2025 DL Landon Rink commits to Texas A&M: ‘I feel like it’s a great place to be’

Mike Elko was named as Texas A&M’s new head coach on Nov. 27. Less than 24 hours later, he went to see Cypress (Texas) Cy-Fair three-star defensive lineman Landon Rink. 

Rink quickly learned that he was the first 2025 recruit to be visited by the Aggies’ new head man. That made him “immediately” feel like a priority to Elko and his staff, who he will be playing for on the next level. 

The 6-foot-2, 280-pound recruit announced his commitment to Texas A&M on Wednesday, choosing the Aggies over Ohio State and Oklahoma. Instead of following his father and playing football at Texas, he will suit up for the Longhorns’ in-state and now-SEC rival. 

“I love the bonds they have together as coaches,” Rink told On3. “They work together because they love to work together. They all chose to be there and they’re building a great culture with a great family environment. I can tell the players are feeding off of it too. I feel like it’s a great place to be.” 

Rink believes in Mike Elko and his vision for Texas A&M

Duke offered Rink when Elko was the head coach of the Blue Devils, yet their relationship grew greatly following Elko’s move to College Station. Since then, Rink has made multiple visits to Texas A&M. 

While Elko was at Duke, he helped revitalize the Blue Devils’ program and win 16 games in two seasons. The No. 66 player in Texas is confident that Elko will also lead the Aggies to success. 

“He has all the tools right in front of him and I’ve heard his plan,” said Rink, the No. 392 overall prospect and No. 33 defensive lineman in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. “I’m a strong believer in what his plan is and how he’s going to do it. He’s started from the ground up. He’s building a great culture first and then he’s going to worry about the football stuff. 

“He wants to instill a great culture and a great mindset in everyone, which is really important. If you want to have a winning team, you need to have a winning mindset. That’s how you start a winning program.” 

Rink built not only a great connection with Elko, but also strong bonds with defensive line coaches Tony Jerod-Eddie and Sean Spencer. He is looking forward to playing college football for Texas A&M, whose coaches learned of his decision last month. 

“I had a great visit at Ohio State, but I knew that A&M was the place for me,” Rink said. “After talking to coach Elko at the start of the morning, I brought them back together and told them that I was coming.” 

Jerod-Eddie and Spencer also played a key role in Rink’s decision

After spending last season at Florida, Spencer moved across the SEC to Texas A&M and quickly made Rink feel like a top target. Spencer was the coach to re-offer Rink, while Jerod-Eddie and the Aggies’ recruiting staff have been texting him every day. 

Spencer also contacts Rink very often. During their first phone call, the Aggies assistant had the Lone Star State native “juiced up and ready to go.” 

“He’s really excited, serious and enthusiastic all the time,” Rink said. “When you hear that, you can tell that he is coming from a good place, he really cares about you and he wants the best for you.” 

The three-star is also excited to learn from Jerod-Eddie, who played at Texas A&M before spending time in the NFL. Rink will get to reunite with both Jerod-Eddie and Spencer on his official visit to the Aggies that starts on June 13. 

“I trust coach Tony and coach Spencer as developers,” Rink said. “I’ve seen what they’ve done. I’ve seen them coach and I like the style of coaching that they do.