One of the best rivalries in college football has laid dormant for the last three seasons, but it’s alive and well off the field.

Texas and Texas A&M haven’t played since the Aggies bailed on the Big 12 and moved to the SEC after the 2011 season. Since then, the teams have sniped at each other through their coaches and rumors have swirled about a potential bowl game. Other than that, the Aggies and Longhorns have mostly said publicly they don’t want anything to do with each other.

The two Texas titans continue to tangle on the recruiting battlefield, though. The two schools, whose campuses are less than two hours away from each other, fight over the best recruits the talent-rich state has to offer. This year, those battles are as intense as ever.

Last week, a Texas A&M commit made a surprise visit in Austin, while several other A&M targets took visits to check out Charlie Strong and the Longhorns. Texas A&M is doing its best to back up its “We Run This State” slogan, but Strong — known as a stellar recruiter — is making life difficult for the Aggies. As strong as Kevin Sumlin’s recruiting has been since arriving on Texas A&M campus, Strong is certainly giving him a run for his money.

Biggest Texas A&M win

Five-star QB Kyler Murray: The Aggies have had a commitment from Murray since last spring, but the lightning-fast passer is giving Aggies fans reason to worry. Murray unexpectedly showed up in Austin last week and tweeted out a picture of a Longhorns jersey, although even after his visit to Austin he publicly said that he won’t be going to Texas and is still committed to the Aggies. As if the specter of Murray choosing a baseball career over playing quarterback in College Station wasn’t enough, Aggies fans have to at least consider the possibility that their biggest rival could steal him away.

Biggest Texas win

Five-star LB Malik Jefferson: The best prospect in Texas picked the Longhorns over Texas A&M in December, along with teammate DeAndre McNeal (four-star ATH). The victory was a double-whammy for the Longhorns; not only did they score a potential pass-rushing superstar, a player that the Aggies could have sorely used, but Jefferson’s commitment seemed to spur a decommitment from the top-ranked player in Texas A&M’s class.

Key recruiting battles

  • Five-star DT Daylon Mack: Mack is the aforementioned former Texas A&M commit. He re-opened his recruitment just hours after Jefferson, one of Mack’s friends, and McNeal picked Texas. Mack seems to have the Aggies back on his radar, but the big defensive tackle has been a bit inconsistent in his stated favorites, adding and dropping LSU from his list, among others.
  • Four-star WR Damarkus Lodge: Lodge is another former TAMU commit, but he dropped his pledge just three months after initially committing to the Aggies. After taking an official visit to College Station two weeks ago, he joined Murray in dropping in at Texas, even tweeting out a picture of what would be his Longhorns jersey.
  • Four-star CB Kris Boyd: Boyd has narrowed his choices down to — guess who? — Texas A&M and Texas. The speedy U.S. Army All-American has taken official visits to both campuses over the last two weeks, increasing the drama leading up to National Signing Day.