Texas A&M is five games into its season, and the depth chart is starting to tell a clearer story.
The Aggies are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play as they head north to face No. 14 Missouri after a rough outing against Florida. With Game 6 on deck in a 13-game schedule, the picture is sharper now: some roles are growing, some are shrinking, and a few spots could still shift if the right player keeps forcing the issue.
At quarterback, there’s no mystery. Marcel Reed remains the answer, and Mike Elko has made that plain.
Texas A&M is built to go where Reed takes it, especially when he’s protecting the ball, using his legs and making the kind of decisions that let the Aggies overwhelm teams the way they did against Arkansas. Behind him, there simply does not appear to be a challenger ready to make the case for change.
Brady Hart may have a bright future, but Elko does not look inclined to make a move just to make one.
The backfield, though, is a different story. KJ Edwards has made a real push, and after his two-touchdown showing against the Razorbacks, it’s hard not to expect him to get more work.
Rueben Owens II has been steady and efficient, sometimes with real burst, but Edwards and fellow freshman Carsyn Baker have taken their chances and turned them into something more. The room looks deep now, and the future may already be arriving.
Wide receiver appears far more settled. The top three are locked in as long as they stay healthy, and the veterans give that group a stable backbone.
Still, the younger names are beginning to surface. TK Norman has flashed, and Aaron Gregory could see more involvement as the season moves along, with Jayden Warren also a possibility.
For now, though, this is not a spot where major turnover seems likely.
Tight end is one of the more interesting spots to watch. Kiotti Armstrong gave the room a jolt with a 54-yard catch down the left sideline against Florida, and that kind of play can change the conversation quickly.
Texas A&M brought in two veteran tight ends with game experience and paired them with Micah Riley, a captain in his second season, but Armstrong’s burst stood out. If he can build on that, especially as a blocker, his role could grow fast.
Up front, the Aggies may already have found their best five. Moving Lamont Rogers to right tackle and Wilkin Formby to right guard has helped the run game, while Trovon Baugh sliding to left guard next to Tyree Adams has steadied a problem area from earlier in the season.
Mark Nabou Jr. has also been one of the team’s steadiest performers. The combination seems to be working, and it looks like the group Texas A&M will keep rolling with.
On the defensive line, the main development is more Landon Rink on the inside after he started in Week 5. Beyond that, the rotation still runs through the veterans - Anto Saka, TJ Searcy and Marco Jones. It’s a flexible group, but outside of Rink, there does not seem to be much room for someone else to force his way into a bigger role right now.
Linebacker has changed more dramatically. Daymion Sanford is back and, by all accounts, close to 100%, and that has squeezed Jordan Lockhart almost out of the picture.
After playing 22 snaps in Week 1 and 25 in Week 2, Lockhart has logged just one, five and two snaps over the last three games. That drop is significant, even if he has long been viewed as a depth option.
Sanford’s return explains part of it, but Texas A&M also seems to like freshman Tamarion Watkins, who owns a 77.4 Pro Football Focus grade on 51 snaps and ranks fourth on the defense in that category.
In the secondary, the biggest shift may be Bravion Rogers. He’s making his mark on special teams, but he also appears to have taken a step forward as a veteran presence and could see more work in the slot as a nickel cornerback.
With Tawfiq Byard healthy again, the safety rotation should also open up a bit. This was supposed to be one of the defense’s strongest areas, and with players ascending and others returning, it may finally start to look like the group Elko called the best he’s coached since arriving in College Station.
Special teams may be the safest part of the roster. David Olano and Tyler White have locked down their jobs and have been excellent.
The bigger question is the return game, where the Aggies have not gotten much since losing Terry Bussey. Mario Craver has been banged up, and that has dulled the explosiveness there.
Texas A&M may look to Asthon Bethel-Roman or KJ Edwards for a spark, and Jamarion Morrow is working back from injury as well, which could give the Aggies another option to help flip field position.
In Other News...
TCU Says Goodbye To The Coach Who Changed Everything
Dennis Franchione, who later spent part of his career at Texas A&M, died in Austin at 75 after battling cancer for several years. Long before he became a familiar name in Aggieland, he was the coach who helped reshape TCU football, turning a program that had been searching for traction into one that could win and be noticed again on the national stage.
His brief run in Fort Worth from 1998 to 2000 included a Sun Bowl victory and a top-25 final AP ranking, the kind of turnaround that changes how a program sees itself. Franchione also coached at Alabama, but for Big 12 and former Big 12 followers, his passing is a reminder of how quickly a coach can alter a school's trajectory and leave a legacy that still lingers long after the wins and losses fade. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Fans Are Revisiting One Of The Programs Toughest Eras
Dennis Franchiones death at 75 brings back memories of a long coaching career that stretched across several stops, from Southwestern and New Mexico to TCU, Alabama, Texas A&M and Texas State. He won more than 200 games and collected multiple conference championships along the way, building a rsum that made him a familiar name in college football long after he left the sideline.
For Aggies fans, though, his name also pulls at a more difficult chapter, one tied to one of the programs tougher eras. Franchione had been battling cancer for roughly a decade, and the illness recently returned, leading to hospice care before his passing. The news adds a somber note for Texas A&M supporters who remember both the expectations that came with his arrival and the frustration that followed. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Has A Chance To Change Everything At Missouri
Texas A&Ms 34-7 win over Arkansas did more than stop the skid. It gave the Aggies a much-needed reset, the kind of clean, convincing performance that can steady a season and restore some confidence in the room. After a rough stretch, they head into the next week with a little more life and a chance to show the breakthrough was more than just a one-off.
Missouri is waiting with its own momentum after a strong win over Florida, which makes this trip a useful measuring stick for Texas A&M. It is the kind of matchup that can tell you whether the Aggies have genuinely turned a corner or simply found relief for one afternoon. A good showing there would do more than add another result to the ledger - it could change the tone around the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]