Texas A&M landed another “big fish” in the 2027 recruiting class after five-star linebacker Kaden Henderson chose the Aggies over Notre Dame on Thursday afternoon, becoming the highest-rated Texas A&M LB commit in program history, providing the national media more proof that third-year coach Mike Elko is one of the top recruiters in the country.
Still, many opposing fan bases, and even some in college football media, seem to forget that former head coach Jimbo Fisher, who served in the role for six underwhelming seasons, isn’t a part of the program in any way, shape, or form, outside of the Athletic department paying off his massive contract over the next four years.
Finshing his Texas A&M coaching career with a 45-25 record, and 27-21 in the SEC, the Aggies finished with nine wins just twice, and never hit the double-digit win mark, despite elite recruiting classes, including the historic 2022 cycle that has now become a source of mockery based on poor on-field results the lack of development for more than half of the blue-chip filled class.
After Fisher was fired just a game before the end of the 2024 regular season, former Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork nearly fumbled the hire of Mike Elko after heavily pursuing now former Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, but thanks to outside pressure from the alumni base, Elko was hired just days after Fisher’s dismissal.
During his tenure as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator (2018-2021), Mike Elko helped assemble the Aggies’ 2022 recruiting class but was soon promoted to Duke’s head coach, leading the Blue Devils to their first nine-win season since 2014 and helping develop several future NFL draft selections.
As soon as he set foot in College Station, any worry regarding Elko’s ability to match Fisher’s recruiting success went out of the window, helping secure the Aggies’ 17th-ranked 2024 cycle, followed by back-to-back-to-back 7th-ranked cycles, and currently possesses the No. 1-ranked 2027 cycle, which has been further strengthened after Henderson’s commitment.
Like many of the Aggies’ 21 commits in the 2027 cycle, Henderson is fed up with the national narrative surrounding the class, recently telling AggieYell insider Joseph Hastings that the 2027 class should not be compared to the 2022 recruiting class that, for some reason, still comes up in conversation.
“I know a lot of people want to think, ‘Oh, this is like the Jimbo (Fisher) class.’ I think it’s completely different. I think this is a class that’s going to stick,” Henderson stated. “I feel like everybody in this class is family. It’s more than football. I feel like when you have that, you’ll stick together. I feel like it’s going to go down in history as one of the best classes in college football, if not the best class.”
Time will tell if the Aggies’ 2027 cycle “sticks” and reaches its full potential, which, for nearly every one of the current 21 commits, is the NFL, and for some, a first-round draft selection.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 2027 5-star LB wants to put Texas A&M’s 2022 class comparison to bed
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire | USA TODAY Network
