Texas A&M Football

Texas A&M football head coach Jimbo Fisher made his feelings clear about the amount of tampering going on in the NCAA's transfer portal as teams continue to navigate the NIL (name, image and likeness) era.

Fisher made his remarks during a National Signing Day press conference.

Fisher made it clear that he doesn't have any issue with players getting paid. Rather, he has a problem with the rules (or lack thereof) governing the system in place.

"I'm not saying being able to transfer is bad," Fisher said, per Dean Straka of 247Sports. "I'm not saying paying players bad. But the current status of the rules and the way it's done and how it's done? It's ridiculous. It's here. Everybody has the same issues and same problems."

He also expressed concern that teams who weren't abiding by the rules would continue to get rewarded.

"The ones that keep pushing the rules and breaking them will be rewarded," Fisher said. "And the others have to keep fighting, scratching and clawing to do things the right way. You can do it that way and win. Always have."

Fisher's own program went under the spotlight when Alabama head coach Nick Saban claimed that the Aggies "bought every player" in their No. 1 recruiting class of 2022.

"We didn't buy one player. A'ight?" Saban said last May, per Mike Rodak of AL.com. "But I don't know if we're going to be able to sustain that in the future, because more and more people are doing it. It's tough."

Fisher was so displeased with the comments that he soon called a press conference to address them. However, he said in October that the two had moved on.

Fisher also has a feud with Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, who got involved in this ordeal after making some remarks about the Aggies' alleged NIL dealings.

"We don't have the funding resources as some schools with the NIL deals," Kiffin said, per ESPN's Dave Wilson. "It's like dealing with salary caps. I joked I didn't know if Texas A&M incurred a luxury tax with how much they paid for their signing class."

Fisher later called Kiffin and Saban "clown acts" in response.

Kiffin had his own take on Fisher's NIL comments from Thursday.

This was a tough year for Fisher's program, which endured a host of injuries en route to a 5-7 season and a last-place finish in the SEC West. Alabama went 10-2 and just missed out on the College Football Playoff. Ole Miss started 7-0 but lost four of its last five to end at 8-4.

Wide receiver Chris Marshall was one of the most highly touted players in the 2022 recruiting class for Texas A&M, but he will have a new home next year.

According to 247Sports' Jeff Tarpley, Marshall plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal this winter. He is a former 5-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 3 wideout in 247Sports' composite coming out of Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, last year.

Marshall appeared in six games for the Aggies this season and recorded 11 catches for 108 yards. He didn't appear in the final five games of the year after he was one of three players to be suspended on Oct. 25 for their involvement in what was described as a "locker room incident" following Texas A&M's loss to South Carolina.

The Aggies' 2022 recruiting class was initially considered to be one of the greatest of all time. Marshall was one of eight 5-star recruits for Texas A&M, which set a new record for an incoming class. However, the team had a disappointing 2022 campaign in which it finished with a 5-7 record, leading to a mass exodus this offseason.

Per 247Sports, 22 Texas A&M players have entered the transfer portal so far. That list includes 5-star cornerback Denver Harris, 4-star offensive lineman PJ Williams, running back LJ Johnson, edge rusher Donnell Harris, defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye and former starting quarterback Haynes King.

It appears that Texas A&M will be in transition next year. The 2023 recruiting class is ranked 18th overall by 247Sports and features just two 5-star prospects in defensive lineman David Hicks and running back Reuben Owens. Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher faces a daunting road as he hopes to lead the team to a better showing next season.

Five-star linebacker Anthony Hill is re-opening his recruitment.

"After further difficult discussions with my family, I will be decommitting from Texas A&M and opening up my recruitment," Hill said in a statement to Hayes Fawcett of On3.

With Hill's recruitment back open, he will visit Texas for the Longhorns' game against TCU, which was reported by Jason Suchomel of OrangeBloods.com ahead of the linebacker's decommitment.

Hill initially announced his commitment to Texas A&M in July. Ranked as the No. 17 overall prospect and top-ranked linebacker of the 2023 class by 247Sports' composite rankings, Hill now plans to wait until national signing day to sign a letter of intent.

The 6'2", 225-pound linebacker has all the tools to be an instant-impact player at the next level and already has scouts discussing him as a potential second-round pick. He'll have no shortage of suitors after opening his recruitment, with Texas, Alabama and USC among the schools to have already offered him and hosted a visit.

Many had pegged Texas as the favorite to land Hill before he first announced his commitment to A&M. It's possible, if not likely, the Longhorns will ascend back into the lead following Monday's announcement.

Coach Steve Sarkisian has remained in pursuit of Hill despite his verbal commitment, and the linebacker is slated to be at Saturday's Texas-TCU game.

Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford is already hard at work putting in his own recruiting pitch for Hill on social media.

Odds are Ford won't be the last player to make his attempt at wooing Hill to their campus in the coming months.

In the wake of Kanye West's recent antisemitic comments, Texas A&M will no longer play one of his songs that has been a staple of their pregame football activities.

Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork told reporters the school would stop playing "Power" during the Aggies' entrance for home games at Kyle Field.

"We've reviewed that situation for the last couple of weeks," Bjork said. "... We're pivoting away from that song."

West, who legally changed his name to Ye, made a series of antisemitic comments earlier this month. His Twitter account and Instagram accounts were locked for a period of time for violating their policy standards.

In a since-deleted post on West's Twitter account, he wrote he was going "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE."

Per Anna Merlan of MotherBoard.com, West made "numerous antisemitic sentiments" during a taping of Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News that were edited out of the broadcast version.

In an Oct. 11 statement to Justin Tinsley of Andscape.com, Maverick Carter said an episode of The Shop with West as a guest that was taped would not be broadcast because he continued "to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes."

Premier League club Bournemouth also announced on Thursday it would no longer play "Power" before games at its home stadium.

West has also been dropped by several of his partners recently, including Adidas, Gap and Foot Locker. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown announced they were leaving Ye's marketing agency, Donda Sports.

"Power" was included on West's 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Texas A&M's football team has been using it as part of the pregame soundtrack for every home game since 2012.

A trying season for the Texas A&M football team continued on Tuesday after news broke of indefinite suspensions for a trio of true freshman players.

Defensive back Denver Harris, receiver Chris Marshall and offensive lineman PJ Williams have all been sidelined due to a violation of team rules, per ESPN's Chris Low. A postgame locker room incident reportedly led to the suspensions.

TexAgs.com executive editor and co-owner Billy Liucci first reported the news regarding the suspensions:

Marshall and Harris were previously suspended for the team's 17-9 win over Miami on Sept. 17 due to a curfew violation, per Low. Wide receiver Evan Stewart and defensive back Deyon Bouie were also suspended for the same reason.

The 3-4 Aggies, who started the season ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, have lost three in a row.

The team has suffered a tremendous amount of ailments, including a season-ending leg injury for Ainias Smith. Offensive linemen Bryce Foster, Aki Ogunbiyi and Jordan Moko are all out for the year as well, head coach Jimbo Fisher to reporters on Monday. Quarterback Max Johnson is also out with a broken bone in his left (throwing) hand.

Despite the trying season, the Aggies have fought hard and been in every game late save for a 42-24 defeat at Mississippi State. They nearly picked off then-No. 1 Alabama on the road but ultimately fell 24-20.

The team's offense ultimately hasn't been able to get off the ground, which has been an arduous task sans Smith. The Aggies are No. 109 in points per game out of 131 Division I FBS teams.

The Aggies will look to move to .500 when they host No. 15 Ole Miss on Saturday evening.

Texas A&M legend Johnny Manziel thought Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher should've turned to another page of the playbook for the final play of Saturday's game against Alabama.

Haynes King's pass to Evan Stewart fell incomplete as time expired, helping the Crimson Tide stave off the upset bid and win 24-20. Manziel was among those calling out Fisher after the game:

The coach defended the call, telling reporters it had worked earlier in the game:

If King released the ball earlier, he might have had Stewart for a game-winning score. By the time he got rid of the ball, it would've taken something special to find the freshman wideout. And it's not as if one or more other Aggies receivers were running free in the end zone, either.

King hasn't played well this season, with Fisher turning to Max Johnson after two games, and he only started Saturday because Johnson suffered a hand injury. Knowing that, it might have been better to call a play that didn't require the sophomore signal-caller to make the kind of throw that was needed on the last play.

Fisher's response will also do little to quell the growing narrative that he's too stubborn to recognize his own limitations and bring a new voice to play-calling duties.

David Hicks, a 5-star defensive line prospect out of Texas, has committed to Texas A&M.

ESPN's Tom VanHaaren reported the defensive standout's selection of the Aggies on Wednesday.

Hicks is rated as the ninth overall player and top-ranked defensive lineman in the 2023 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He's also listed as the top-ranked prospect out of Texas.

National recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna provided a scouting report on the 6'4", 270-pound defensive lineman out of Allen High School:

"Possesses ideal size and growth potential to add additional weight to frame. Displays good athleticism and shows the ability to play multiple roles in a four-man front. Three-sport athlete with a dynamic track and field background. Flashes an explosive first step while exhibiting good foot and body quickness off the line of scrimmage. Shows the ability to bend the edge while possessing good burst to close ability. Demonstrates good play strength at the point of attack and an ability to play with power. Versatile defender that can beat you with speed, quickness, and power on the perimeter and on the interior. Plays the run better than he plays at this point in his development. Project him to move inside as a 4-3 interior lineman as he continues to grow and develop into his frame but does have the athletic capability to maintain a presence on the edge."

While Hicks has a long career ahead of him, he definitely has NFL potential if he continues developing at the same rate throughout college.

Hicks had been projected to land with the Aggies despite offers from just about every major program in the country, including Clemson, LSU and Notre Dame. He previously told Cleveland.com that he had his eyes on Texas A&M's program for a long time.

"It's crazy, to say the least," Hicks said. "Me being real close with the program since the eighth grade it’s always been a place that I’ve liked."

Hicks becomes the second five-star prospect in the 2023 class to join the Aggies.

Four key freshman on the Texas A&M football team—Denver Harris, Evan Stewart, Chris Marshall and Smoke Bouie—have been suspended by the program and ruled out for Saturday night's game against No. 13 Miami, per Marshall Levenson of On3.com.

The suspensions are related to a curfew violation, according to ESPN's Chris Low.

It was a tough break for the Aggies, who entered Saturday's game coming off an embarrassing 17-14 loss to the Appalachian State Mountaineers at College Station last weekend.

Both Stewart and Marshall, former five-star wide receiver prospects, had played a large role in the Aggies' offense through the first two games of the season. Stewart had caught 10 passes for 105 yards and Marshall had caught four passes for 41 yards.

Harris, a former five-star cornerback prospect, had also made an impact on defense, posting five tackles in two games. Bouie has not recorded any statistics but did appear in the team's season opener against Sam Houston State.

With Stewart and Marshall sidelined, wide receiver Ainias Smith, running back Devon Achane and tight end Donovan Green saw more action in the passing game Saturday night. At the end of the third quarter, the trio had combined for nine catches for 134 yards and one touchdown.

Texas A&M, ranked 24th nationally, entered Saturday with a 1-1 record following its loss to App State. The Aggies have not lost back-to-back games at Kyle Field since 2017.

The Aggies will face No. 10 Arkansas next weekend. It's unclear if the four freshman suspended for the Miami game will be available for that matchup.