The 2024 season might not have been in favor of Texas A&M and Mike Elko. After all, the Aggies finished on a low note getting crushed by Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns 17-7. Does that break the HC’s heart? Maybe a bit! But Elko now has better things lined up to make his mood go all easy and breezy. The class of 2025 will be his first full recruiting cycle as the HC in Aggieland. Things are already looking good and in Elko’s favor. Texas A&M was able to woo 24 players now that they have just opened the doors for the Early Signing Period. And among them, a name has been buzzing. The player seemed to be the No.1 prospect of the 2025 class. The now Michigan Wolverines commit Bryce Underwood’s teammate. 

The Early Signing Period on Wednesday, December 4, turned out to be a big hit. All thanks to Elko for bringing a mixed bag of six offensive linemen, five defensive backs, four defensive linemen, three receivers, two linebackers, two running backs, and one quarterback. Some of the notable recruits who would now do the Aggies’ badge are five-star recruits offensive tackle Lamont Rogers and receiver Jerome Myles. However, among them, as expected, Sanders has been the center of attention. No, it’s not anyone from the Colorado Buffaloes, fam. It’s the 4-star defensive lineman from Bellville, DJ Sanders. However, as easy as it might sound, Elko shared how A&M managed to be the top program for commitment in a world full of tempting factors. During the press conference, the HC stated, “We had a lot of kids in this class that committed us early, DJ[Sanders] is one of them.”

Well, that’s something A&M is proud of. After all, given the current situation, players commit to one program but ultimately tie the knot with another. We don’t have to go too far. Now that we are talking about Sanders, his teammate Underwood gave his words to LSU Tigers but got lured by Sheronne Moore’s hefty NIL offer. Now you know why Elko said, “As the process goes on it becomes a moneygram. As you can see people throwing more and more and more to try to get kids to change their minds.”

However, Aggieland’s doors are open to kids of value and the right character. And definitely, Sanders has been one as he stuck to his words and commitment.   

How Mike Elko turned out lucky in sealing the deal

Elko and Co. went through a rough patch around August this year. They missed out on 5-star receiver Kaliq Lockett. It was then A&M landed a commitment from the 4-star defensive lineman. And Texas happened to be Sanders’ first choice as he chose Elko’s program over Texas Longhorns and Michigan Wolverines, even though he hinted at leaning towards Sarkisian’s squad. 

However, there have been some enticing offers that came his way and tried to lure Sanders away. For instance, Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, USC Trojans, Oklahoma Sooners, Oregon Duck, and a couple of other programs had shown their interest in landing the athlete. While things between Sanders and A&M were only limited to words, the commitment was finalized on Wednesday. “I just told (rival coaches) I’m going to stay committed to A&M. It was hard to keep it, but I’m a man of my word. My family always says to be true to your word. I have to stand by that,” stated Sanders.

Yes, finally Mike Elko and Texas A&M have made the impossible possible. In a time where NIL and money rules everything, they made DJ Sanders put his character over cash. Now that both parties are happy, let’s see what results in this Sanders X A&M collab brings to the table.