One of the top offensive tackles in the 2027 recruiting class is back on the market after five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews, No. 6 in the SC Next ESPN 300, decommitted from Texas A&M, sources told ESPN.
The 6-foot-6, 285-pound lineman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pulled his pledge from the Aggies on Sunday, sources said, reopening his recruitment less than a month before the start of the early signing period on Dec. 2.
The move comes amid a disappointing 2026 campaign for the Aggies and coach Mike Elko, who fell to 4-5 and 1-5 in the SEC with a 17-9 loss to No. 21 South Carolina on Saturday. Per sources, Miami, a close runner-up for Matthews' pledge earlier this year, has remained in close contact with ESPN's No. 2 offensive tackle this fall and is well-positioned in Matthews' process upon his decommitment.
The decision marks a significant shake up atop the 2027 recruiting class and a late-cycle blow for Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, who entered Sunday with the nation's No. 1 recruiting class.
Matthews is now the cycle's lone uncommitted five-star and by the far the highest-rated available prospect among the five recruits in the ESPN 300 without a pledge as of Sunday afternoon. He initially committed to the Aggies on May 15th, picking Texas A&M over Miami, LSU and Georgia to close a hotly contested recruiting battle between the Aggies and Hurricanes.
A multiyear starter at Florida's St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Matthews was one of five five-star pledges in Texas A&M's top-ranked 2027 class before his decommitment. Following his move, that group is still headlined by No. 1 offensive tackle Kennedy Brown (No. 15 overall), one of three offensive tackles committed to the Aggies alongside in-state linemen Kaeden Scott (No. 150) and four-star DeMarrion Johnson, ESPN's No. 38 overall offensive tackle.
The ailing Aggies host No. 9 Tennessee (7-2, 4-2 SEC) in Week 11 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) needing wins from two of their final three regular season games to gain bowl eligibility.