{"id":333548,"date":"2026-06-12T12:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333548\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T12:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:27:10","slug":"texas-am-battling-texas-longhorns-for-5-star-running-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333548\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas A&#038;M Battling Texas Longhorns for 5-Star Running Back"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"65\">The running game has been a part of the Texas A&amp;M Aggies\u2019 identity for years. All-SEC running backs like Isaiah Spiller and De\u2019Von Achane defined the Jimbo Fisher era, and the emphasis on winning on the ground and in the trenches has carried over with Mike Elko as head coach.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"68\">Several star running back recruits have coveted Texas A&amp;M as a top destination. The Aggies\u2019 leading rusher last season, Rueben Owens II, was a top-50 recruit in the Class of 2023, and they are pursuing another elite running back.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6b\">The Aggies are in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/tamu\/recruiting\/texas-am-firmly-in-the-race-for-a-top-priority-recruit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">tight race for star in-state recruit Landen Williams-Callis<\/a>, and an upcoming official visit gives them a chance to score a win over their rivals on the recruiting trail.<\/p>\n<p>Texas A&amp;M Hosting Landen Williams-Callis for Official Visit<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01ktwseyk9552p5dkbn4.jpg\" alt=\"Richmond Randle's Landen Williams-Callis is awarded offensive MVP after the Class 5A Division II State Championship game.\" title=\"Richmond Randle's Landen Williams-Callis is awarded offensive MVP after the Class 5A Division II State Championship game.\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6o\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Richmond Randle&#8217;s Landen Williams-Callis is awarded offensive MVP after the Class 5A Division II State Championship game on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, at AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. | Angela Piazza\/Caller-Times \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6s\">The Randle High School product has been climbing up rankings for months after emerging as one of the most productive running backs in the country. That makes him an obvious target for Texas A&amp;M, a program that has prioritized talent in its backfield for decades.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6v\">Williams-Callis is taking his official visit with Texas A&amp;M on Friday, June 12, which will be a pivotal moment for the Aggies. The star running back has been busy all summer; College Station, Texas, is his fifth of six stops while teams <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/tamu\/recruiting\/who-could-commit-to-texas-am-next-after-a-trio-of-commits-in-the-last-24-hour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">await his commitment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6y\">Indiana, SMU, Oregon and Missouri have already hosted Williams-Callis on official visits, but the expectation is that his final destinations are in the lead for a commitment. One week after his trip to Texas A&amp;M, he will visit Texas. The two Lone Star State powers are vying for his attention.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"71\">A&amp;M has been involved with Williams-Callis for a while. He was offered by the Aggies in June 2023 and attended camps in June of 2023 and 2024. He also took an unofficial visit in October of 2025. Sam Spiegelman and Steve Wiltfong of Rivals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/landen-williams-callis-157919\/predictions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">predicted in October<\/a> that the running back would land with the Aggies.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"74\">Williams-Callis was uber-productive at Richmond Randle. The Aggies\u2019 2027 recruiting class currently ranks No. 1 in the country, but he could transform it with his game-breaking skills.<\/p>\n<p>How Williams-Callis Will Change the Aggies\u2019 2027 Class<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01ktwsjf0kp9bevge98e.jpg\" alt=\"South Oak Cliff's Jamarion Phillips tackles Richmond Randle's Landen Williams-Callis.\" title=\"South Oak Cliff's Jamarion Phillips tackles Richmond Randle's Landen Williams-Callis.\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7h\"\/><\/p>\n<p>South Oak Cliff&#8217;s Jamarion Phillips tackles Richmond Randle&#8217;s Landen Williams-Callis during the Class 5A Division II State Championship game on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, at AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. | Angela Piazza\/Caller-Times \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7l\">The consensus four-star running back has made it hard not to know his name. Williams-Callis had one of the most dominant seasons in Texas high school history last season, rushing for 3,502 yards and scoring 62 total touchdowns while averaging 10.8 yards per carry over 16 games. He led Randle to a runner-up finish for the state title.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7o\">This has earned the attention of programs across the country. Williams-Callis received offers from 70 schools, according to 247Sports. While he lacks size at 5\u20197\u201d, he has shown he can handle a high volume of carries, and he is an electric playmaker with the ball in his hands.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7r\">Williams-Callis has a track background that translates to the football field. Paired with his ability to throw off tacklers, he can break any carry for a big gain. Texas A&amp;M has turned several star athletes into successful running backs, and they will try to do the same with Williams-Callis.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7u\">Associate head coach (offense)\/running backs coach Trooper Taylor has led the charge for Williams-Callis\u2019 recruitment. The Aggies do not yet have a running back in their loaded 2027 recruiting class, and the Randle product would fill that hole.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7x\">Sign up to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/tamu\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">our free newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AggiesOnSI\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TAMUAggiesOnSI\" rel=\"nofollow\">X<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tamuaggiesonsi\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for the latest news.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The running game has been a part of the Texas A&amp;M Aggies\u2019 identity for years. All-SEC running backs&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333549,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[150,152,151],"class_list":["post-333548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arlington","tag-arlington","tag-arlington-headlines","tag-arlington-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}