Texas A&M’s defense is getting respect, just not the kind that puts it in the top tier.
On3’s Crain & Cone slotted the Aggies as an honorable mention in its 2026 defensive rankings, placing them alongside Alabama and Iowa but stopping short of calling the unit top-10 material. For a Texas A&M group that had to clean up a run defense that helped fuel back-to-back losses to Texas to close the regular season and a 10-3 home defeat to Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the offseason makeover was always going to be part repair job, part reload.
That reload has been aggressive. Of Texas A&M’s 17 transfer portal additions this offseason, more than half landed on defense, and third-year coach Mike Elko made it clear he was ready to patch the holes with veteran help after a record 10 players were taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. That group included unanimous All-American Edge Cashius Howell and defensive tackles Albert Regis and Tyler Onyedim.
The Aggies answered by bringing in former Northwestern Edge Anto Saka, North Carolina defensive lineman CJ Mims and former Illinois defensive tackle Angelo McCullom. Add those pieces to senior defensive tackle DJ Hicks and senior defensive end T.J. Searcy, and the front doesn’t look short on either talent or depth.
The secondary took a smaller hit. Starting cornerback Will Lee III is gone after going in the fourth round to the Carolina Panthers, but Texas A&M still has Dezz Ricks, senior Julio Humphrey and transfer cornerback Rickey Gibson to handle the cornerback spots.
At safety, Marcus Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks are being talked about as the top duo in the SEC, and the group also now includes Colorado transfer Tawfiq Byard, who did not allow a passing touchdown with the Buffaloes last season.
Linebacker is the one spot that got dented. Senior Daymion Sanford suffered a fibula injury during the Maroon & White spring game, though he showed up at SEC Media Days without a walking boot and said he expects to return “soon,” which could put him back after three or four games. Until then, former Tulsa linebacker Ray Coney - who posted 128 tackles last season - and rising sophomore Noah Mikhail are positioned to help carry the load, with Mikhail having added size this offseason as he pushes for a starting role.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Has Three Fall Camp Names Fans Need To Watch
Fall camp is about to give Texas A&M a much clearer picture of where it stands heading into the new season, and there are a few names worth tracking as the Aggies sort through the roster. Anto Saka arrives as a transfer edge rusher from Northwestern, bringing added pressure up front, while wide receiver TK Norman has a chance to work his way into a bigger role as the depth chart starts to take shape.
There is also a quieter but important storyline in the kicking game, where David Olano, another Illinois transfer, enters as part of the competition to steady a spot that can swing close games. For a team looking to move forward after last season, these are the kinds of players who can change the tone of camp before the first snap of fall even arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M May Have Found The Help Marcel Reed Needed Most
Marcel Reeds first full season as Texas A&Ms starter gave the Aggies plenty to build on, but it also exposed where the passing game still needs help. He threw for 3,169 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, yet the offense had a harder time holding up against top-35 defenses, which made receiver play a clear offseason priority. Texas A&M went looking for more size and reliability on the outside, and it found a notable addition in Isaiah Horton, a transfer from Alabama.
Horton arrives as the kind of target the Aggies have been missing, one Mike Elko specifically pointed to at SEC Media Days as a potential boost for both the passing game and the red zone. For Reed, the fit matters because the next step is less about proving he can manage the job and more about giving him the kind of downfield and near-the-goal-line help that can change what this offense looks like against the leagues better defenses. [Read more 🡒]
Zyron Forstall Looks Like A Perfect Fit For Mike Elkos Defense
Zyron Forstall has already started to look like the kind of recruit Texas A&M can build a defense around, even if his arrival is still well down the road. The five-star edge rusher in the Aggies 2027 class brings the kind of speed and quickness that have evaluators thinking beyond one role, and his junior season at IMG Academy gave Reel Analytics plenty to point to when showing how he can get after the quarterback.
For Texas A&M, the appeal goes beyond raw talent. Mike Elko and defensive line coaches Elijah Robinson and Tony Jerod-Eddie are expected to shape Forstall into a versatile piece who can move around the front and contribute in a rotational role by 2027, which is exactly the sort of fit that can make a defense more difficult to plan for. The question now is how much of that promise the Aggies can unlock once he gets into their system. [Read more 🡒]