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Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff Writer
Texas A&M added ESPN 300 athlete Terry Bussey to its 2024 class on Thursday, getting a commitment from the No. 25 prospect overall.
Bussey is a 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete who has been recruited as a receiver and defensive back, with schools telling him he can do both if he’s up for it. The Aggies won out over Oklahoma, Texas, LSU and Alabama, and are now getting one of the best athletes in the class.
“With A&M, they’ve shown a lot of love for a long time,” Bussey told ESPN. “I’ve built a strong relationship with those guys and the coaches, so it’s a strong bond we have over there and I trust Jimbo (Fisher).”
Bussey won Mr. Texas Football last season as a junior and is the only junior to win the award since Kyler Murray did it at Allen High School in 2013.
Bussey’s stats from last season are eye popping and it’s easy to see why schools are recruiting him as a swiss army knife on the field. He threw for 2,177 yards and 26 touchdowns and ran for 2,596 yards and 46 touchdowns. On defense, he had 115 tackles with five interceptions and he also returned three kickoffs for touchdowns, as well as a punt return for a touchdown.
“(Texas A&M) is open to me playing anywhere,” Bussey said. “They feel like I’m a great athlete on both sides of the bal and just trying to get me in the best spot for me and the best spot for them.”
He is also very focused on academics, and when he graduates from Timpson High School in Timpson, Texas, he will already have an associate’s degree under his belt.
Because of how talented he is on the field and his academic prowess, Bussey had nearly every major program recruiting him. Because there were so many similarities between the schools he was considering, his decision came down to the wire and ultimately it was the Aggies who won out.
“You gotta see what’s the best thing for you,” Bussey said. “What’s the best opportunity for going and reaching your next goal in life and in the game of football. So, you really have to take that into proportion.”
Texas A&M now has 10 ESPN 300 commitments in the 2024 class, six of which are ranked inside the top-100, and one, wide receiver Cameron Coleman, is ranked as a five-star.