Texas A&M Gets Latest Recruiting Win over Texas with Commitment from Twins

Texas and Texas A&M don't play each other on the field anymore, so the next-best thing when discussing the bitter rivals and college football is recruiting. When it comes to a player interested in both schools, whether he's a 5-star or a 1-star player, every battle is critical.

Monday night, the Aggies scored two commitments over the Longhorns in Mineola, Texas, twins Austin Anderson and Riley Anderson. The 3-star offensive tackles chose Texas A&M over Texas, among other schools, and became the Aggies' sixth and seventh commits, respectively, in the 2016 class.

The commitment came after a Monday visit to Auburn and a Sunday visit to Ole Miss. Riley Anderson told Brian Perroni of 247Sports that he and his brother both liked SEC schools, but since visiting College Station last week, the battle was Texas A&M's to lose.

"There wasn't anything in particular today that made us go ahead and commit. We both just knew we wanted to be Aggies so we went ahead and did it," Riley said. "I'm all kinds of excited."

There was a period where it appeared as though the duo would go their separate ways. Instead, the tandem not only stays together, but also adds to an offensive line pledge class that includes the nation's No. 1 tackle in Greg Little.

With the commitments, the Aggies bumped up 11 spots and cracked the top 25 of the 247Sports composite team rankings. And while the rankings will make major changes from now until February, the Aggies, at No. 23, can now boast that they're ahead of the Longhorns, who dropped five spots to No. 34.

What will the Aggies get out of the Andersons? Both players were All-State linemen for a Mineola team that advanced to the Texas Class 3A state championship game. Riley is 6'5" and 290 pounds, while Austin is slightly smaller at 6'4" and 285 pounds. Both are strong athletes who love to record pancake blocks. Per Perroni, the two combined for 251 pancakes last season.

Additionally, the twins are good enough to play in the interior, if necessary. Don't be surprised if head coach Kevin Sumlin, offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and offensive line coach Dave Christensen try one—or both—at guard for the chance at early playing time.

For now, the Aggies will enjoy the recruiting victory over their rivals in Austin. 247Sports had the Andersons projected to choose Texas, per its Crystal Ball predictions. Austin's Crystal Ball was more Texas-heavy (67 percent) than Riley's (60 percent).

Texas A&M now has the Andersons, Little, 4-star cornerback Travon Fuller, 3-star tight end Zarrian Holcombe, 3-star athlete Charles Oliver and 2-star kicker Braden Mann committed. After a slow start, the recruiting train appears to be rolling again for the team.

The big question: Who's next for the Aggies?