Texas A&M’s defensive front has taken plenty of heat through the first three games, and Saturday’s 31-21 home loss to Kentucky only turned up the pressure. The Wildcats pushed the Aggies around on the ground, topping 150 rushing yards, with Texas transfer running back CJ Baxter doing most of the damage at 87 yards and two touchdowns. On the tape, the story looked even rougher than it did live.
Yet amid the mess up front, sophomore defensive tackle Landon Rink has quietly been one of Texas A&M’s most dependable defenders. Outside of senior DL DJ Hicks and senior cornerback Dezz Ricks, who has allowed just one reception in three games, Rink has stood out as one of the most consistent pieces on the defense. Pro Football Focus had him graded as the Aggies’ top defender against Kentucky, with an 81.3 defensive grade, a 79.5 run-defense mark and a 73.2 tackling grade.
That kind of performance matters because it’s not showing up in big numbers. Rink has only five tackles this season and nine tackles in 2025, but his value has been in the work he’s doing snap after snap against the run.
In SEC play, that kind of presence is hard to ignore. Size, strength and athleticism matter on the defensive line, but so does physicality, and Rink has shown enough of that to look like a starter-level player in his second season.
He played 17 snaps against Kentucky, and that workload may not be enough anymore. Based on how the Aggies have looked up front, it might be time for coach Mike Elko and DC Lyle Hemphill to lean harder on the younger group.
Rink was credited with three tackles and three stops against Kentucky, and he earned his snaps by providing plus play on every rep. With LSU coming to Baton Rouge this weekend, there’s a good chance that number rises, especially if the regular starters come out slow again. Freshman DL Bryce Perry-Wright could also see more action if the same issues show up early.
In Other News...
Mario Craver Sends Clear Message As Texas A&M Faces LSU Test
Mario Cravers message this week was pretty straightforward: Texas A&M needs to clean up its offense and get back to executing at a higher level as LSU looms. The wide receiver spoke about the Aggies recent struggles and injuries, and he made it clear that the group cannot afford to let those issues snowball if it wants to stay on track in SEC play.
Craver also pointed to the importance of confidence for the younger players now being asked to handle bigger roles, which adds another layer to an already demanding matchup. LSUs defense brings the kind of physical test that can expose hesitation, and Texas A&M will need more than just effort to deal with it. For an offense trying to settle in, this feels like one of those games where every clean rep matters. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Got Stuck With An LSU Road Problem Again
Texas A&M is heading back to Baton Rouge for another matchup with LSU, and this time it is the SECs new scheduling format that set up the repeat trip. With the league moving to a nine-game conference schedule and dropping divisions, each team was assigned three permanent opponents, and LSU is one of Texas A&Ms fixed cross-division rivals.
For the Aggies, the result is a familiar inconvenience: another road game against one of the SECs toughest environments in consecutive seasons. It is the kind of schedule quirk that can matter over time, especially when a team keeps finding itself on the wrong side of the rotation and trying to handle the kind of test that comes with playing LSU away from home. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Faces A Big Offensive Question Ahead Of LSU
Texas A&Ms Week 4 depth chart delivered one of the biggest hints yet about how the Aggies will have to reshape their offense heading into a tough road trip to LSU. The matchup lands Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC, and the timing is not ideal for a team still sorting out what comes next after a key injury.
Terry Bussey will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after getting hurt against Kentucky, leaving Texas A&M with a clear absence to manage at receiver. The Aggies now have to build around that loss on a short week, and the depth chart is the first public sign of how theyre planning to adjust before one of the SECs most demanding stages. [Read more 🡒]