Texas A&M’s transfer portal exits are paying off in different ways for the players who left College Station, and the 2026 season has already given the picture some clear highs and a few still-developing storylines.
A number of former Aggies have landed at new schools and quickly carved out bigger roles, especially on defense. Others are still trying to turn new opportunities into consistent production. The range has been wide, from strong early showings at California to useful stretches at Florida State, SMU and Mississippi State.
California has been one of the biggest beneficiaries so far. Tristan Jernigan, who played in just nine games over his first two seasons at Texas A&M, has seen far more action with the Golden Bears. He had six tackles in his California debut against UCLA, then followed it with seven tackles against Clemson - the most he has ever had in a college game.
Solomon Williams has also made the move to California work. He logged 12 games for Texas A&M in 2025 and finished with seven tackles and three tackles for loss, and he has kept building with the Golden Bears. Williams recorded a sack against Virginia Tech and added two tackles for loss against Syracuse.
That kind of jump is exactly what some of these departures were looking for: more snaps, more responsibility and a chance to grow into a steadier presence.
Rylan Kennedy’s transfer to Florida State has produced similar signs. After three seasons at Texas A&M, where he played in 37 games and posted 40 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, Kennedy has continued to flash. He had two sacks against Virginia on October 3 and added five tackles against Miami on October 17.
SMU has gotten contributions from two former Aggies as well. Jayvon Thomas, who managed only one tackle during his junior year at Texas A&M in 2025, recorded five tackles against Florida State on September 7 after joining the Mustangs.
Tight end Theo Melin Öhrström also found a bigger spotlight with SMU, coming off a 2025 Texas A&M season in which he caught 19 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. Against Missouri State on September 26, he delivered a two-touchdown performance.
Mississippi State added Dealyn Evans, another former Texas A&M defensive lineman. Evans played in 13 games for the Aggies in 2025 and finished his time there with eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. With the Bulldogs, he has shown flashes, including three tackles and a sack against Alabama on October 3.
One former Aggie offensive lineman also has gotten on the field at Texas. After appearing in only one game as a freshman at Texas A&M, he made his Texas debut against Texas State in the 2026 season opener and helped the Longhorns put up 516 total yards.
Taken together, the early returns show how uneven the transfer portal can be. Some players who couldn’t secure steady roles at Texas A&M are finding chances to contribute elsewhere, while others are still in the middle of proving themselves.
For Mike Elko and Texas A&M, the departures are a reminder of how much roster management matters now. In a landscape where movement can reshape a program every offseason, some ex-Aggies are already making noise and others are still searching for their footing.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Just Got A Big Sign About Its 2027 Class
Even with the current season not going the way Texas A&M hoped, the Aggies picked up a meaningful boost for the future with the commitment of four-star safety JayQuan Snell. One of the top prospects in Texas, Snell made clear that his decision was tied more to the people around the program than to what is happening on the field right now, a reminder that recruiting often runs on a longer timeline than the standings.
Snells pledge helps keep Texas A&Ms 2027 class in a strong position despite some recent decommitments, and it gives the Aggies another key piece to build around on the back end. If things hold, the staff could be looking at a future safety pairing of Snell and five-star Kamarui Dorsey, which is the kind of defensive foundation that can matter long after this season is forgotten. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Faces A Road Problem Mike Elko Cant Ignore
Texas A&M has looked the part at home often enough under Mike Elko, but the road has been a different story altogether. The Aggies are 0-3 away from College Station this season and have gone 6-6 on the road since Elko took over in 2024, a split that stands out even more because the defeats have not been competitive enough to shrug off as bad luck or one-off slipups.
As the Aggies head to South Carolina, the trip carries a little more weight than a routine SEC assignment. Program expectations do not leave much room for a road slide to linger, especially when it has stretched from last season into this one, and breaking that pattern feels like the kind of step Texas A&M needs if it wants to be taken seriously in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Heads Into A Quiet Week With Pressure Building Fast
Texas A&M gets a rare quiet stretch this week, with the Aggies on a bye and Mike Elko not scheduled to speak to the media during the break. Even without a game on the calendar, the timing hardly feels restful. The team is trying to reset after a poor run of form, and the next chance to get back on the field comes in a Week 10 road trip to South Carolina on Nov. 7 at 2 p.m.
South Carolina enters that matchup with an offense that has shown real improvement in recent games, which only raises the stakes for Texas A&M as it heads into the final stretch before kickoff. ESPN's FPI still sees the Aggies as a slight favorite, giving them a 48.1% chance to win, but the numbers do little to hide how much pressure is building around this team as it tries to steady itself before heading to Columbia. [Read more 🡒]