Rueben Owens is stepping into a bigger role at Texas A&M, and he’s not pretending the path to that spot has been smooth.
The former five-star back from El Campo arrived in College Station as a major late-cycle win for the Aggies in 2023 after being committed to Louisville for a long stretch. He has been on the field since his first season in maroon and white, but the production has not yet matched the hype that followed him into college.
When Owens has had room to work, the talent shows up fast. He can look effortless in the open field, almost gliding when he gets space. But the picture has not always been as clean between the tackles, where too many of his snaps have ended with him stumbling or going down before he could turn them into bigger gains.
Injury also slowed him down, as he missed most of the 2024 season. Still, he got a shot to serve as the feature back for Texas A&M in the back half of 2025, even if fans kept comparing him to Le’Veon Moss. With Moss now in the NFL, the job is Owens’ now, and the pressure that comes with it is part of the deal.
After practice yesterday, Owens spoke with the media and was asked about the “painful” missed chances from past seasons - the kinds of plays where a big run seemed ready to break open before he slipped or fell. He pointed to two in particular, one against Missouri and one against Texas, and said it is hard to sit with those moments, but necessary if he wants to keep improving.
Texas A&M RB Rueben Owens II identified two plays from last season that still bother him: one against Texas and the other vs. Missouri.
He believes he could be a 1,000-yard rusher this fall if those types of plays don't happen. https://t.co/LCUrIQX5WZ pic.twitter.com/O3bVmPrnt7
- Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) August 6, 2026
Owens’ answer says a lot about where he is mentally. He did not try to pass the blame or point outward. He put the focus on himself and the parts of his game that still need cleaning up.
It also says he is not running from the mistakes. Those plays can linger with a player, especially when they happen in big spots, and there are two ways to handle that: stay stuck in the frustration or turn it into something useful. Owens seems to be choosing the second route.
That mindset matters now more than ever. If he can put those missed chances behind him and cash in on the talent that made him such a prized recruit, Texas A&M could have a lead back who is hard to dislodge. And if that happens, run defenses around the conference are going to have their hands full.
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Jimbo Fisher has kept backing Reed as the starter, which only raises the stakes on what comes next. Around college football, there is already talk about Reeds ceiling, from Heisman buzz to eventual NFL questions, but the immediate pressure is simpler and harsher: if he can translate camp progress into production once the games count, Texas A&Ms optimism can keep building. [Read more 🡒]