Northwestern transfer Anto Saka is starting to settle in at Texas A&M, and defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill likes what he’s seeing as the Aggies reshape their defense.
Saka arrived in College Station in January after a strong run with the Wildcats, where he put up 41 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks in 33 games. The move has meant a fresh start in a system that doesn’t resemble what he was asked to do in Evanston, so the first order of business has been learning a completely different language on defense.
That process took a little time in the spring. Hemphill said Saka needed several practices before everything started to click, but once fall camp opened, the edge rusher began showing the kind of flexibility that can make him a weapon in multiple spots.
"I think just the system he played at Northwestern, the system we're playing here, it's completely different for him,” Hemphill said. “It took him a couple of practices in the spring to get it going, but once we got to fall camp, he's playing both sides.
The end and the jack for us. He can do it all.”
That versatility matters even more because Texas A&M’s defense is changing too. Hemphill was promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2026 season, and the Aggies are working to rebuild the aggressive, balanced identity they had before, now under his direction.
Rather than locking Saka into one narrow assignment, the staff has spent camp figuring out how best to deploy him across the scheme. The athletic traits are obvious enough to make that worthwhile.
Saka’s blend of size and speed has already earned national notice. He was ranked No. 31 on Bruce Feldman’s 2026 Freaks List after reportedly reaching 21.9 mph.
“Yeah, he's a physical kid,” Hemphill said. “He can run fast.
He uses his hands. He's violent.”
Hemphill believes the learning curve is tightening with every rep, and Saka entered fall camp with a stronger handle on what the Aggies want from him. For a defense trying to maximize every piece it has, that kind of adaptability can go a long way.
If Saka keeps pairing those physical tools with a growing comfort in the system, Texas A&M may have one of the more intriguing pieces of Hemphill’s new-look defense.
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