around this one for a minute. Long before most folks were watching, A&M was moving behind the scenes. They started picking up steam last fall, and On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has had them trending since October. Arrington even locked in his A&M official for this coming weekend—only now, that trip might be the final domino.

Mike Elko and his crew haven’t let up. They’ve stayed consistent, stayed loud, and most importantly, stayed real. Arrington himself said it best: “They all want me and they recruit me hard. From the start, it never changed with A&M.” It all stems from Elko’s ‘quality, not quantity’ mantra—closer relationships and aggressive pursuit pay off.

Glen West, the Assistant Executive Director of the Texas High School Coaches Association, put it plainly: “Mike Elko has turned our relationship with Texas A&M around 180 degrees… he showed up… by himself—no driver, no entourage—shook our hands and said, ‘I’m Mike, I’m here to help.’” That no-nonsense, personal approach is paying off big time.

Look at the Aggies’ recent history. In 2025, they snagged three top-10 California ballers, including blue-chip CB Adonyss Currie. And they’re already three deep from Cali in 2026—Madden Williams, Samu Moala, and Caleb Tafua. If Elko adds Arrington to that mix? That’s a top class for sure.