Texas A&M CB Brandon Arrington named 5-star recruit by Rivals

Spring Valley (Calif.) Mount Miguel cornerback Brandon Arrington has held industry five-star status for some time. He’s now a Rivals five-star, too.

Rivals has released its final player rankings for the 2026 recruiting cycle and the Texas A&M signee made one final jump. He finishes as the No. 20 recruit in the Rivals300, a 46-spot leap from where he stood in the previous update.

Charles Power, Rivals’ Director of Scouting and Rankings, explained why Arrington closed as a five-star prospect:

“I’m not sure another cornerback prospect in the 2026 cycle has the physical traits to compare to Brandon Arrington. Corner is a traits position, it’s one where size and particularly speed are of utmost importance. Arrington, at around 6-foot-2 and close to 190 pounds with extremely long arms and some of the best speed in the cycle, really has a lot of physical ability. Seeing him in person throughout the week of practice at the Navy All-American Bowl showed us that he’s further along as a player than we thought, just in terms of his technical ability. He showed the wherewithal to carry receivers on vertical routes, he was able to stay in-phase.

…He showed really exceptional make-up speed on the occasions he was beaten off the line, he was able to quickly close any kind of cushion once the ball was in the air. I think his ability to track the football was also encouraging. Arrington is far from a finished product, but when you look at his physical tools, we think he has immense upside. This is a guy who certainly has the athleticism of a future first-rounder if he can continue to develop once he gets to college.”

Texas A&M was long considered a frontrunner for Arrington as he worked towards making a commitment. Oregon, Alabama and Penn State were others in the mix, but the Aggies — who have recruited California very well as of late — never relinquished momentum and landed his commitment on June 19.

“They have recruited me the hardest,” Arrington told Rivals about A&M. “They made me feel wanted from the beginning. When I visited last summer, I loved it. I kept going back. It is about the people at A&M. The staff made me feel welcome and that is what did it.”

His stock soared further after a big week at the Navy All-American Bowl. He was named a top performer by Rivals and is now etched as one of the best defensive backs in the cycle.

Arrington is one of 14 A&M signees featured in the final Rivals300. He headlines a class that ranks No. 7 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.