Bussey, No. 25 prospect in ’24 class, picks A&M

• Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Personnel WriterSep 28, 2023, 05:12 PM ET

  Close

  • ESPN staff author
  • Signed up with ESPN in 2011
  • Finished from Central Michigan

Texas A&M included 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 professional athlete who has been recruited as a receiver and protective back, with schools telling him he can do both if he’s up for it. The Aggies triumphed over Oklahoma, Texas, LSU and Alabama, and are now getting among the best professional athletes in the class.

“With A&M, they have actually shown a great deal of love for a long period of time,” Bussey told ESPN. “I have actually built a strong relationship with those men and the coaches, so it’s a strong bond we have more than 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 because Kyler Murray did it at Allen High School in 2013.

Bussey’s statistics from last season are eye popping and it’s simple to see why schools are hiring him as a swiss army knife on the field. He threw for 2,177 yards and 26 touchdowns and ran for 2,596 backyards and 46 goals. On defense, he had 115 takes on with five interceptions and he also returned three kickoffs for goals, as well as a punt return for a goal.

“(Texas A&M) is open to me playing anywhere,” Bussey said. “They seem like I’m an excellent professional athlete on both sides of the bal and just attempting to get me in the best spot for me and the very best area for them.”

He is also extremely focused on academics, and when he graduates from Timpson High School in Timpson, Texas, he will currently have an associate’s degree under his belt.Because of how

skilled he is on the field and his academic prowess, Bussey had almost every significant program recruiting him. Since there were so many similarities between the schools he was considering, his choice boiled down to the wire and ultimately it was the Aggies who triumphed.

“You got ta see what’s the best thing for you,” Bussey stated. “What’s the best opportunity for going and reaching your next objective in life and in the game of football. So, you actually need to take that into percentage.”

Texas A&M now has 10 ESPN 300 commitments in the 2024 class, six of which are ranked inside the top-100, and one, pass receiver Cameron Coleman, is ranked as a luxury.