Texas A&M and LSU have been going back and forth for more than 18 months in the race to land 5-star cornerback Joshua Dobson. It has been a tight battle for a long time. After speaking directly with Dobson, his camp, and other sources close to the recruitment, Rivals insider Steve Wiltfong believes one of them has taken a clear lead.
On Tuesday, Wiltfong officially logged a prediction for the Aggies to land Dobson, who is one of the top players in the 2027 recruiting class. He is ranked as a top-10 player in the country and is one of Texas A&M’s biggest targets. The Aggies are still competing with LSU, Michigan, Auburn, and South Carolina, but right now, they have the strongest position in this race. Wiltfong explained why he changed his earlier prediction from LSU to Texas A&M.
“Joshua Dobson, the five-star cornerback out of the Carolinas, visited Texas A&M a couple more times this spring,” he said. “The Aggies have been recruiting him hard… talking to Dobson recently, talking to his camp, talking to other sources… I have moved my prediction to Texas A&M for Joshua Dobson.”
Over the last 2 months, Mike Elko and his staff have been putting in extra hours on his recruitment, and it has certainly paid off. He also made it pretty clear that Texas A&M is setting the standard right now.
“He’s always blown away whenever he’s in College Station, and I think going into the next wave, Texas A&M is now setting the bar, and Chad Simmons had as much over the weekend as well, talking with Joshua Dobson at the Under Armor All America regional camp. LSU certainly going to continue to have a lot to say in this recruitment,” Wiltfong said.
At the same time, he noted that LSU and the other schools are still in the fight and will continue to push hard. The Tigers were leading all offseason after hosting him in Baton Rouge in February. Some even predicted them to lock Dobson in late March until the Aggies doubled down on him.
The Tigers have scheduled an official visit on June 12, next month. However, Aggies have a chance to spoil that visit because they already scheduled him on the 5th of June. That visit could be very important, as it gives Texas A&M a great chance to lock in his commitment.
In terms of rankings, Dobson is one of the best players in the country. He is ranked as the No. 9 overall player, the No. 3 cornerback, and the No. 1 player from North Carolina in the Rivals industry rankings. Mike Elko and his staff have done an excellent job recruiting this cycle. They already have 13 commitments, including four five-star prospects. If they land Dobson, it could give them one of the best defensive back classes in the country.
The good news for Aggie fans is their greed for five stars isn’t going to end there.
5-star mania at College Station
The Aggies are also in a strong position to land five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews, who is considered the top offensive tackle in the country. 247Sports and Rivals both rank him as the #3 overall player in the nation.
For a while, everyone thought he was a lock for the Miami Hurricanes since he’s a local Florida kid and a Thomas Aquinas product. But Coach Mike Elko entered Miami’s backyard and won his heart.
The coaches recently did an in-home visit that went great, and Matthews has already visited campus a few times, including a long five-day stay and a trip for the spring game.
We’re getting close to decision time, as Matthews has a few big official visits coming up this summer. He’ll be at Miami in late May, and he’s expected to set a date with the Aggies right around then, too. If the Aggies can close the deal, he’d be the fifth five-star recruit in their 2027 class, which would be an absolutely legendary haul.
