Texas A&M’s offensive line is already wearing a fresh look on paper, but Mike Elko isn’t ready to treat Monday’s depth chart like a finished product.
The Aggies released their first depth chart ahead of Saturday’s 2026 season opener against Missouri State, and it showed four new starters across the line compared with the end of the 2025 season. After Texas A&M added four SEC starting offensive linemen, the expectation is that all four newcomers will step right in.
Still, the picture is not fully locked in. Elko made that clear when he met with local media shortly after the depth chart came out.
"We're still searching for what the best five is and what it will look like, as you don't know until you get those game situations."
That uncertainty matters because offensive line chemistry is built through more than talent. The right combination has to communicate, fit the scheme and settle into the roles that make the whole unit work. For now, Elko is keeping the door open on that front.
"For us, it's about operation and functionality than it is the cohesive part of it."
One of the biggest developments on the depth chart was the emergence of Blake Ivy. The former blue-chip guard, now in his second season with the program, was listed as the starter at left guard after a strong preseason. Ivy, who is 6'3" and 324 pounds, has built a reputation as a strong run blocker, and his high school experience at both tackle spots gives Elko and Adam Cushing another layer to work with in pass protection.
The rest of the projected starting group includes South Carolina transfer Trovon Baugh at right guard and Alabama transfer Wilkin Formby at right tackle. Another notable wrinkle: LSU transfer guard Coen Echols was not listed in the guard rotation at all. Instead, he is set to back up senior Mark Nabou at center.
Texas A&M’s line is deeper than any Elko has had as a head coach at Duke or Texas A&M, and that depth will be put to the test this fall. Four 2025 starters were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, leaving Adam Cushing with the job of finding and developing the best five up front.
The talent is there. Now the challenge is turning it into the right combination.
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