Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko speaks with a game official during the second quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. John Reed-Imagn Images

Four-Star Athlete Opts For Visit With Arch Rival Over Texas A&M Aggies

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By DJ Burton | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Texas A&M Aggies received some more bad news on the class of 2026 recruiting front on Thursday.

Class of 2026 four-star athlete Paris Melvin Jr. has cancelled his official visit to A&M on June 20-22. Instead, he will be paying the Aggies’ arch rival, the Texas Longhorns, a visit on the same dates, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney shared via X.

The news comes after fellow-four-star edge Jamarion Carlton announced he was cancelling his official visit with the Aggies on Wednesday. Carlton was coming off a visit with the Longhorns when his decision was made.

Melvin, whose latest 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction had him going to A&M, was offered by the Aggies in December of 2024. In 2023, he was a Texas District 16-6A first-team selection at both DB and return specialist as a sophomore. In his junior season, Melvin recorded 18 rushing touchdowns, three receiving touchdowns and an interception.

The Fightin’ Farmers sit at the No. 7 spot in 247Sports’ class of 2026 recruiting rankings. They have brought in three 3-star and one 4-star since the beginning of June. The addition of Melvin and Carlton could have been enough to see the Aggies climb a couple spots in the rankings.

The Longhorns currently sit at the No. 14 spot in the same rankings and will likely land the two recruits based on their recent actions.

Texas and A&M are set to face off on Friday, Nov. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the rivals in Austin since the Longhorns joined the SEC before last season.

In the meantime, the Aggies will focus on securing a commitment from three-star quarterback Kaeden Johnson, who will be in Aggieland this upcoming weekend.

This article first appeared on Texas A&M Aggies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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