Texas A&M’s 2026 offseason is already built around one big question: can Mike Elko’s Aggies turn last year’s breakthrough into something even bigger?
Elko is heading into his third season, and he’s doing it with a reshaped roster that includes 17 transfer portal additions and 26 signees from the 2026 recruiting class. The Aggies are coming off a trip to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, and the expectation now is to push beyond simply getting there.
A big part of that belief starts with continuity. Texas A&M returns 65% of its 2025 roster, and that group includes starting quarterback Marcel Reed, who is entering his second full season as the starter and carrying his own national championship hopes. Nationally, the Aggies are being viewed as a 10- to 11-win team with CFP potential, though the real test is whether Reed can take the proverbial “next step” as a pocket passer after Texas A&M’s first-round loss to Miami last season.
That view got a boost Monday when USA TODAY’s Blake Toppemeyer listed the Aggies among his college football “sleepers” with a shot to contend for a national title this fall. Bet MGM has Texas A&M at 15-1 odds to make, and win the title game. Reed’s growth is the centerpiece of that case, and so is a revamped receiving corps led by Mario Craver and now joined by Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton, who brings size at 6'4".
“If you have a quarterback, you have a chance. Texas A&M has one who totaled more than 3,600 yards through the air or on the ground last season.
Marcel Reed’s task as a fourth-year player is to limit his interceptions and elevate his performance against top opponents. He struggled in losses to Texas and Miami.
He'll like throwing to a premier group of wide receivers. As Reed told me earlier this spring, the weapons around him “are crazy good.”
The other major piece of the puzzle is trench play. Texas A&M used the portal to rebuild both lines, and the offensive line in particular will have a new look. The Aggies are replacing four starters up front, and third-year offensive line coach Adam Cushing is counting on four transfer additions from the SEC, each of whom started for their previous team, to come together quickly and give Reed the protection he needs to operate in the pocket.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Faces Late Pressure In Another Massive 2027 Battle
Texas A&Ms recruiting push in the 2027 class keeps picking up speed, and the Aggies have already added some needed momentum at receiver with Damani Warren and Eric McFarland. That gives the staff a little more breathing room as it keeps pressing on major defensive targets, especially with five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson nearing a decision and the race tightening at the top.
The more immediate optimism may be coming from linebacker Mikahi Allen, who is trending toward the Aggies ahead of his July 11 commitment date despite Syracuse staying in the mix. If that holds, Texas A&M could be lining up another key piece for the future defense, but the bigger question is whether the staff can finish the week with the sort of blue-chip win that changes the tone of the entire recruiting board. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&Ms New OC Just Got A Surprising SEC Label
Collin Kleins departure for Kansas State left Texas A&M with an immediate question on offense, and the Aggies answered it by promoting wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins to coordinator. Wiggins is not starting from scratch, either. He worked as co-offensive coordinator under Klein and is expected to keep much of the same structure in place while giving the Aggies a slightly different feel.
That continuity helped Wiggins land in a respectable spot in Athlons preseason SEC coordinator rankings, where he checked in at No. 15. It is a reminder that Texas A&M is not trying to reinvent its offense after Kleins exit so much as preserve the parts that worked, with Wiggins now tasked with nudging the unit toward a heavier emphasis on the run while keeping the overall scheme intact. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Awaits Huge In-State Recruiting Decision From Versatile Playmaker
Texas A&M has spent plenty of time chasing versatile pieces in the state of Texas, and Jaiden Fields fits the mold. The three-star athlete from Hutto High School has drawn attention for doing damage on both sides of the ball, lining up at safety and wide receiver while giving evaluators a look at how easily he can move around the field. Mike Elko and Holmon Wiggins see the kind of potential that can matter in more than one phase of the game, which is part of what has made Fields such an intriguing target for the Aggies.
The waiting now is the part Texas A&M fans know all too well. Fields is set to make his commitment decision on July 7, and the Aggies remain among the programs in the mix as they try to land another in-state playmaker who could grow into a piece with multiple uses. For a staff looking to keep adding athletic, flexible talent, this is one of those decisions that could ripple beyond just one position group. [Read more 🡒]