Sources: Five-star OT recruit Matthews decommits from Texas A&M; Miami lurking

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  Eli LedermanNov 8, 2026, 02:23 PM ET

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  Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

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.