College Station is no longer sleeping. It’s simmering with potential. Under the electrifying leadership of newly appointed head coach Bucky McMillan, Texas A&M basketball is in the throes of a bold, unapologetic transformation—a renaissance that’s beginning to shake the very foundations of SEC basketball.
Fresh off assembling what can only be described as a transfer portal masterpiece—a 10-man battalion of collegiate warriors and one elite Spanish sharpshooter, Rubén Domínguez—McMillan is now pivoting toward the high school recruiting battlefield. And make no mistake: he’s not tiptoeing in. He’s coming in guns blazing.
Enter: Trent Perry, a highly touted 4-star small forward from the legendary Link Academy, a factory for elite talent and a crucible of high-level competition. According to 247Sports, Perry currently holds the No. 58 national ranking at his position and sits as the No. 7 overall prospect in the state of Missouri—credentials that have blue-blood programs circling like hawks. But it’s Texas A&M that’s drawing first blood in this recruitment war.
Breaking News: Perry has officially scheduled an official visit to College Station for the weekend of August 29–30, conveniently aligning with the 2025 Texas A&M football season opener—a strategic move no doubt engineered to give him a full blast of the 12th Man’s electric game-day atmosphere. This is more than just a tour. It’s a full-court press.
What makes this visit monumental isn’t just Perry’s raw talent—it’s the symbolism. It signals that McMillan is not here to rebuild—he’s here to redefine. While his predecessor, Buzz Williams, often leaned heavily on seasoned transfers to plug roster gaps year after year, he rarely cultivated the kind of long-term program culture that thrives on high school standouts evolving into household names. Outside of the prolific Wade Taylor IV, Williams left behind little in the way of developmental legacy.
McMillan, however, seems determined to break that cycle. By targeting players like Perry—young, hungry, and already battle-tested against top-tier prep competition—he’s laying down a foundation that blends instant-impact talent with long-term growth. Perry is not just a future contributor; he’s a potential cornerstone.
Described as a fearless downhill scorer, Perry combines finesse and physicality with an instinct for slicing through defenses like a hot knife through butter. At Link Academy, he’s forged his game against the best of the best, making him more than ready to step onto a college floor and compete from Day 1.
But here’s the twist that no one’s saying out loud: Is McMillan’s aggressive recruiting approach a subtle rebuke of the Buzz Williams era? Is Texas A&M, for the first time in years, finally ready to bet on the bright sparks of tomorrow rather than renting experience year-to-year?
As the Aggies prepare to unveil their revamped squad this fall, all eyes will be on McMillan—not just to see if he can win, but to see how he wins. If Perry’s visit ends in a commitment, it could be the first domino in a recruiting surge that reshapes the program’s identity for years to come.
So circle your calendars. Mark the date. Because August 29th might just be remembered not only as the start of football season—but as the weekend Texas A&M basketball took its first giant step into a new, thrilling era.
