Texas A&M may have finally found the kind of kicker that changes how a coach thinks in tight games.
That was the point Landon Rink was making when he said, "You know the Avengers meme where they say, 'we have a Hulk?' Well, we have David Olano."
Rink’s line landed because Olano has backed it up. The senior Illinois transfer was money from 57 and 50 yards in Texas A&M’s 34-7 win over Arkansas last Saturday, and he had already drilled a 53-yarder in the Aggies’ loss to LSU in Baton Rouge. Through the first stretch of the 2026 season, he has given Texas A&M something it had been chasing for a while: real confidence in the kicking game.
The numbers tell the story cleanly. Olano is seven-for-seven on field goals to open the season, the best start for an Aggie since Seth Small went six-for-six to begin his freshman year in 2018. His 57-yard make against Arkansas also stands as the longest field goal made by a Texas A&M kicker this century.
For Mike Elko and the special teams staff, that kind of range is a big deal. Texas A&M spent much of the 2025 season alternating between Randy Bond and Jared Zirkel, without getting the steady production the team wanted. Olano has changed the feel of that unit almost immediately.
That matters most when games tighten up. A kicker with this kind of range can shorten the distance Marcel Reed has to cover on a potential tying or winning drive. It also gives Elko more freedom to take the points instead of rolling the dice on fourth down deep in opponent territory.
Last season, Zirkel had kicks blocked in both of Texas A&M’s late losses, against Texas and in the College Football Playoff against Miami, and both attempts came from near the red zone. With Olano, the Aggies may be more comfortable asking for a kick from farther out and trusting it to split the uprights.
Texas A&M heads to No. 14 Missouri on Saturday.
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