Texas A&M Suffers Recruiting Setback at the Hands of SEC Rival

Texas A&M Suffers Recruiting Setback at the Hands of SEC Rival originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Throughout the offseason, the Texas A&M Aggies have assembled one of the most impressive 2026 recruiting classes of any program, currently ranking No. 2 in the SEC and No. 3 in the nation.

Despite already landing 24 commitments, they're constantly looking to add more talent, and one name they have shown interest in is linebacker Malik Morris out of Lakeland, Florida.

The Aggies hosted him for a total of three visits, including an official one on June 6. They earned a spot as finalists for his commitment, along with the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Gators.

Unfortunately for Texas A&M, though, on Monday, Morris announced he'd be staying within the SEC, but rather win the Gators to play under head coach Billy Napier.

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Malik Morris has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’1 250 LB from Lakeland, FL chose the Gators over Miami & Texas A&M

“Live from the trenches”https://t.co/Zt3lHAk9HSpic.twitter.com/gD7JgXn2M0

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 7, 2025

This addition gives the Gators a reason to celebrate, as On3 has him as a four-star recruit, the No. 13 linebacker, the No. 30 player in Florida and the No. 209 player in the nation.

Last year, he had his most productive season for Lakeland, appearing in nine games for the Dreadnaughts, accumulating 31 tackles, three tackles for loss, half a sack, 11 hurries, two pass deflections and two fumble recoveries.

Morris becomes the 16th recruit that Florida has landed in this year's cycle, with their group now ranking No. 6 in the SEC and No. 14 in the nation.

For Texas A&M, the pain from this loss is lessened by them already landing multiple linebacker recruits, including four-star DaQuives Beck, four-star Storm Miller and three-star Tank King.

Related: Nation's No. 1 Recruit Predicted to Choose Big 12 Team Over Alabama, Georgia

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.