Rueben Owens II is walking into 2026 with the kind of setup Texas A&M fans have been waiting for. He’s no longer the backup waiting for an opening behind Le’Veon Moss. He’s the starter now, and the Aggies are handing him the keys to the backfield.
That’s a big turn for a player whose path has already had some bumps. Owens, the former five-star recruit from El Campo, Texas, piled up more than 7,000 rushing yards in high school, but his early run in College Station was slowed by the Lisfranc foot injury he suffered in 2024. Last season, though, he was back in the mix and made himself a real part of Texas A&M’s playoff push.
The 2025 numbers give a pretty clear picture of what he already is. In 12 games, Owens ran for 639 yards on 119 carries, averaged 5.37 yards per carry, scored five rushing touchdowns, and added 130 receiving yards on 13 catches.
That’s the baseline. That’s also the proof that he can handle a meaningful workload.
Now the question is how far he can go with a full season as RB1. The ceiling being floated for him is 1,100 total yards and double-digit total touchdowns when you combine rushing and receiving.
The floor, according to the source material, is basically what he already delivered last year. For Aggies fans, that’s a pretty encouraging place to start.
There is one wrinkle, though: predictability. When a back is still new to the role, defenses can get caught off guard.
Owens had that element working for him in 2025 while splitting time and stepping into a featured role. In 2026, everyone will know who the ball is going to.
Even so, the expectation in Aggieland is that he can still thrive if Mike Elko and Marcel Reed keep putting him in favorable situations the way they did last season. And if that happens, Owens has a chance to be one of the SEC’s premier bell-cow backs, with his name even being mentioned as a top-tier prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft.
In Other News...
Aggies Suddenly Face A Familiar Fear In Pivotal 5-Star Battle
Texas A&Ms pursuit of five-star running back Landen Williams-Callis has become one of the more closely watched recruiting battles on the board, and for good reason. The Aggies have stayed active on the trail while also building momentum elsewhere, including a wide receiver group that has drawn praise for both its recent commitments and the way last seasons pass catchers performed.
Nico Partidas selection to USA Baseballs Collegiate National Team only adds to the sense that A&Ms roster and pipeline are moving in the right direction. Still, the Williams-Callis chase carries familiar stakes for the Aggies, who know how quickly a marquee recruiting win can shift the conversation and how easily one can slip away when the final decision comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Aggies Transfer Suddenly Looks Like More Than Linebacker Insurance
After Texas A&Ms College Football Playoff run ended, Mike Elko and his staff went to work in the transfer portal, bringing in 17 newcomers to reshape the roster for another push. One of those additions, Tulsa linebacker Ray Coney, arrived with the kind of profile that suggested depth and insurance at a position where the Aggies needed help, especially with veteran Taurean York gone and Daymion Sanford dealing with an injury.
Coney has quickly looked like more than a fallback option. The early reviews on his athleticism and defensive play have been strong, and he is now expected to step into a meaningful role alongside sophomore Noah Mikhail when the season opens. For Texas A&M, that makes Coney one of the more important portal pickups on a defense that is still sorting out its linebacker picture. [Read more 🡒]
Aggies Await Another Massive 2027 Recruiting Domino to Fall
Texas A&Ms 2027 class is already shaping up as one of the more intriguing groups in the country, and the Aggies may be on the verge of adding another important piece. Linebacker Mikahi Allen of Don Bosco Prep has set his commitment announcement for July 11, giving one of the classs biggest remaining names a public finish line after a competitive national recruitment.
Allens final group includes Texas, Texas A&M and South Carolina, and the Aggies have been viewed as the team to beat in the race. His profile has also drawn plenty of mixed evaluation across the industry, which only adds to the intrigue around where he lands. For Texas A&M, this is the kind of decision that could help shape the rest of the class, and now the waiting game is down to one more summer date. [Read more 🡒]