Texas A&M’s roster overhaul has put the Aggies in a strong spot heading into 2026, and 247Sports’ latest Talent Composite rankings reflect it. Chris Hummer slotted Texas A&M at No. 7 nationally, a placement that underscores just how much high-end talent Mike Elko has assembled in College Station.
That talent pool looks different after a busy offseason. Elko and his staff brought in 17 transfer portal additions, folded in the 2026 signing class, and got 65% of the 2025 roster back. The group is headlined by redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed, who returns as the face of the offense.
On the other side of the ball, Elko’s approach stayed true to form. Even after a record 10 players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, the plan to stockpile size and depth on the defensive line and in the secondary never changed.
Texas A&M still expects major 2025 defensive contributors back, including safeties Dalton Brooks and Marcus Ratcliffe, cornerbacks Dezz Ricks and Julio Humphrey, and defensive linemen DJ Hicks and T.J. Searcy.
All of them are viewed as 2026 starters.
The draft losses were heavy, especially with four starting offensive linemen heading to the NFL. Elko had already braced for that outcome, saying his offseason premonition was that “10 to 12” players would be selected, and he attacked the portal early by landing four SEC starting offensive linemen.
Texas A&M also had to replace KC Concepcion, who went 24th overall to the Cleveland Browns. Elko and new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins answered that need by adding 6'4" Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton, giving the Aggies more size at receiver alongside junior Mario Craver. The running back room, meanwhile, is deeper than many expected.
Looking ahead, Texas A&M’s future roster picture is only getting more loaded. The Aggies are set to have the No. 1-ranked 2027 recruiting class, which only adds to the pressure on Elko to push the program toward its first national title since 1939.
Hummer’s ranking comes with a simple benchmark for the elite teams at the top. As he wrote:
"Each of those teams featured at least one former five-star recruit and had an average player rating - using their high school recruiting rank - of at least 89, which equates to a high-level three-star. Even if you include Indiana in the data, the average national champion since 2015 had an average player rating of 91.5."
Georgia, Oregon, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, LSU, USC and Michigan rounded out the top 10.
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