COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M’s fall camp has been open enough to reveal a clear group of players who have separated themselves, and after watching eight total practices and three full sessions over the first three weeks, I’m comfortable putting together my list.
With one more partial viewing period set for Tuesday, Aug. 25, before the Aggies shut things down to get ready for Missouri State, the picture is already sharp. Several players have flashed.
A few have flashed often. But these five have been the most consistent standouts.
Terry Bussey has been impossible to ignore. He’s the first name that comes to mind because of how much he has improved, even if the numbers he’s put up so far in his first two years - just over 400 yards - suggest he’s still a player whose role may stay on the fringe of WR3/WR4 territory in this offense.
Still, the growth is obvious. He looks bigger, plays better, and seems to have had the kind of offseason where everything has clicked.
Texas A&M has already used him as a wildcat quarterback and in the backfield, and that should remain part of the plan. But the bigger development is what he’s doing as a receiver.
He looks like a cleaner route runner and someone who can line up anywhere. Aaron Gregory’s spring had made it seem like there might be a real battle for the next-man-up spot behind the Aggies’ “Big Three” at wideout.
That hasn’t really felt like a story this camp.
Marcel Reed would have been the camp MVP if Bussey hadn’t taken such a leap. Reed has looked better than he did last year and better than he did in the spring, and the biggest change has been in how he’s processing the game.
There’s a point for quarterbacks when the reads stop looking rushed and the field starts slowing down for them, and Reed has looked like he’s reached that stage. Even on Saturday, when he threw his only two interceptions of camp during a simulated two-minute period, the decision-making was strong.
He worked through multiple reads, checked the field, and often ended up taking the easy completion instead of forcing something. Pair that with the mechanical improvements already well documented, and this has been the best Reed has looked in three seasons of coverage.
Julio Humphrey has also made a strong case for himself in a crowded cornerback room. The depth there is so good that he could have a standout camp and still leave people unsure whether he’ll start opposite Dezz Ricks.
That’s where things stand with him. Either way, he’s been a fun player to watch and a fierce competitor.
Humphrey is thicker than most corners, and he plays like it. He brings a physical edge in man coverage and as a tackler, and he’s shown it repeatedly with big hits in the run game and in the flat.
He’s also one of the louder players on the field after a breakup. Every defense needs tone-setters.
Dalton Brooks was one, and Cashius Howell was too last season. Humphrey belongs in that group now.
Marco Jones has not drawn nearly the same national attention as Anto Saka, whose size has gotten plenty of notice, but Jones has been just as intriguing in his own way. The second-year edge has clearly added size and strength since his freshman season, and at 6-foot-5, he already looks like a load.
Under Tommy Moffitt and the strength staff, he appears to be maturing physically in a big way. That has shown up on the field.
He has been disruptive in one-on-ones, lived in the backfield during team periods, and has consistently produced tackles for loss and would-be sacks. He’ll be asked to handle the “Jack” role, the spot most recently held by Howell, and that is no small assignment.
Even so, Jones has risen to the challenge in a way that matches the expectations around him.
Reuben Owens II rounds out the group, and he may be the best bet to outperform public perception this season. That was already the feeling after Saturday’s work, and it’s been reinforced by what he’s done in team periods.
He has ripped off multiple home-run plays, and those runs haven’t come because the defense handed them to him. Owens has looked quick, decisive and light on his feet.
He’s doing the little things that turn good runs into big ones: getting skinny through holes, staying on his path, reading the lane correctly and exploding out the other side. Contact balance remains a question, and he’s acknowledged that himself as an area of focus.
But outside of that, there hasn’t been much to nitpick. If that part comes along, there’s a strong case that Owens is headed for a career year.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Backfield Battle Just Took Shape Before Opening Day
Texas A&Ms 14th preseason practice doubled as its final media-accessible scrimmage before the 2026 opener against Missouri State, and the backfield picture finally started to come into focus. Redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed looked sharper pushing the ball downfield, highlighted by a 50-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Mario Craver, while the wide receiver and cornerback groups also had their moments in a live setting that gave a better sense of where the roster stands.
The clearest takeaway came in the run game, where redshirt junior Rueben Owens flashed the kind of speed and agility that can change a depth chart in a hurry and looks positioned as the likely starter. Behind him, sophomore Jamarion Morrow and freshmen KJ Edwards and Carsyn Baker all chipped in, giving the Aggies a reason to believe this could be more than a one-man backfield once the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M May Have Found The Ideal Safety Net Behind Marcel Reed
With Marcel Reed set to return for his fourth season in 2026, Texas A&M appears to have settled one of the more important depth-chart questions heading into the new year. Behind him, Brady Hart emerged from fall camp by winning the backup quarterback job after a competition with true freshman Helaman Casuga, giving the Aggies a more settled answer at a position where stability matters almost as much as talent.
Hart did not play much in 2025, but the staff views him as capable of steering the offense if the need ever arises, which is exactly the kind of insurance a program wants behind an established starter. The preference, of course, is to keep him in reserve rather than testing that safety net, but Texas A&M at least looks like it has a dependable option if the season takes an unexpected turn. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Enters Matt Campbell's First Season With One Clear Perception
The APs 2026 preseason All-American teams offered an early snapshot of how the national media views college footballs top talent, and Texas A&M was among the ranked programs left out entirely. That omission does not necessarily say much about what the Aggies can become this season, but it does underline the reality that preseason recognition often lands as much on established stars as on the teams trying to force their way into the conversation.
For A&M, the lack of an All-American selection simply adds another layer to a season that will be judged on more than reputation alone. Plenty of ranked teams were overlooked in the APs lists, and the Aggies will spend the fall trying to prove they belong among the sports most complete groups even without much preseason individual spotlight. [Read more 🡒]