ESPN’s latest top 100 college football players list has Texas A&M fans staring at it in disbelief.
For all the talent Mike Elko and his staff have assembled, the Aggies landed just one player on the preseason ranking: Mario Craver at No. 86.
That’s it. No Marcel Reed, no Anto Saka, no Marco Jones, no Daymion Sanford, no Dezz Ricks, no Isaiah Horton, no DJ Hicks - just Craver carrying the lone Texas A&M flag in the top 100.
The slight stings even more when you look back at how ESPN handled the Aggies a year ago. In the preseason version last year, Texas A&M had three players on the list: Le'Veon Moss at 95, Ar'maj Reed-Adams at 66, and Taurean York at 58. By the postseason, the Aggies still had three representatives, but the names had changed: Craver at 87, KC Concepcion at 21, and Cashius Howell at 10.
That’s a pretty clear reminder that ESPN missed the mark on Texas A&M’s roster before, especially when it came to identifying which players would rise. Reed, in particular, already looks like someone who belongs on a list like this. Even if questions remain about his NFL ceiling, he has already shown he can be a dangerous college quarterback.
And that’s why this year’s list feels so familiar to Aggies fans. If Texas A&M is going to add another name to the ranking later on, Reed and Saka look like the most obvious candidates from the preseason omissions, with others also in position to force their way into the conversation as the season unfolds.
The ranking of Craver is frustrating for another reason too: he barely moved. After finishing last year at No. 87, he’s up only one spot to No.
- That stands out next to Arch Manning, who was 58th at the end of last year and has now shot up to 13th despite doing nothing in the meantime.
That jump puts him ahead of Dylan Stewart, which is hard to take seriously.
Taken together, ESPN’s list paints Texas A&M as something closer to middle of the pack than the top-15 team many preseason power ratings see and the top-10 team in the AP Poll. Plenty of people are already calling them overrated, but kickoff is coming fast, and the Aggies will get a chance to answer the ranking soon enough.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Just Backed Off A Fight With Major SEC Stakes
Texas A&M has chosen not to push back against the SECs new stance on former professional athletes, clearing the path for the Aggies to move on from Bryson Warren. Warren, who spent time in the G-League and never played college basketball, has entered the transfer portal after the conference ruled that players with a pro background like his are not eligible to compete in SEC basketball.
The bigger issue for Texas A&M was never just one roster spot, but the risk attached to standing its ground. The SECs penalties for schools that sign ineligible former pros are severe enough that the Aggies decided against challenging the conference, leaving Warren out of the picture and ending one potential test case before it could become a much larger fight. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M May Be Getting Back A Familiar Guard After All
Texas A&M may be in line to welcome back a familiar guard after all, with Rylan Griffen reportedly granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA and SEC that could open the door to an extra year of eligibility. Griffen has enrolled in classes at Texas A&M and, according to reports, intends to rejoin the basketball team for the 2026-27 season, giving the Aggies a possible boost from a player who already knows the program.
The timing is notable for a roster that just saw guard Bryson Warren depart, leaving a spot to be filled in the backcourt. Nothing is official yet, but Griffens situation adds another layer of intrigue to Texas A&Ms offseason planning, especially with the team trying to sort out its guard rotation and keep some continuity heading into the next chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&Ms New College Football 27 Ratings Send An Early Message
EA Sports College Football 27 has started rolling out its latest wave of player ratings, and Texas A&M is already giving fans a fresh talking point. The Aggies check in at 86 overall as a team, with wide receiver Mario Craver leading the way at 91 overall, a sign that the game sees him as one of the rosters clear headliners heading into the new cycle.
The updated player pool also brought in several newcomers for Texas A&M, including freshmen and sophomores Evan Jacobson and Caleb Tafua. Their initial ratings fall in the 74-to-77 range, which gives the Aggies a fairly solid baseline but also leaves room for a few younger pieces to make a bigger impression once the real season gets moving. [Read more 🡒]