Five-star running back recruit Rueben Owens committed to Texas A&M on Wednesday night, hours after decommitting from Louisville. Here’s what you need to know:
- Texas A&M is the third school Owens has committed to since his recruitment began. Before Louisville, he committed to Texas in February 2021, but decommitted four months later.
- Owens, from El Campo (Texas) High, had been committed to the Cardinals since June and was their highest-ranked prospect in the 2023 class at No. 23 overall.
- Before Owens joined Wednesday, Texas A&M had no offensive skill position players in its 2023 recruiting class.
- Owens is the second five-star recruit in A&M’s class. The Aggies have 12 commitments so far.
5-star RB Rueben Owens announces his commitment to Texas A&M pic.twitter.com/rVzGZbXOpU
— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) December 8, 2022
Backstory
At the time of his commitment to Louisville, Owens was the second-highest-ranked recruit the Cardinals had landed in the modern recruiting era, according to 247Sports. After decommitting from Texas in June 2021, he kept his recruitment open for a year but committed to the Cardinals after an official visit this summer.
Coaching changes sparked Owens’ decommitment from Louisville. Scott Satterfield, the Cardinals’ head coach when Owens committed, accepted the Cincinnati job earlier this week.
Shortly after his decommitment, Owens said Wednesday that he was waiting to see if Louisville running backs coach De’Rail Sims would stay with the program but said, “Coach Sims called me today and said he won’t be at Louisville anymore.”
What Owens is saying
“I was just like … a new staff, I don’t know them,” Owens told The Athletic. “So I was like, ‘I’m gonna decommit.“’
Hours after his decommitment, Owens announced on social media that he would be choose his new school at 8 p.m. (CT) Wednesday.
What the commitment means for Texas A&M
It’s a huge win for coach Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies at a need position. Starting running back Devon Achane, who led the team with 1,102 rushing yards, declared for the NFL Draft this week.
The Aggies have talented young backs in sophomore Amari Daniels and freshman Le’Veon Moss, but the two combined for only 63 carries this season. Adding a productive playmaker like Owens opens intriguing possibilities for the Aggies’ offense, which will have a new coordinator in 2023.
In four seasons at El Campo High, Owens rushed for 7,089 yards and 101 touchdowns and caught 29 passes for 489 yards and four scores.
Required reading
(Photo: Courtesy of Rueben Owens)