Texas A&M’s first injury report of the week brought a mixed bag ahead of Saturday’s trip to Tuscaloosa, and the biggest names on it all carry real weight.
The Aggies listed wide receivers Terry Bussey and Kelshaun Johnson as out, along with offensive lineman Blake Ivy. Bussey’s season is finished after he was hurt on the opening play of Texas A&M’s early-season loss to Kentucky at Kyle Field, and Ivy is also done for the year after getting injured in practice earlier this month.
The most important question mark remains Mario Craver. He showed up again as questionable, alongside defensive tackle DJ Hicks, defensive end Anto Saka, linebacker Daymion Sanford and offensive lineman Trovon Baugh.
Craver has been managing multiple injuries over the past few weeks, including an ankle issue, but he still played against Arkansas and Missouri even while appearing on the injury report. He sat out Saturday’s win over The Citadel, though, and his status is still up in the air as Texas A&M prepares for one of its biggest games of the season.
The concern gets even louder when you look at the defense. Hicks, Saka and Sanford all missed the game against The Citadel, and Baugh was also out. After the victory, head coach Mike Elko said that holding back several players - including Hicks, Sanford, Craver and Baugh - had been especially helpful because they were dealing with significant injuries.
Sanford has also been coming back from a leg injury that required surgery after the Aggies’ spring game.
That’s the backdrop for a matchup where Texas A&M could use every healthy body it can get. Alabama brings an offense with the potential to be explosive, and the Aggies’ defensive depth will be tested if those questionable players can’t go.
There is at least one bright spot on the report: starting wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman is not listed.
The numbers on the injury report matter, but so does the timing. Texas A&M goes to Bryant-Denny Stadium carrying a battered roster into a game that could swing its season in a big way. A win over Alabama would give the Aggies a jolt of confidence as they move deeper into the 2026 campaign, while the Crimson Tide are trying to avoid a second straight loss after falling to Georgia and Tennessee.
Alabama enters with its College Football Playoff hopes hanging by a thread, and while the expectation is that the Tide should handle a limited Texas A&M group, the Aggies still have a path to the upset. If they find it, the result would send the home team into a spiral and hand Texas A&M a much-needed breakthrough.
Saturday’s game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised nationally on ABC.
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