Four‑Star DB Paris Melvin Jr. Cancels College‑Station Stop, Heads to Austin Instead—A Painful Body‑Blow to the Aggies’ 2026 Recruiting Roll

The next chapter in the Texas A&M–Texas recruiting tug‑of‑war just took a dramatic turn, and it stings the maroon side far more than the burnt‑orange faithful could have hoped. Top‑100 defensive back Paris Melvin Jr.—a rangy, 6‑foot, 170‑pound playmaker out of Cypress Springs, Texas—has scrapped his June 20‑22 official visit to College Station and, on the very same weekend, will instead be throwing the Longhorns the full red‑carpet treatment in Austin.

According to a report first surfaced by Sports Illustrated’s Aggies vertical, Melvin informed Texas A&M coaches late Wednesday night that he was “re‑routing” his travel plans and would not be on campus for the Aggies’ star‑studded summer recruiting weekend. Within hours, Rivals national director Adam Gorney confirmed on X that the four‑star had locked in an Austin visit for the very same 48‑hour window.

The timing couldn’t be worse for head coach Mike Elko. A&M staffers had earmarked that June weekend as a tent‑pole event—complete with NIL presentations, Kyle Field photo shoots, and a private dinner in the Bright Football Complex—to solidify leaners such as Melvin and fellow blue‑chip edge rusher Jamarion Carlton. Both have now bailed.

Though listed by Rivals as an athlete, most staffs—including A&M and Texas—project Melvin as a cornerback who can slide inside to nickel and moonlight as a return specialist. He posted sub‑11.0 times in the 100 meters last spring and was a first‑team All‑District selection at both defensive back and kick returner as a sophomore. His junior tape shows sudden feet, elite mirror ability, and receiver‑level ball skills; he tallied 18 total touchdowns on offense while snagging one interception on defense in 2024.

Before Wednesday’s bombshell, Texas A&M’s 2026 haul sat at No. 7 nationally in the 247Sports Composite—thanks to 14 pledges, including eleven four‑stars and recent additions such as safety Chance Collins and five‑star kicker Asher Murray.

 With Melvin and Carlton now trending elsewhere and decision timelines accelerating, the Aggies’ margin for error has evaporated. Even if Elko’s staff hangs on to every current commit, missing on two top‑100 defenders likely locks A&M into the back half of the top‑10 instead of making the leap toward the top five that recruiters privately believed was possible just a week ago.

More worrying is optics. Melvin was viewed as an “A&M lean” after grabbing spring‑practice selfies with Elko and secondary coach Ish Smith, and the Aggies held the only Crystal Ball prediction on 247Sports as recently as Monday. Losing him to the arch‑rival—on a weekend engineered for Aggie buzz—feeds a narrative that the Longhorn brand, now turbo‑charged by its first year in the SEC and a College Football Playoff appearance, is beginning to out‑muscle A&M inside state lines.

Steve Sarkisian’s 2026 class, which sat at No. 25 in mid‑May, has quietly surged to No. 16 after landing four‑star defensive lineman Corey Wells earlier this week and quarterback Dia Bell back in April.

 Add a successful Melvin visit—and the distinct possibility he could shut things down before July—and Texas could vault into the top 12 before the dead period. For a program that rode an SEC‑rookie season all the way to a Peach Bowl crown and a national‑semifinal berth, that momentum is molten.

Depth chart clarity – Texas loses its top three corners after 2025, and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has pitched Melvin on early special‑teams duties with a path to the two‑deep by October of his freshman year. A&M’s corner room, meanwhile, is both younger and deeper after snagging four‑stars Caleb Haley and Victor Singleton in consecutive cycles.

Brand leverage and NIL infrastructure – Multiple Texas collectives unveiled revamped “OneUT” packages this spring, bundling football with men’s and women’s basketball social‑media activations. A source in Melvin’s camp said the Longhorn offer includes “layered content opportunities” that could net the athlete six figures before he plays a college snap.

Neither program can speak NIL specifics on the record, but both sides acknowledge the dollars are competitive. The difference, one SEC assistant noted, is that “Texas is busting out corporate‑style campaigns, not just flat cash.”

Elko’s next steps are two‑fold. First, the Aggies must persuade Melvin to reschedule in July when unofficial windows reopen. Second, they have to close on blue‑chip defensive backs Braylon Frasier (Houston Northshore) and Daniel Fowler (Shreveport Byrd) to blunt any ranking slide.

Privately, A&M recruiters insist they’re “still all‑in” on Melvin, pointing out that relationships built over two years don’t disappear because of one visit flip. Yet the staff also concedes momentum is a currency unto itself. Over the past two cycles, the school that books the final official visit for a Texas prospect has won 63 percent of the commitments. Simply put, letting an elite in‑state talent leave Austin glowing about Bevo’s new SEC digs is a dangerous game.

Expect a commitment timeline to crystallize quickly. Sources indicate Melvin wants his decision done before his senior season kicks off in late August to avoid a circus around Cypress Springs. If Texas nails the official and Melvin cancels a tentative September trip to LSU, Longhorn fans could get an early Fourth of July fireworks show.

Paris Melvin Jr.’s 11th‑hour itinerary switch is more than a calendar tweak—it’s a seismic data point in the evolving power balance of Lone Star State recruiting. For Texas A&M, the move underscores just how fragile even the best‑laid recruiting boards can be when the rival down the highway flashes rising national stock, a shiny SEC backdrop, and a sophisticated NIL machine. For Texas, it’s proof that Steve Sarkisian’s “Take Back Texas” mantra isn’t just locker‑room sloganeering; it’s showing up in real‑time visitor lists and, potentially, on future depth charts.