Texas A&M came into the season with real expectations, sitting No. 8 in the preseason AP Poll. But as Alabama gets ready to host the Aggies in Saturday’s homecoming game, that hype has collided hard with the reality of a 1-3 mark in SEC play, with the lone conference win coming against Arkansas.
The biggest reason the season has stalled is pretty simple: Marcel Reed has not taken the leap the Aggies needed at quarterback. After all the offseason chatter about whether he could grow as a passer, Reed has completed 55.7 percent of his throws for 1,227 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. When the passing game sputters like that, it drags everything else down with it.
That has shown up in ugly stretches for the offense. Texas A&M has been held to six points in each of its last two losses, and too often the unit has looked like the same disastrous group that fell 10-3 to Miami in last year’s first-round home playoff loss. Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton leads the team with 280 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Mario Craver, the returning standout, has only 241 yards, nearly half of which came in the 31-21 loss to Kentucky.
There are some familiar names in the coaching box, too. Holmon Wiggins, who was Alabama’s receivers coach from 2019-2023, is now Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator.
The ground game has done more than its share to keep things afloat, with freshman KJ Edwards averaging 6.7 yards per carry and pairing effectively with senior Reuben Owens II. And for Crimson Tide fans, one roster note stands out: Wilkin Formby, who was moved from tackle to guard, now starts there.
Defense, meanwhile, has been better than the offense but still not what people expected from a Mike Elko unit. ESPN ranks the Aggies No. 21 nationally on that side of the ball, and the group has avoided the kind of full collapse seen on offense. Still, one statistic jumps off the page: Texas A&M has just five sacks, dead last in the SEC.
Marco Jones is the only Aggie with more than one sack, posting two. Linebacker Ray Coney leads the team with 36 tackles, and Bravion Rogers has been one of the conference’s better defensive backs. Former Alabama cornerback Dezz Ricks is also on the roster after transferring following Nick Saban’s retirement, though his role has decreased this season.
The pass rush has been the clear weak spot in an otherwise solid defensive group, and that imbalance has helped define a Texas A&M team that arrived with expectations and is now searching for answers.
In Other News...
Alabama Could Catch Texas A&M At The Perfect Time
Texas A&Ms first injury report for Week 8 gives Alabama a clearer picture of the challenge ahead, and it comes with some notable absences. Wide receivers Terry Bussey and Kelshaun Johnson, along with offensive lineman Blake Ivy, were listed out, while several other key names landed in the questionable column as the buildup to Saturday continues. For an Alabama team trying to measure itself in conference play, any edge in availability matters, especially against a roster that has already had to manage its health carefully.
Mike Elko said the decision to rest injured players in the previous game was valuable for recovery, which is the kind of detail Alabama will be watching closely as the week unfolds. The report does not settle everything yet, but it does hint at a game that could look different depending on who is able to go, and that uncertainty is exactly what makes this matchup worth tracking all the way to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama's Offensive Line Is Under Pressure After A Brutal Wake-Up Call
The day after Alabamas loss to Tennessee, the focus quickly turned to the line play that helped sink the offense. Starting right guard Michael Carroll owned up to the units struggles, and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb also took responsibility as the Crimson Tide tried to sort through what went wrong. Offensive line coach Adrian Klemm went even further, calling the performance embarrassing and stressing that the standard has to be higher.
Now the challenge is less about words than response, with Texas A&M up next as a chance to show the problems were a one-game collapse rather than a deeper issue. Alabamas front has been put on notice, and the next outing will say a lot about whether the group can clean up the mistakes that were exposed in Knoxville. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Troubling Injury Question Ahead Of Texas A&M
The SECs new injury reporting policy has already made Alabamas weekly picture a little clearer for conference games, and it also puts extra attention on the Tides health heading into Texas A&M. Zabien Brown and EJ Crowell are both dealing with lower leg injuries and are being evaluated, while Crowell is expected to practice during the week. Ryan Coleman-Williams had arthroscopic surgery for a meniscus injury and is not expected to practice, which adds another name to a growing list of players the staff has to monitor closely.
Racin Delgatty and Terrance Green are making progress, but both remain week-to-week, leaving Alabama with several situations still very much in motion. Jeremiah Beaman and Cayden Jones will miss the 2026 season because of ACL injuries, a reminder of how much depth can be tested over time even before the grind of October really settles in. For a team preparing for a major SEC matchup, the question is not just who is available now, but how many of these injury timelines can move in the right direction before Saturday. [Read more 🡒]