PONCHATOULA, La. — Five-star safety Jacoby Mathews was upfront about what he’s bringing to College Station: “Aggressiveness, fire and that type of Louisiana swag.”

Mathews flaunted that swag on Wednesday declaring for Texas A&M over in-state LSU and Florida. The five-star safety ranked No. 1 at his position by On3 cemented the Aggies’ spot atop the On3 Consensus Rankings for the Class of 2022.

In a decision that pulled Mathews in different directions leading into crunch time, he relied on his gut.

“A lot of emotion went into it,” Mathews told On3. “After talking and talking and talking, time passing, it felt like A&M was a better fit for me because they could develop me more.”

“It’s crazy because all three schools did a great job recruiting me,” the Ponchatoula (La.) standout continued. “It was a hard decision because I was straight going to any one of those schools. I had to think about (the) depth chart; who would develop me; and who could put more in.”

“I was pretty confident in it,” he added on his decision.

Fisher plays lead role in closing with Mathews

Under Ed Orgeron, the Tigers have maintained a tight border around the Bayou State. Mathews, Louisiana’s top player for the 2022 cycle, took a different path.

Relationships with players on the current roster and other signees loomed large.

“Really, how the players embraced me my first time up in College Station,” Mathews started. “How the other recruits showed me click. I’ve clicked with them from camps to the All-America Game. It was just a strong bond.”

Jimbo Fisher, who signed his best class since arriving in the SEC in 2018, made Mathews a priority until the finish line.

“What I like about him,” Mathews said, “is he’s a great man in general before coaching. We have a regular father-son relationship. My parents can trust him to take care of me for the next three or four years. That drove me a lot toward Jimbo.”

Tigers, Gators make it a close race

Sources close to Mathews noted that Florida was in the thick of the race until Tuesday. Defensive backs coach Corey Raymond was the first to offer the five-star as a freshman at Ponchatoula (La.) while on the Tigers’ staff.

The new LSU staff gained ground swiftly. Mathews wrestled with the two SEC West teams up until Tuesday night, but fortified his choice by Wednesday.

“It was super hard,” Mathews admitted. “I had to deal with my emotions and my emotions would lead me one way. My thinking would lead me another. I had to go with my gut.”

“I wasn’t able to build better relationships with any other coaching staff than A&M,” he added.