Texas A&M’s backfield is one of the spots worth watching as the Aggies head into Arkansas, and freshman KJ Edwards has made a real case for more work.
With Texas A&M sitting at 2-2 in the 2026-27 campaign, the conversation around starting jobs and snap counts is already getting louder. One of the clearest questions is how the running back rotation should look after four weeks, especially with Edwards continuing to chip away for more touches.
The Carthage, Texas native has already put together 115 rushing yards on 17 carries, and the Aggies have had every reason to lean on him a little more. Injuries have changed the picture in that room, and Tiger Riden Jr. is out for the season, which has opened the door for Edwards to get valuable live reps early in his college career.
For a freshman, the opportunity has mattered. Edwards has shown enough burst and flexibility to keep pushing the players around him, and he has done it in a variety of ways - whether bouncing runs to the outside or pressing inside when the lane is there.
His early season has had its ups and downs. He opened with five carries for 44 yards against Missouri State in Week 1, then slowed down in Week 2 with three carries for 22 yards. Since then, though, he has started to climb again, piling up 49 more yards on nine touches over the next two games.
He also saw 17 snaps at Tiger Stadium against LSU, while starting running back Rueben Owens had 36. Edwards finished that night only two yards shy of matching the longest rush of the game, trailing Owens.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed could use more help in the run game, and Edwards has the kind of speed, strength and footwork that can change how the Aggies distribute those carries. His patience and his ability to slip through traffic are part of the reason the snap count should be a real discussion this week.
Whether that leads to a bigger role against Arkansas will come down to what the coaches think fits the scheme. But Edwards has already done enough to make more playing time feel like the next logical step.
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