Aggies Land Commitment From 2026 4-Star Safety Markel Ford

The Texas A&M Aggies have landed their first 2026 commitment in the form of four-star safety Markel Ford.

Markel Ford /

The Texas A&M Aggies have been on a roll in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

But on Thursday, the focus was on 2026, with the Aggies landing their first commitment of the class in four-star Horn (Mesquite, TX) safety Markel Ford.

Ford made the announcement via his personal X account, picking the Aggies over SMU, Oklahoma, Texas, LSU, Oregon and USC.

Ford also held offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Colorado, Houston, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, TCU, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Utah and Wisconsin.

So why the Aggies? According to Ford, his relationship with head coach Mike Elko and defensive backs coach Ishmael Aristide played a big role.

"Coach Elko and Coach [Ishmael] Aristide, they were talking to me like I was a player on campus," Ford told 247Sports after his visit in January. "They treated me like I was already enrolled there. They were family-oriented."

Last season with Horn, Ford finished his sophomore campaign with 56 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, four interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

He is currently rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, who ranks him as The No. 180 player in the country, the No. 14 safety and the No. 22 player in Texas.

He is also rated as a three star recruit, as well as the No. 336 player in the country, the No. 31 safety and the No. 41 player in Texas per the On3 Industry Ranking, which is a composite ranking of the four major recruiting services.