Texas A&M Football: Top 3 QB targets left for Aggies in 2023

Texas A&M football did have a top-10 QB committed at one time for the 2023 recruiting class but now the Aggies need a QB and here are the top 3 targets. 

It didn’t seem like quarterback was going to be a concern for the Texas A&M football program when the Aggies landed the commitment of top-100 QB Eli Holstein early in the cycle.

However, Holstein re-opened his recruitment and while he didn’t say that Texas A&M wasn’t in the mix anymore, Alabama has become the heavy favorite after the Crimson Tide have started to fade in the race for Arch Manning.

Texas A&M wasn’t able to generate any momentum for Arch Manning but the Aggies still have some solid prospects for a quarterback in the 2023 class and here are the top three targets.

5-star QB Dante Moore

In terms of five-star quarterbacks still uncommitted in the 2023 recruiting class, there are three (depending on the recruiting service): Manning, Dante Moore, and Jaden Rashada.

The Aggies are in the mix for two of them. One of those is Moore and according to Chris Singletary of 247 sports, they are one of the teams to watch in his recruitment.

"“At one point Notre Dame was the favorite,” but added that LSU, Michigan, Texas A&M and others are still in the hunt.”"

Moore is ranked as the No. 8 player overall according to the On3 consensus rankings, as well as the No. 4 overall quarterback. He’s listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, and has an electric arm. He’s not the best athlete in the world, meaning he’s not really a dual-threat but he’s elite.

He’s out of Michigan, but Notre Dame leads his recruitment right now according to the On3 prediction machine. Moore hasn’t visited Texas A&M yet but the Aggies offered him in March and he recently said he would visit, which would be huge.

A&M feels on the cusp of being a national title contender and landing a quarterback like Moore could help the program further unlock its potential.

4-star QB Jaden Rashada

According to the On3 consensus rankings which take 247 sports, On3, ESPN, and Rivals into account, Rashada is ranked 58th overall in the 2023 class and is a four-star recruit. However, the 6-foot-3 quarterback is still ranked seventh at the position and fifth in the state of California.

The recruitments of Moore and Rashada are somewhat linked. Moore recently took a visit to Eugene and posted a Duck on his social media account on a night he was supposed to make an announcement.

Honestly, who knows what this means but Moore said really good things about his visit to Oregon. The Ducks have also been surging with Rashada and actually lead in his recruitment according to the On3 prediction machine, although their percentage has fallen under 50 percent.

Rashada was going to visit Oregon for a third time recently but canceled his trip to visit Ole Miss. Yet, the Rebels then accepted the commitment of Marcel Reed, so who knows?

Miami is in the mix too, but it feels like Oregon is going to get at least one of the two talented quarterbacks they are after in 2023: Moore or Rashada.

And in a way, that can open the door for the Aggies. A&M offers Moore the chance to compete for playing time early at a program with national-title-level talent. The Aggies can also offer more in NIL than Notre Dame or Michigan.

NIL should be a big factor with Rashada and if say Moore chooses the Ducks, I would have to think that the Aggies would become a favorite for the talented QB from California.

And if Rashada committed to Oregon, then it would still be Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas A&M, and LSU in the mix for Dante Moore.

4-star QB Pierce Clarkson

Texas A&M football has offered a slew of quarterbacks in the past couple of months and one of the most recent recipients of an offer is Louisville commitment Pierce Clarkson.

Clarkson is out of Bellflower, California, and is ranked as the No. 11 quarterback overall in the 2023 recruiting class according to On3. He’s 6-foot, 196 pounds and the Aggies offered him last month.

Oregon was in the mix for Clarkson too and while he has said that he’s really solid with his pledge to the Cardinal, things can change before Early National Signing Day and that’s maybe what the Aggies are hoping for.

A lot can change during the season, both good and bad, for college football teams, and outside of Moore and Rashada, Clarkson is probably the most realistic option.

There aren’t many quarterbacks available (uncommitted) at this point and the loss of Holstein from the class has put the Aggies in a position to overcome a late start with Moore, Rashada, and Clarkson to try and get them in the 2023 class.