Texas A&M’s season has gone sideways fast, and the Aggies’ current 3-3 record has only sharpened the sting of what they lost in the offseason. Six games into 2026, with SEC play sitting at 1-3 and The Citadel coming to Kyle Field on Saturday afternoon, the fallout from Mike Elko’s roster decisions is hard to miss.
The biggest hit came in the 2026 NFL Draft, where Texas A&M watched a program-record 10 players get selected. That group included star receiver KC Concepcion, who went 24th overall to the Cleveland Browns, and edge rusher Cashius Howell, a second-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals after finishing as the SEC’s sack leader with 11.5. Those departures have left a noticeable dent in two places the Aggies had relied on heavily: Marcel Reed’s passing game and the pass rush.
Even with the present looking messy, Texas A&M’s NFL pipeline remains loaded. The Aggies have at least 40 former players active in the league, a list that includes future Hall of Fame wideout Mike Evans, who may be in his final season with the San Francisco 49ers.
Evans’ name still carries a lot of weight in College Station for good reason. Under Kevin Sumlin, he turned into one of the best receivers in school history over just two seasons alongside Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel, then went 7th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent 12 seasons with the franchise and set or tied five NFL records.
In two seasons at Texas A&M, Evans put up 151 catches for 2,499 yards and 17 touchdowns, and ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently placed him 34th on his list of the best college wide receivers of the last 50 years.
"It's not just that Evans was the best receiver in the SEC in the Aggies' first two years in their new league; it's that he brought his A-game precisely when he did. Against Alabama and eventual national runner-up Auburn in 2013, he caught a combined 18 balls for 566 yards and five scores."
That production in college carried straight into the NFL. Evans has piled up 13,378 receiving yards and 111 touchdowns, including five games with the 49ers this season.
In Other News...
Mike Elkos Ashton Bethel-Roman Update Raises New Concern For Texas A&M
Mike Elkos latest update on Ashton Bethel-Roman added another layer of uncertainty to Texas A&Ms receiving room, even after a lopsided win over The Citadel kept the focus on the larger picture. Bethel-Roman was not with the team for the game because of personal reasons, and Elko said the program is giving him space as he handles the situation. For an Aggies offense that has already had to work around injuries at wideout, it is another reminder that the position group has been anything but settled.
Bethel-Romans absence comes after he had already dealt with an injury earlier this season, leaving him with limited production through the first seven weeks. Texas A&M did get useful contributions from Aaron Gregory and TK Norman in the latest game, which helps soften the immediate blow, but the broader concern is how many moving parts remain in a receiver rotation that has not been able to find much stability. As the Aggies move deeper into the season, the status of Bethel-Roman is now one more storyline hanging over the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Saw Something Encouraging In A Blowout That Fans Needed
Texas A&M got the kind of game it needed against The Citadel, and not just because the Aggies picked up their fourth win of the season. There was real value in seeing Jamarrion Morrow and KJ Edwards flash in meaningful roles, while David Olano continued to give the special teams unit a steadier feel. For a team still sorting through pieces and looking for consistency, those were the sort of developments that can matter just as much as the final score.
The defense also turned in a shutout, even if it gave up more than 100 rushing yards along the way, which leaves room for refinement rather than celebration alone. Still, for an Aggies team dealing with some players missing from the game, the overall picture was encouraging enough to keep in mind as the schedule gets tougher and the margin for error starts to shrink. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Suddenly Faces A Lineup Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Texas A&Ms injury list keeps growing at a time when the Aggies can least afford it. Heading into the matchup with The Citadel, the group will be without seven more players because of injury, a wave that comes on top of previously sidelined Terry Bussey and Blake Ivy. Six of the new absences are starters, which makes this more than just a depth concern and puts a spotlight on how the roster holds together in the weeks ahead.
Younger players are expected to see more snaps as the staff pieces together the lineup, and that kind of turnover can change the feel of a game fast. It also adds another layer of urgency as Texas A&M tries to navigate the final stretch of the season with a patched-together group and no real margin for more setbacks. [Read more 🡒]