Texas A&M may have found another future first-rounder in its transfer portal class, and senior safety Marcus Ratcliffe isn’t hiding how high he thinks the ceiling goes for Anto Saka.
After Kevin Concepcion became the second Aggies player to go in the first round over the last two years, joining Shemar Stewart as the first two first-round picks of the Mike Elko era, Ratcliffe pointed to Saka as the next name to watch.
“Oh Anto [Saka], I don’t think there is a ceiling,” Ratcliffe said. “I think he could be a first-round pick, first edge off the board.
Very strong, very fast, very explosive player. I think the there is no ceiling for Anto.”
That kind of praise carries weight because Saka has already shown he can make an immediate impact. The Northwestern transfer arrived ahead of spring practice and wasted no time flashing in Texas A&M’s spring work, finishing as the only member of the White team’s defense to record a sack. He got it by beating LSU transfer offensive tackle Tyree Adams.
Saka’s production at Northwestern backed up the buzz. Over the last two seasons, he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition both times and piled up 8.5 sacks in 22 games.
At 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, he has the frame and movement skills to fit as a defensive end in Mike Elko’s system. That matters for an Aggies defense that has to replace Cashius Howell, who is off to the NFL and leaves a major opening in the pass rush.
Texas A&M isn’t short on bodies, but it does need more proven production and more experience off the edge. Saka brings both from his three seasons at Northwestern.
The big question now is how quickly he adjusts from the Big Ten to SEC football. Howell needed two seasons before everything clicked, and his best year came when he posted 11 sacks.
Texas A&M probably can’t afford to wait that long if Saka is going to be the kind of difference-maker Ratcliffe believes he can become.
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