Texas A&M is set to open preseason camp this week, and the first real questions of Mike Elko’s third season are already coming into focus.
The Aggies’ 2026 opener against Missouri State is four weeks away, and Elko will meet with local media on Tuesday before the team takes the field for its first practice Wednesday afternoon. This camp comes with plenty of turnover around the roster: after a record 10 players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, Texas A&M still brings back 65% of its 2025 team, adds 17 transfer portal players and welcomes a recruiting class that pushes the newcomer count past 40.
That kind of overhaul puts the spotlight on quarterback Marcel Reed, who enters his second full season as the starter after throwing for 3,169 yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year, all career highs. Reed has already been making the media rounds, including a trip to SEC Media Days late last month.
He has plenty to sharpen up, but the pieces around him look stronger on the perimeter. The Aggies’ receiver room is loaded, with Mario Craver leading the way and Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton now in the mix.
The catch: Reed will do it all behind four new starters on the offensive line.
That makes camp about more than just getting reps. Texas A&M has to sort out exactly how it wants to play.
One of the biggest decisions centers on the backfield. Mike Elko said at SEC Media Days that the competition between redshirt junior Rueben Owens and rising sophomore Jamarion Morrow remains unsettled, and it will be one of the tightest battles in camp.
But the simplest answer might be the one that uses both. A committee approach, with Tiger Riden and freshman KJ Edwards also involved, could keep the backs fresh and force defenses to deal with different looks.
Owens and Morrow offer different tools. Owens brings the burst to turn a crease into a long run, while Morrow looks like the roster’s best one-cut runner, drawing a comparison to former starter Le’Veon Moss. The fit between those styles could make sharing the load the most natural path.
The other major offensive wrinkle is personnel grouping. Under former OC Collin Klein, the tight end was a bigger part of Texas A&M’s 12-personnel packages, with two tight ends helping as blockers in run-heavy situations. Holmon Wiggins arrives from a wide receivers background, so 11-personnel could become a more prominent part of the plan, giving Reed three receivers to work with in the passing game.
Still, the run game matters, and Horton said this spring that establishing it will be a priority. With the Aggies’ receiver group now boasting speed, separation and added size, especially with Horton, Mario Craver and Ashton Bethel-Roman, the temptation will be to spread things out. Even so, senior tight end Micah Riley and redshirt freshman Kiotti Armstrong give Texas A&M enough size to make 12-personnel useful early in games.
Then there’s the line, where the real chemistry test begins.
Texas A&M lost four starting offensive linemen to the 2026 NFL Draft, but Elko and OL coach Adam Cushing responded by bringing in four transfer linemen, all of them SEC starters. On paper, they fit next to returning senior center Mark Nabou and looked like the likely first group during spring work.
That said, the job is far from locked down. Several young players from the 2025 signing class, including former five-star tackle Lamont Rogers, will push the transfers, and Cushing would prefer to avoid using a rotation that could interrupt the offense’s attempt to build continuity. LSU transfer tackle Tyree Adams has an injury history that could make the left tackle spot a real battle, while LSU transfer Coen Echols and South Carolina transfer Trovon Baugh appear positioned to handle the left and right guard jobs because of their size, strength and run blocking.
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