CBS Sports isn’t exactly handing Texas A&M a soft landing in its latest win-loss projection.
The outlet pegged Mike Elko’s team for an 8-4 finish overall and a 5-4 mark in conference play, a forecast that comes with losses to LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas. That’s a tough read for a program coming off its first playoff appearance and bringing back a quarterback for another college football season that plenty of SEC teams would love to have.
There’s a real case for giving the Aggies more credit than that projection does. Texas A&M enters the year with momentum, confidence and a roster that looks loaded with the kind of pieces a team needs to make noise.
The reinforcement is there. The experience is there.
The talent is there. The coaching is there.
Offensively, the biggest question mark sits up front. The offensive line returns only one player, so there’s naturally some curiosity about whether the new group can match what came before it. It looks promising, but until that unit gets tested against another defense, nobody really knows for sure.
Elsewhere, the Aggies have plenty to like. The receiver group has the look of one of the best in the program’s recent memory, led by Mario Craver and Ashton Bethel Roman. Isaiah Horton, the Alabama transfer, adds another layer to that room.
The backfield also has plenty of juice, even after losing Le’Veon Moss. Rueben Owens Ⅱ and Jamarion Morrow are expected to handle the top two spots, giving Texas A&M a pair of speed threats with high motors and plenty of wiggle. Put that together with Marcel Reed, a potential Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, and the offense has the ingredients to be dangerous on multiple levels.
The bigger question, as always, is whether the defense can match that pace.
Elko’s background gives Texas A&M a strong starting point on that side of the ball, and his short run in Aggieland has already shown what this unit can be when it’s stocked with NFL-caliber talent. The secondary should have plenty of answers, with cornerbacks Dezz Ricks and TJ Searcy expected to fit into different packages. Dalton Brooks, Marcus Ratcliffe and Bryce Anderson are also in the mix, and all three are looking to help create more turnovers than last season.
Up front, the Aggies have a group that should help set the tone at the line of scrimmage. DJ Hicks and Landyn Rink are part of that interior, while T.J.
Searcy and Marco Jones give Texas A&M edge options. CJ Mims and Anto Saka are other names to keep an eye on in a unit that already looks strong.
Linebacker is built around Noah Mikhail and Ray Coney, with Jordan Lockhardt and T.J. Smith also expected to see time as they try to continue what Taurean York established.
So while CBS Sports sees a handful of losses on the schedule, the Aggies have enough depth and enough pieces on both sides of the ball to argue for a better outlook. The schedule is demanding, and only one of the teams CBS listed as a loss comes to Kyle Field. Still, this is a new year, and Texas A&M has a fresh start in front of it.
In Other News...
Aggies Suddenly Face A Familiar Fear In Pivotal 5-Star Battle
Texas A&M has spent much of this summer trying to stack momentum on the recruiting trail, and the Aggies have reasons to feel better about parts of their roster-building. The wide receiver group has gotten a boost from recent commitments, and the programs pass-catching outlook has been helped by what it showed on the field last season. There is also a bit of good news on another front, with Nico Partida earning a spot on USA Baseballs Collegiate National Team for the World Collegiate Baseball Championship.
Still, the biggest recruiting battle hanging over A&M is the one it cannot afford to lose. The Aggies remain in the hunt for 5-star running back Landen Williams-Callis, a player they have actively pursued, but the chatter around his decision has started to tilt in a direction that is all too familiar for A&M fans. For a program trying to keep pace in the SEC and close the gap in elite talent, the final call on Williams-Callis could say plenty about where this race is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Aggies Transfer Suddenly Looks Like More Than Linebacker Insurance
After Texas A&Ms College Football Playoff loss, Mike Elko and his staff went to work in the transfer portal, bringing in 17 newcomers to help reshape the roster. One of the additions, Tulsa linebacker Ray Coney, looked like a straightforward depth move at the time, a piece meant to help stabilize a defense that needed bodies and experience after a busy offseason.
Coney is starting to look like more than insurance. With veteran linebacker Taurean York gone and Daymion Sanford sidelined by injury, the Aggies need immediate answers in the middle of the defense, and Coney has drawn positive reviews for both his athleticism and his play. Alongside sophomore Noah Mikhail, he is now in line to carry a much bigger load than originally expected, which makes his transition one of the more important developments to watch as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&Ms Playoff Hopes May Hinge On One Unexpected Offensive Piece
Rueben Owens is positioned to become the centerpiece of Texas A&Ms ground game this fall, and that matters because the Aggies are trying to replace a lot of production around him. Under Mike Elko and newly promoted offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, the offense is expected to lean on the run as it reshapes itself after key departures elsewhere, and Owens already showed he can handle a meaningful workload with 639 rushing yards and five touchdowns last season.
Owens now enters the season as the back most likely to carry that burden, working alongside Marcel Reed in an offense that will need stability early. The Aggies do not need him to be flashy so much as dependable, because if the run game holds together, it gives the rest of the offense a chance to settle in while the new pieces around him sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]