Texas A&M’s passing game already looks like it has a new wrinkle, and it starts with Marcel Reed finding a familiar target in transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton.
With the Aggies only two preseason practices into camp and their 2026 opener against Missouri State still more than three weeks away, early signs have pointed to a quarterback who looks sharper and more confident throwing the ball. Reed has also begun building chemistry with Horton, a former Alabama wideout whose size gives Texas A&M something it needed on the outside.
That connection matters because the Aggies’ receiver room already carries plenty of speed and explosiveness. Mario Craver brings elite twitch and quickness, while Ashton Bethel-Roman and Terry Bussey add track speed. Craver, who transferred from Mississippi State before the 2025 season, wasted no time clicking with Reed last year, catching 59 passes for 917 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Horton gives the group a different look. Reed and Horton know each other from their high school days in Tennessee, and even though they have not shared the field at the college level yet, the first two practices suggest they’re already working in sync. Horton’s catch radius showed up Thursday, when Texas A&M’s media team captured him hauling in a well-placed Reed throw.
The expectation is that Horton will win the starting X receiver job, which would help stretch the field for Reed in a few different ways. It would give Craver more room to work the middle, and it could also open the door for Reed to take more 50/50 chances downfield - something Texas A&M didn’t have the same luxury to do last season because of the lack of size on the perimeter.
Even with star receiver KC Concepcion gone after leading the Aggies in receiving yards and touchdowns last season, the passing game may still have enough firepower to attack early downs. New offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins brings a strong track record as one of the top wide receivers coaches, and that background gives Texas A&M reason to believe it can keep pushing the ball vertically.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Has A Backup QB Battle Worth Watching
With Marcel Reed settled in as Texas A&Ms starting quarterback for 2026, the spotlight has shifted to a backup job that could matter more than it usually does in College Station. Redshirt freshman Brady Hart has the early edge in that competition, helped by his early enrollment, some game experience and the physical development that comes with another year in the program. It is the kind of quiet offseason battle that rarely gets the same attention as the starting job, but it can shape how a team handles the inevitable bumps over a long season.
Mike Elko has made clear, though, that nothing is locked in behind Reed. Hart is ahead for now, but he still has to keep improving to hold off the rest of the room, and that is what makes this one worth tracking as spring and summer move along. For an Aggies team with bigger goals in 2026, the difference between a steady No. 2 and an unsettled depth chart could end up meaning more than it looks like in March. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Thomas Is Already Showing Why Texas A&M Needed Him
Texas A&M went into the offseason looking for a tighter fit at tight end, and Houston Thomas arrived with that job description in mind. The transfer from UTSA was brought in to help the offense for the 2026 season, and early fall camp work has given the Aggies reason to think they may have found a more useful piece at the position than they had a year ago.
Thomas has already stood out in practices, flashing the kind of receiving ability Texas A&M was missing in its tight end group. He has been making notable catches against the defense, including one against safety Tawfiq Byard, and the early signs suggest the Aggies may have added a player who can change the conversation around that spot. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Just Added The Kind Of Scorer SEC Teams Fear
Texas A&M is bringing in the kind of proven perimeter scoring that can change how SEC defenses game-plan overnight. PJ Haggerty, one of the top 10 NCAA scorers in the 2025-26 season, is returning to college basketball for a fifth season, and his next stop is College Station after a winding path through TCU, Tulsa, Memphis and Kansas State.
Haggerty has been a high-volume scorer in recent seasons, and the Aggies are getting a veteran guard who has already shown he can carry an offense. He is not the only major scorer staying in school, either, with Juke Harris also opting out of the NBA Draft after two seasons at Wake Forest and choosing to continue his college career with Tennessee, a reminder that the top end of the transfer and draft markets is still very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]
