Texas A&M trending to flip LSU 4-star LB commit Xavier Atkins

Humble (Texas) Summer Creek four-star linebacker Xavier Atkins has been committed to LSU since last July. However, another SEC program has emerged as the new favorite to be Atkins future college home.

Following recent industry updates, Texas A&M now is favored to flip Atkins away from the Tigers. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), the Aggies sit with a 70.9% chance to land Atkins.

LSU recruiting insiders Shea Dixon and Billy Embody both put in picks for Atkins to flip to A&M from LSU. Embody put his in with a confidence level of 60%. Dixon’s confidence level was at 95%.

Atkins was originally scheduled to attend LSU’s Bayou Splash on July 29 but opted to attend Texas A&M’s pool party instead. He had visited College Station multiple times prior to that with last coming in early August.

“It’s been a lot,” Atkins told On3’s Sam Spiegelman in May. “A&M is coming hard. They’re seeing me multiple times at practice, showing my mom love, hitting my mom up. They want me to play early as a freshman, get me in the rotation to learn the system, and I have a chance to make an impact there.”

The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder is the No. 287 overall prospect and No. 26 linebacker in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 51 player in Texas.

Atkins currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $49K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

How LSU and Texas A&M’s classes currently stand

Arguably no team has been hotter on the recruiting trail since the start of June than Texas A&M. The Aggies went from having a class just inside the top 30 to one just outside of the top 10.

That group ranks No. 12 in the country and No. 5 in the SEC with 18 pledges. Five-star wide receiver Cam Coleman headlines the Aggies’ group when he announced a surprise commitment on July 4th.

LSU has also steadily been building a class that’s inching towards the top 10 mark. LSU’s class ranks just behind Texas A&M’s at No. 13 in the nation and No. 6 in the SEC with 20 commitments.