ESPN’s latest Football Power Index has Texas A&M sitting just outside the top 10, landing at No. 11 as the Aggies head toward a 2026 season that’s suddenly getting close. With kickoff set for Saturday, Sept. 5, the new ranking gives an early read on where Mike Elko’s team stands after a busy offseason and a roster that looks very different from a year ago.
Texas A&M is the fifth-highest ranked SEC team in the updated FPI, and ESPN gives the Aggies an 8.4-3.8 win-loss projection along with a 39.1% chance to make the College Football Playoff. That comes after the program reached the tournament for the first time in school history last fall.
There’s plenty of reason for optimism, but also a few real questions. Elko enters his third season with a roster that is 65% returning players from the 2025 team, plus 17 transfer additions and 26 freshmen from the 2026 recruiting class. The Aggies also had a record 10 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the offseason staff changes added another layer of uncertainty.
One of the biggest moves was elevating WR coach Holmon Wiggins to offensive coordinator and playcaller. The hire comes with risk, but Wiggins’ background matters too - he previously worked as former Alabama coach Nick Saban’s assistant head coach and served as co-offensive coordinator for former OC Collin Klein.
Defensively, Texas A&M has reloaded, even with unanimous All-American edge Cashius Howell gone. The addition of former Northwestern edge Anto Saka stands out, especially with Saka taking part in the annual Sack Summit this weekend. Under Elko and new defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, the defense is not expected to be the issue.
That shifts the spotlight to quarterback Marcel Reed. After a career year, Reed now gets to work with one of the country’s strongest receiver groups, a room that now includes Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton. Junior Mario Craver, coming off 59 catches for 917 yards and 4 touchdowns last season, leads that unit.
The biggest swing factor may be up front. Reed will be operating behind four new offensive line starters, and that group could end up deciding whether the Aggies get back to the postseason.
In Other News...
Texas A&Ms First 9-Game SEC Grind Just Took Another Turn
Texas A&Ms move into a nine-game SEC schedule in 2026 adds another layer of difficulty to what was already shaping up as a demanding season. The Aggies will bring back 65% of their 2025 roster, supplement it with 17 transfer portal additions and lean on a 2026 signing class built with the expanded conference grind in mind, all while preparing for a second-half slate that looks especially unforgiving.
One more twist came when Tennessee lost star safety Edrees Farooq to a torn patellar tendon, an injury that will cost him the entire 2026 season. It is the kind of setback that can alter the balance of an SEC schedule before it even begins, and for Texas A&M it only sharpens the importance of navigating the new format with depth, patience and enough roster stability to survive the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Backfield Uncertainty Could Open Door To A Familiar Name
Texas A&M enters the upcoming season with real uncertainty in the backfield, where several young runners are expected to absorb the workload. For a team that has leaned on established names at the position in the past, the shift puts added pressure on the staff to find answers early and keep the offense steady while the group sorts itself out.
Le'Veon Moss, who retired after signing with the Miami Dolphins, has surfaced as a familiar possibility in the wake of a recent court ruling granting 2022 recruits an additional year of eligibility. Any path back to college football would depend on more than one moving part, including his own decision, the coaching staff's approval and whether there is room on the roster, with his recent arrest in Baton Rouge adding another layer of complication to an already unusual situation. [Read more 🡒]
Former Aggie KC Concepcion Is Already Turning Heads In Cleveland
KC Concepcion is wasting no time making an impression in Cleveland. The former Texas A&M wide receiver, now a 2026 first-round draft pick by the Browns, found the end zone for his first career NFL touchdown in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears and also flashed the kind of versatility that made him such an intriguing prospect in college.
Beyond the score, Concepcion added a 31-yard punt return that showed why the Browns are already leaning into his playmaking ability. For Texas A&M fans, it is another early reminder that his skill set translates beyond one role, and Cleveland will keep looking for more of the same as the preseason moves along. [Read more 🡒]