Texas A&M doesn’t look like a program still searching for its identity under Mike Elko. It looks like one that’s starting to take shape around exactly what he wants.
The Aggies’ 11-1 regular season last year, which ended with a College Football Playoff loss to Miami, already reset the standard in College Station. It was the best season Texas A&M had produced in more than a decade, but Elko may not be done raising the bar. In his third year leading the program, he appears to have his best fit yet - and possibly a roster that’s even stronger than the last two.
That’s not because the Aggies have everything figured out. They still have gaps. They do not return five starting offensive linemen like they did a season ago, and there is no proven double-digit sack pass-rusher waiting to headline the defense.
But the core is built around pieces that matter most. Marcel Reed is back at quarterback and will be in his third year as a starter, though it will be his second full-time season.
Dezz Ricks gives Texas A&M a three-year starter at cornerback, and Craver is entering his second year with the Aggies. Add in a returning running back and one of last season’s top two receivers, and the offense has a real backbone.
The secondary could be the real strength of the group. The source material points to it as potentially the deepest and most talented unit on the roster, which matters in a sport where experience has become gold. Each of the last three national champions has been an older team, and Texas A&M fits that trend better than most.
There’s also experience coming in from the transfer portal. After NFL departures thinned out parts of the roster, Texas A&M added players who have already been starters elsewhere.
Isaiah Horton arrives as a senior at wide receiver. Tyree Adams, projected to handle left tackle, is a junior.
On defense, Anto Saka comes in as a senior, while Ray Coney and CJ Mims also bring that same older, proven profile.
Elko’s roster-building plan is still rooted in high school recruiting. Texas A&M already has the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2027 and just signed a top-10 class for 2026.
But he’s not relying on that pipeline alone. The portal has become part of the formula, giving the Aggies the mix of young talent and veteran experience that fits where college football is headed.
And for Elko, that blend may be exactly what makes this roster his best match yet.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Has Three Fall Camp Names Fans Need To Watch
Fall camp is about to give Texas A&M a much clearer picture of where it stands heading into the new season, and there are a few names worth tracking as the Aggies sort through the roster. Anto Saka arrives as a transfer edge rusher from Northwestern, bringing added pressure up front, while wide receiver TK Norman has a chance to work his way into a bigger role as the depth chart starts to take shape.
There is also a quieter but important storyline in the kicking game, where David Olano, another Illinois transfer, enters as part of the competition to steady a spot that can swing close games. For a team looking to move forward after last season, these are the kinds of players who can change the tone of camp before the first snap of fall even arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M May Have Found The Help Marcel Reed Needed Most
Marcel Reeds first full season as Texas A&Ms starter gave the Aggies plenty to build on, but it also exposed where the passing game still needs help. He threw for 3,169 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, yet the offense had a harder time holding up against top-35 defenses, which made receiver play a clear offseason priority. Texas A&M went looking for more size and reliability on the outside, and it found a notable addition in Isaiah Horton, a transfer from Alabama.
Horton arrives as the kind of target the Aggies have been missing, one Mike Elko specifically pointed to at SEC Media Days as a potential boost for both the passing game and the red zone. For Reed, the fit matters because the next step is less about proving he can manage the job and more about giving him the kind of downfield and near-the-goal-line help that can change what this offense looks like against the leagues better defenses. [Read more 🡒]
Zyron Forstall Looks Like A Perfect Fit For Mike Elkos Defense
Zyron Forstall has already started to look like the kind of recruit Texas A&M can build a defense around, even if his arrival is still well down the road. The five-star edge rusher in the Aggies 2027 class brings the kind of speed and quickness that have evaluators thinking beyond one role, and his junior season at IMG Academy gave Reel Analytics plenty to point to when showing how he can get after the quarterback.
For Texas A&M, the appeal goes beyond raw talent. Mike Elko and defensive line coaches Elijah Robinson and Tony Jerod-Eddie are expected to shape Forstall into a versatile piece who can move around the front and contribute in a rotational role by 2027, which is exactly the sort of fit that can make a defense more difficult to plan for. The question now is how much of that promise the Aggies can unlock once he gets into their system. [Read more 🡒]