Mike Elko and Texas A&M suffer fresh setback as 5-star elite recruit changes mind after visit to Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns

Texas A&M is set to lose the opportunity to recruit a top ranked player who was preparing to visit the program this weekend.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Jamerion Carlton has cancelled his visit to College Station in a move that appears to signal his intention to sign for the Aggies' rivals, the Texas Longhorns (whom he recently visited).

"NEWS: Elite 2026 EDGE Jamarion Carlton will no longer take his Official Visit to Texas A&M, he tells me for @on3recruits. The Top 50 Recruit was set to visit the Aggies this weekend."

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Jamerion Carlton is a four-star (according to 247Sports) edge rusher/defensive end from the state of Texas. He is seen as the third-best player in this position in the 2026 recruitment class and the fourth-best player from the Lone Star State overall.

Carlton has played high school football at Temple HS and made a strong contribution to the side. During his recent season, Carlton made 57 tackles, five sacks and one forced fumble. He also participated in the "All-American Bowl" (high school football's equivalent to an All-Star game) early in 2025.

Carlton had been on numerous visits for schools in the state of Texas, with the Longhorns and Aggies being seen as the two strongest contenders to get the player to sign. However, with the cancellation of his visit to the Aggies, it is looking likely that Carlton will snub Mike Elko's Aggies for Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns.

Fans will know who Carlton commits to on July 10.

Jamerion Carlton speaks about the Texas Longhorns

Jamerion Carlton has spoken about his relationship with the Texas Longhorns, giving an idea of how close he and the team are in the recruitment process. He told Rivals the following:

"Texas has been here a whole lot. They blow up my phone every day here regardless. They're everywhere. They call my mom, they try to get in touch with me as much as they can."

If Carlton were to commit to the Longhorns, he would become another member of a defense that has been able to establish itself as one of the best in college football.

The edge rusher can see that Texas has been able to turn many of their players into NFL stars, and this player development is something that may factor in his decision to join the Longhorns.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat