Texas A&M’s secondary looked like a problem spot after the NFL Draft, but the Aggies have spent the offseason turning that weakness into a strength.
The concern was real. Texas A&M lost a program-record-tying ten players to the draft, and cornerback Will Lee III was among the departures. His exit left a major hole in a defensive backfield that already had issues, with the unit finishing 113th in turnovers gained and second-to-last in interceptions.
Even with that backdrop, the secondary never became the loudest offseason storyline in College Station. The attention went elsewhere, especially to the offensive line and edge rushers, while only one defensive back was drafted. That opened the door for Mike Elko and his staff to quietly go to work.
What has emerged is a secondary makeover built through both the transfer portal and the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. The Aggies are trying to make sure that group is no longer a liability, and the early shape of the rebuild points toward a much stronger back end.
It started with Dezz Ricks stepping into the CB1 role, giving Texas A&M an anchor after losing length and physicality on the outside. From there, the staff kept adding pieces, and the result is a much deeper and more athletic cornerback room.
The headliner is five-star cornerback Brandon Arrington out of California. At 6-foot-2, he has the size to match up with SEC receivers in press coverage, and his speed is just as striking. Arrington was the Gatorade California Track & Field Player of the Year and once broke a 200-meter meet record held by Noah Lyles, finishing in 20.35 seconds.
That blend of frame and speed gives Texas A&M a corner who can handle vertical threats and let the players around him work off that coverage.
The Aggies also added two transfer defensive backs who should help quickly: four-star Rickey Gibson III and three-star Tawfiq Byard. Both are expected to see the field early and give the secondary immediate help.
If Elko and defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill get the pieces to fit the way they want, Texas A&M may have turned one of its biggest roster questions into one of the SEC’s better defensive backfields.
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