Mike Elko makes statement win on recruiting trail, inks 5-star athlete Terry Bussey in Texas A&M's 2024 class

Coming into National Signing Day, Texas A&M didn’t have a single Top-100 signee in its 2024 recruiting class.

New head coach Mike Elko did his best to salvage a transition class following Jimbo Fisher’s firing, but the Aggies’ current crop lacked the star power compared to recent years.  

That changed when 5-star athlete Terry Bussey re-affirmed his commitment and signed with the Aggies on Wednesday, picking TAMU after late surges from LSU and Georgia. Bussey originally committed to Fisher in September, and although he never officially backed off his verbal pledge, he decided not to sign in December and took visits to Athens and Baton Rouge last month. 

And yet, Elko and his new staff were able hold onto the nation’s top athlete, convincing the do-it-all Timpson (Texas) standout to stay in the Longhorn State and play for the Aggies.  

Talk about a statement win on the recruiting trail for Texas A&M’s new head coach. 

Terry Bussey is a truly electric, game-changing talent. Named ‘Mr. Texas Football’ in 2022, the 5-11, 180-pound prospect played offense, defense and special teams — accounting for 80 touchdowns as a quarterback, running back, defensive back, kickoff returner and punt returner in a single season. 

Although a single 5-star commitment doesn’t drastically change the overall outlook of Elko’s inaugural class — No. 17 nationally, 9th in the SEC — it’s a sign of the staff’s potential recruiting prowess moving forward. 

Texas A&M received the final visit, and locked down the top unsigned prospect in the 2024 class. Elko was able to fend off two SEC powers for one of the best players in the state of Texas — and someone who stands to see the field immediately in the fall. 

Similarly to Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Bussey could be a legitimate two-way star for Texas A&M. He definitely should make an impact on special teams as a freshman, and the Aggies have needs at both receiver and corner. 

Three years ago, the Aggies landed 15 Top-100 prospects in their historic 2022 class, but Fisher is no longer the head coach in College Station precisely because he squandered so much talent. 

Elko, who helped assemble some of the famed class, has proven he can do more with less in two seasons at Duke, but to be competitive in the SEC, he has to land top talent, too — and he did that by getting Bussey’s signature. 

With the likes of Deez Ricks, EJ Smith, De’Rickey Wright and Nic Scourton, Elko has done a nice job plugging roster holes via the transfer portal. Bussey immediately becomes the crown jewel of Elko’s first cycle, though, putting Texas A&M back on the shortlist of potential recruiting mammoths in the sport.