Texas A&M is heading into the 2026 season with real buzz, and ESPN has put the Aggies in a spot that reflects both the promise and the uncertainty around them. In its latest tier rankings, David Hale slotted Mike Elko’s team into Tier 3: “Maybe this is the year?”
That comes with Texas A&M set to open the season in 21 days against Missouri State, and with the program coming off a 2025 run that changed the conversation around Elko’s tenure. In his second season, Elko pushed the Aggies to the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history, then watched a record 10 players get selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The momentum wasn’t hard to explain. Elko had already built his reputation during four seasons as A&M’s defensive coordinator and two years as Duke’s head coach, and the Aggies’ offseason only added to the sense that this group could be dangerous.
Texas A&M brought back 65% of its 2025 roster, added 17 transfer portal players, and signed a 2026 class that has helped give the roster a veteran feel. That showed up in the first seven preseason practices, which impressed people around the program and reinforced the idea that this team has depth, experience, and a quarterback who is expected to take another step.
Marcel Reed is heading into his second full season as the starter, and the expectations around him are higher than ever. The schedule won’t make life easy, especially with a tough nine-game SEC slate and a brutal stretch once October arrives, but the pieces around him look strong enough to keep Texas A&M in the mix.
Hale’s ranking also pointed to why the Aggies drew that Tier 3 label. He highlighted their 2025 efficiency numbers, noting that Texas A&M had a 47.1% successful play rate on offense against FBS opponents and a 65.1% success rate on defense. That plus-12.32 percentage point differential was 50% better than any other SEC team.
If the Aggies can get four new offensive line starters to settle in, and if Reed sharpens his pocket play by cutting down the mental mistakes and turnovers, the path is there for this offense to take another jump. Texas A&M’s secondary remains loaded, the defensive line has been revamped, and that combination could give new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins enough chances to keep the scoreboard moving at 30 or more points a game.
In Other News...
Texas A&Ms First 9-Game SEC Grind Just Took Another Turn
Texas A&Ms move into a nine-game SEC schedule in 2026 adds another layer to a year that already figures to ask plenty of this roster. The Aggies are coming back with 65% of their 2025 team intact, and they supplemented that group with 17 transfer portal additions while building a 2026 signing class designed to help them withstand the heavier conference load.
The timing of Tennessee safety Edrees Farooqs torn patellar tendon only sharpens the challenge waiting deeper in the league race, because the kind of SEC slate Texas A&M is about to face tends to punish any weakness and reward depth. With the second half of the schedule shaping up as the true test, the Aggies will need the mix of returning production and new personnel to hold up when the games start piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Fans Just Got Another Brutal NFL Injury Update
Another former Texas A&M lineman is headed for a season on the sidelines before his NFL career even had a chance to get rolling. Chase Bisontis, who joined the Arizona Cardinals as an offensive guard, was injured in a preseason game and now faces surgery after suffering a torn MCL.
The setback adds to a rough stretch for Aggies fans tracking former players in the league, since Bisontis is now the second Texas A&M product to be ruled out for the upcoming NFL season because of a knee injury, following Nic Scourtons ACL issue. Arizona has already placed Bisontis on injured reserve, leaving his rookie year on hold before it ever truly began. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Freshmen Are Suddenly Pushing A Real Playing Time Debate
Texas A&Ms offseason conversation has started to pick up around two newcomers who already look ready to force their way into the mix. Brandon Arrington and KJ Edwards have both drawn attention from EA College Football 27, a nod that only adds to the buzz around a freshmen class that could matter sooner rather than later in College Station.
The bigger issue for the Aggies is how quickly those ratings might translate into actual snaps once the season gets going. Arrington and Edwards are both being talked about as players who can challenge for roles right away, which is exactly the kind of problem a staff wants, even if it means sorting through a deeper and more crowded competition for playing time. [Read more 🡒]