Texas A&M is in the final stretch before its 2026 opener against Missouri State, and the buildup is starting to look and sound like a team expecting big things.
The Aggies have already put in 14 preseason practices under third-year coach Mike Elko, and the roster around him has changed plenty. Texas A&M brought in 17 transfer portal additions and nearly 30 2026 signees, while 65% of the 2025 roster is back. That group is led by redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed.
The Aggies are coming off their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history, and the path back won’t be simple. Texas A&M has to navigate a new nine-game SEC schedule that includes road trips to LSU, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma, before closing the regular season at home against Texas.
On paper, the deepest parts of this team are easy to spot. The wide receiver rotation and the secondary both look loaded with NFL talent and stand out as the roster’s biggest strengths.
Up front, though, the overhaul is obvious. More than half of the Aggies’ transfer additions are on the offensive and defensive lines, including four SEC starting offensive linemen who are projected to step in for the 2025 starters.
Those outgoing starters were all selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
A few newcomers have already made noise in camp. Northwestern transfer edge Anto Saka and former Tennessee cornerback Rickey Gibson have reportedly been dominant in nearly every practice, and both are expected to make an immediate impact this fall. Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton also fits into the mix, giving Reed a 6-foot-4 target and the kind of size that could help him become a more accurate passer on 30-plus attempts.
With the opener now 11 days away, Texas A&M’s media team dropped an epic hype video to keep the momentum rolling.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Just Backed Off A Fight With Major SEC Stakes
Texas A&M has chosen not to push back against the SECs new stance on former professional athletes, clearing the path for the Aggies to move on from Bryson Warren. Warren, who spent time in the G-League and never played college basketball, has entered the transfer portal after the conference ruled that players with a pro background like his are not eligible to compete in SEC basketball.
The bigger issue for Texas A&M was never just one roster spot, but the risk attached to standing its ground. The SECs penalties for schools that sign ineligible former pros are severe enough that the Aggies decided against challenging the conference, leaving Warren out of the picture and ending one potential test case before it could become a much larger fight. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M May Be Getting Back A Familiar Guard After All
Texas A&M may be in line to welcome back a familiar guard after all, with Rylan Griffen reportedly granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA and SEC that could open the door to an extra year of eligibility. Griffen has enrolled in classes at Texas A&M and, according to reports, intends to rejoin the basketball team for the 2026-27 season, giving the Aggies a possible boost from a player who already knows the program.
The timing is notable for a roster that just saw guard Bryson Warren depart, leaving a spot to be filled in the backcourt. Nothing is official yet, but Griffens situation adds another layer of intrigue to Texas A&Ms offseason planning, especially with the team trying to sort out its guard rotation and keep some continuity heading into the next chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&Ms New College Football 27 Ratings Send An Early Message
EA Sports College Football 27 has started rolling out its latest wave of player ratings, and Texas A&M is already giving fans a fresh talking point. The Aggies check in at 86 overall as a team, with wide receiver Mario Craver leading the way at 91 overall, a sign that the game sees him as one of the rosters clear headliners heading into the new cycle.
The updated player pool also brought in several newcomers for Texas A&M, including freshmen and sophomores Evan Jacobson and Caleb Tafua. Their initial ratings fall in the 74-to-77 range, which gives the Aggies a fairly solid baseline but also leaves room for a few younger pieces to make a bigger impression once the real season gets moving. [Read more 🡒]