Twelve recruits put pen to paper on Wednesday, Dec. 20, to join Texas A&M football’s 2024 recruiting class as the national early signing period began. The Aggies’ class ranks 15th in the nation and ninth in the SEC with four commits yet to sign.
A&M added two more signees on Dec. 22 to raise its total to 14.
The group of signees consists of three offensive linemen, two wide receivers and two defensive backs. It also features a quarterback and a tight end on offense plus two defensive lineman, two linebackers and a defensive end. Five players are Texas natives.
Here’s a look at what each signee brings to the table as they make their way to Aggieland.
Miles O’Neill, QB
Miles will be traveling over 1,600 miles to A&M, as the Massachusetts native played high school football in New Jersey. The quarterback headlines the offensive signees and was rated a four-star prospect by 247 Sports and Rivals.
This season, O’Neill was named the New Jersey Prep A Offensive Player of the Year after completing 72.1% of passes for 2,151 yards and 20 touchdowns.
“Really talented quarterback, extremely productive,” coach Mike Elko said. “Big arm kid and has a really great presence about him, so really excited that he’ll be the quarterback of the class.”
Izaiah Williams, WR
Williams played on both sides of the ball in his senior season, catching 44 passes for 904 yards and 11 scores while picking up 20 tackles, one sack and an interception on defense. He brings high-level speed to the Aggies, having run a 10.94 in the 100-meter in high school track.
“We think he has elite twitch, elite burst and can really be a day-one impact guy for us at wide receiver, and so really happy that we were able to get that one done,” Elko said.
Ernest Campbell, WR
The Refugio product comes from a championship pedigree, having led the small-town Bobcats to the 2A state championship in 2022, semifinals in 2021 and quarterfinals in 2023. On the track, Campbell won the 2A state 100 title in 2022 and 2021 while contributing to the school’s gold medals in the 4×100 and 4×200-meter relays.
“I think the first thing is we’ve got to get him in the weight room and we’ve got to get a little bit of weight on him and a little bit of strength on him without losing the speed,” Elko said. “If we can do that, then you’ve got a kid that can run 10.2 100 meters and that circles defenses and that’s an explosive playmaker. And so you try to get him the ball in space as much as you possibly can and let him utilize his speed.”
Eric Karner, TE
Karner led his high school to the Illinois state quarterfinals this season, wrapping up a career in which he caught 24 passes for 435 yards and seven touchdowns.
“Great frame for what we want to do now moving forward on offense,” Elko said. “He’s a dual-threat tight end. We think he has the ability to be an in-line blocker but can also help us in the passing game and can create separation, get open at wide receiver.”
Isendre “Papa” Ahfua, OL
Ahfua attended the same high school as freshman OL Mark Nabou Jr. and led O’Dea High in Seattle to the 2023 Washington state quarterfinals as the All-Metro Offensive Lineman of the Year. At No. 141 in the ESPN Top 300 recruit rankings, he earned invites to the 2024 Army All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl.
“He’s our inside guy, a big road-grading guard that can really get underneath people and move people,” Elko said.
Ashton Funk, OL
Funk stands at No. 147 in the ESPN Top 300 as a consensus four-star prospect. A Katy native, he was named a finalist for the Houston Touchdown Club’s Offensive Player of the Year.
“He’s your prototypical tackle, really,” Elko said. “Really has a phenomenal fundamental grasp of the game of football that jumps off when you watch the tape. Really talented kid, has great length, been extremely well-trained down there.”
Blake Ivy, OL
Another consensus four-star, Ivy comes in at No. 128 in the ESPN Top 300 and was selected to the 2024 Under Armour All-American Bowl. He started for three seasons at Clear Springs High School in League City at both right tackle and left tackle.
“Just a phenomenal athlete, extremely long, extremely athletic,” Elko said. “I saw him do some things on video from a Rivals camp where he had his knees bent and was putting his 6-[foot]-8 frame down around the ground. It was extremely impressive.”
Myles Davis, DB
Much like A&M’s graduate WR Ainias Smith, Davis was a Swiss Army Knife for Judson High School in Converse. This season, he made 51 tackles and three tackles for loss in addition to 11 receptions for 110 yards and three touchdowns on offense. Davis also returned kickoffs, two of which were for touchdowns.
In his two-year varsity career, Davis tallied close to 85 tackles with six interceptions. He also amassed 421 all-purpose yards.
“A big hitter, your prototypical strong safety, he can cover,” Elko said. “He’s got range, he’s got good hands, but really physical in how he plays the run and how he delivers blows in the tackling area.”
Jordan Pride, DB
A consensus four-star, Pride will join Ahfua in the Army All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl. He wrapped up his high school career in the Florida state semifinals, and, like Davis, proved his versatility on defense and on special teams as a kickoff and punt returner.
As a senior, Pride tallied 11 tackles with a pick while returning 13 kickoffs for 122 yards and nine punts for 93 yards. His junior season, he reeled in 22 passes for 667 yards and six scores to go with 20 tackles and two interceptions on defense. His 15 receptions for 375 yards and six touchdowns in 2021 earned him 1A All-State Second Team accolades.
“He’s your prototypical free safety, very rangy, very athletic [and] tremendous ball skills,” Elko said.
Solomon Williams, DE
A high school teammate of Izaiah Williams, Solomon led Carrollwood Day to a regional final appearance this year. His junior season, he amassed 61 tackles with an astounding 32 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks while forcing a fumble. A consensus four-star, Solomon added 32 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks during his sophomore campaign.
Kendall Jackson, DL
Jackson flipped his commitment from Miami to A&M on Signing Day after previously being committed to Florida. As Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida tallied double-digit wins over each of the past three seasons, Jackson amassed almost 150 tackles. Over the past two years, he totaled 115 tackles and 15.5 sacks.
“He was a guy that our defensive line coach, Sean Spencer, had recruited all the way through the process and kind of got on board with us, you know, almost under the radar a little bit,” Elko said. “[We’re] really excited to add him. He’s a big, powerful kid on the edge. He has pass rush ability and he just fits really well into what we want to be about moving forward.”
Jordan Lockhart, LB
The brother of junior LB Danny Lockhart Jr., Jordan was a key figure for California high school powerhouse St. John Bosco over the past two seasons. He was invited to the Polynesian Bowl after totaling 149 tackles, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles over his career. The Braves won the state championship in his junior season and reached the title game this year.
“He’s an extremely productive sideline to sideline backer [and] can really run,” Elko said. “He’s got a lot of addition he can add in the pass rush on third down, and so [we are] really excited to bring him into the fold.”
Tristan Jernigan, LB
Jernigan totaled 177 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks over the past two seasons as Tupelo High School in Mississippi went a collective 22-4. He saw his most productive season as a junior in 2022, tallying 96 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks with two fumble recoveries.
Dealyn Evans, DL
Evans was the first commit of the Aggies’ 2024 class, dating back to July of 2022. The Longview native earned an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Bowl as a consensus four-star and No. 175 in the ESPN Top 300.
After being named a Texas Sports Writers Association 5A Second Team All-State selection as a junior, Evans made 58 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four sacks in a First Team All-District senior season.