"Texas A&M is my leader right now": Five-star safety has Mike Elko's Aggies on top before college visits

Five-star safety Jireh Edwards is a key target for Texas A&M in the 2026 recruiting class. The standout from St. Frances Academy (Maryland) is set to visit College Station for an unofficial visit on Mar. 22, with an official visit planned for the weekend of Jun. 13.

Ahead of these trips, Edwards gave Mike Elko's coaching staff a big recruitment edge ahead of the trip.

"Texas A&M is my leader right now," Edwards told Rivals' Adam Friedman on Tuesday.

Edwards has already narrowed his choices to a top five, which include Texas A&M, Georgia, Oregon, Auburn and Tennessee. His approach to the heated recruiting process is meticulous.

“The one thing I do is I keep receipts,” Edwards told Dawg Nation. “So I will know who was there before my name got out there. I know who was there before. Showing love every day. Texting me. Creating relationships from the get-go. Because I got my first offer my eighth-grade year.”

Mike Elko has been actively recruiting Edwards for some time, and Mason Smith, Texas A&M’s director of recruiting communication, has also played a key role in the process. They will get more opportunities to continue the momentum in the upcoming trip.

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What Jireh Edwards may bring to Texas A&M?

Jireh Edwards is ranked as the No. 2 safety in the 2026 class and the No. 15 overall prospect in the nation, according to Rivals. As a junior in 2024, he posted 92 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

While he is expected to retain his safety designation, Edwards should be viewed as a versatile defender capable of lining up in multiple spots. If he potentially ends up in Texas A&M's 2026 class, he will be the first five-star prospect in the cycle.

One of Edwards' defining traits is his relentless drive for self-improvement.

“The thing that drives me is seeing other kids and other people that are disabled,” Edwards told Dawg Nation. “Disabled that don’t have the ability to do stuff that they want to do. The kids in wheelchairs. Stuff like that. That’s one thing that drives me."

Texas A&M's 2026 class is loaded with multiple four-star prospects, ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 2 in the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies already have a three-star safety in the cycle in Markel Ford.