Key takeaways
- Texas A&M is spending an estimated $10 million on the 2027 recruiting class — the most of any program in the country — while Arkansas isn’t operating anywhere close to that financial level in high school recruiting
- Mike Elko has already turned the investment into results, going 10-0 in 2025 and delivering the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, which makes the annual Razorback confidence exercise harder to justify than it used to be
- Rival SEC coaches are openly calling Elko a legitimate program builder and saying A&M’s current trajectory is nothing like the Jimbo Fisher era — which means the days of Arkansas fans circling that game as a comfortable opportunity may be running out fast
Every August, Arkansas fans circle Texas A&M on the schedule and nod confidently.
Every August, the Aggies are spending millions more on recruiting than the Hogs are anywhere close to matching.
But sure. This is definitely the year.
Texas A&M has one of the biggest stadiums in the country, a fan base that opens its checkbook without blinking and a recruiting footprint covering the most talent-loaded state in America.
The Aggies have always had the resources to run with anyone in college football. Arkansas has optimism. Bold strategy.
According to On3’s Ari Wasserman, A&M is once again the biggest spender in high school football recruiting.
Their 2027 class sits at No. 1 in the Rivals Industry Ranking with six five-star commitments locked in, including five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas — the No. 5 overall player and top-ranked offensive tackle in the cycle.
Seven Power Four general managers told Wasserman’s colleague Pete Nakos the total class investment could top $10 million. just for high school players.
One SEC general manager confirmed it plainly, telling On3 that “Texas A&M is spending a shit ton — easily $10 million,” while putting his own program at “probably anywhere from $5 to $7 million.”
Arkansas fans would like everyone to know the Hogs have a great shot this year though.
At least Razorback fans are consistent
To be fair, A&M’s big spending hasn’t always meant big results.
The 2022 class under Jimbo Fisher had eight five-stars and 18 players ranked inside the top 125 nationally. It completely fell apart. Players underperformed, ran into trouble and left the program.
After Fisher was fired, The Athletic published a detailed account pointing to a staff more focused on how a class looked on paper than whether the players were the right fits or characters.
Arkansas fans were absolutely correct to feel good about those matchups.
That was then. Mike Elko isn’t repeating that pattern and the rest of the SEC has noticed, even if Fayetteville hasn’t quite caught up yet.
Elko is a program builder who cares about culture and locker room fit more than recruiting rankings.
A&M went 10-0 in 2025, made the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance and pushed the eventual national runner-up to the final drive at Kyle Field. But the Razorbacks will be ready.
They always say that.
Rivals noticed even if Arkansas didn’t
The most inconvenient detail in Wasserman’s reporting for anyone in Hog country is what opposing evaluators actually think.
“They got some really good players. Rankings aside, we liked a lot of the guys they’re taking,” a second SEC general manager told On3’s Nakos. “Elko’s a damn good coach. This isn’t going to be Jimbo Fisher all over again. Elko’s at a different point in his career.”
Rivals don’t say that about programs they expect to push around.
Heading into 2026 the Aggies return quarterback Marcel Reed as an established starter and carry real CFP experience into every recruiting living room they enter.
A&M is spending like a program that expects to win. Arkansas is spending like a program that expects Hog fans to stay optimistic regardless.
One of these approaches wins football games. The other one circles dates on a calendar.
Full credit to Ari Wasserman at On3 for the reporting behind this column.
