Amid flip rumors, Mike Elko's elite four-star recruit makes major career announcement in favor of Texas A&M
Four-star tight end Caleb Tafua has been committed to Texas A&M since Dec. 11. The Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, California) standout returned to College Station over the weekend and announced on Monday that he is officially ending his recruitment in favor of Mike Elko's program.
"7000% COMMITTED," Tafua tweeted. "OFFICIALLY SHUTTING DOWN MY RECRUITMENT. #GigEm"
There had been speculation in recent months that Tafua might flip his commitment to USC. When he chose Texas A&M, Lincoln Riley's program was a serious contender. Interest from the Trojans cooled after his commitment, but picked up again in January when they brought on tight ends coach Chad Savage, who immediately began pursuing Tafua.
Tafua took a short trip to USC to meet Savage and left with a strong impression.
"Man, coach Savage. He was one of the first coaches recruiting me coming into my freshman year," Tafua told Rivals in February. "He was at Colorado State. We always had that bond before he went to USC, so when he got the job I was excited for him because he's the tight end and inside coach. So, I had good talks with him the night before he got it. I feel like no filter, he's more real."
Despite the renewed push from Savage and the appeal of staying in-state, Tafua decided to stick with his original commitment to Texas A&M. It is a major recruiting win for the Aggies’ 2026 class, which now ranks No. 6 nationally with 13 commits.
Since pledging to Texas A&M, Tafua has also received offers from schools like Baylor, North Carolina and Arkansas. The Aggies’ 2026 class features multiple four-star offensive prospects, including quarterback Helaman Casuga, running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. and wide receiver Madden Williams.
Caleb Tafua praises Mike Elko's success in Texas A&M
Mike Elko was named head football coach at Texas A&M on Nov. 27, 2023, after spending two seasons leading the Duke program. In his first year with the Aggies, Elko posted an 8-5 record, highlighted by a 38-23 victory over LSU on Oct. 6.
Elko's debut season showed plenty of promise, and top recruits like Caleb Tafua are taking notice of his potential.
“You can tell a difference in the program by how they play and him coming in for his first year and switching everything up,” Tafua told On3 in December. “He was putting a lot of new pieces together because he was new at Texas A&M. He did a good job this season.”
Tafua wrapped up an outstanding junior year in 2024 with 44 receptions for 795 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is the No. 14 tight end in the nation and the No. 28 recruit in California, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.