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Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff Writer
A day before his team begins its 2023 football season against New Mexico, coach Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M secured a key victory off the field Friday, courtesy of four-star defensive tackle Dominick McKinley‘s commitment.
McKinley (No. 30 overall in the 2024 ESPN 300), a product of Acadiana High School (Louisiana), gives the Aggies a second top-30 prospect in their 2024 class to go along with five-star wide receiver Cameron Coleman (No. 8 overall in 2024), who pledged on July 4.
“I love how Coach E is great at doing what he does,” McKinley told ESPN about Aggies co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Elijah Robinson. “He acts like a family around his players.”
McKinley also considered Oklahoma, LSU, Ohio State and Texas.
Texas A&M’s class rose slightly from 14th to 12th in ESPN’s latest team rankings, and it has nine ESPN 300 commits.
The third-best defensive tackle in the cycle and the top-ranked player in the state of Louisiana, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound McKinley recorded 86 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a junior in 2022.
Under co-defensive coordinators DJ Durkin and Robinson, the Aggies’ pass defense led all of FBS (156.2 yards per game) last season.
Last season, the Aggies got to the quarterback only 20 times — which ranked 11th in the SEC — so getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks will be paramount as they look to improve on a 5-7 record. The four players — Fadil Diggs, Chris Russell Jr., McKinnley Jackson and Martrell Harris Jr. — who recorded multiple sacks all return for the 2023 season.
And that’s what has McKinley excited as he looks forward to life in College Station.
“[Texas A&M is] where I’m most comfortable and [with] how the coaching is and how it’s done,” he said. “I think I’ll fit in perfectly.”