Texas A&M New Coach Mike Elko Claims Major Win With 5-Star Signing

Texas A&M new football coach Mike Elko will be battling border rival LSU and next door neighbor Texas for years to come on the field and in recruiting in the Southeastern Conference.

How many years will depend on how well he does at both. On Wednesday, he earned his first major recruiting victory by signing the only 5-star prospect for his inaugural Class of 2024. That is the No. 1-ranked player in the Athlete category - Terry Bussey of Timpson High School in Timpson, Texas.

Terry Bussey of Timpson High in Timpson, Texas, signed with Texas A&M on Wednesday and became the Aggies' only 5-star member of the Class of 2024. (Photo By Jason Howell/TexAgs.com 

Timpson is located an hour from the big LSU town of Shreveport, Louisiana, and LSU coach Brian Kelly made a strong bid for Bussey after A&M fired coach Jimbo Fisher last November. Bussey (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) is a speedy running back/receiver/defensive back who committed to Fisher and the Aggies on Sept. 28. But he opened up his recruiting after the firing. He visited LSU recently along with Georgia.

Terry Bussey Will Play Both Ways At Texas A&M

Elko kept him, though, and it probably did not hurt that he promised Bussey playing time on offense and defense as well as kick returns. Bussey excelled in all that at Timpson High.

Elko also flipped a player away from playing for another border state - Arkansas. Ashton Bethel-Roman, a 4-star wide receiver from Missouri City, Texas, had previously signed with Arkansas. But Arkansas formally released him from his letter-of-intent after a request recently, and he signed with the Aggies on Wednesday.

The Bussey signing by Elko pushed the Aggies up three spots to No. 19 late Wednesday in the 247 Sports team recruiting rankings. The top 10 remained Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Miami, Ohio State, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Auburn. The second 10 featured Clemson, Florida State, Tennessee, Florida, Penn State, Michigan, USC, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Missouri

Bussey was one of only a handful of highly ranked prospects to sign on Wednesday on the second national signing day of the 2023-24 period after the major one last December.

Elko and staff tried to flip the nation's No. 3 wide receiver, Ryan Williams, away from Alabama, but Williams signed with the Crimson Tide and new coach Kalen DeBoer on Wednesday. Williams (6-0, 165) is the No. 4 overall prospect in the country by 247 Sports out of Saraland, Alabama, near Mobile. Williams originally committed to Alabama coach Nick Saban last fall, then opened up his recruitment after Saban announced his retirement on Jan. 10. Williams visited Texas A&M on Jan. 12, but DeBoer visited Williams on Jan. 20 and swung him back to Alabama.

DeBoer also signed the No. 9 edge rusher in the nation on Wednesday in 4-star prospect Noah Carter (6-3, 218) out of Centennial High in Peoria, Arizona.

LSU added a 5-star prospect on Wednesday in No. 1 defensive linament Dominick McKinley of Acadiana High in Lafayette, Louisiana. McKinley (6-5, 280) is the No. 14 prospect natonally and No. 1 player in Louisiana. He visited Texas A&M on December 8 and went to Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas over the summer. He visited LSU on January 12. 

Another top signee Wednesday was 5-star prospect Gatlin Blair (6-1, 194) to Oregon. Blair is the No. 6 wide receiver in the nation out of Burley High in Burley, Idaho.