Texas A&M’s final open practice before the 2026 season opener offered one of the more eye-catching clips from camp: redshirt freshman tight end Kiotti Armstrong going up to haul in a deep ball in traffic from starting quarterback Marcel Reed.
The Aggies’ 14th preseason practice was the last live look media members got before third-year coach Mike Elko and his staff start locking in the depth chart ahead of the Saturday, Sept. 5 opener against Missouri State. With less than two weeks to go, the roster picture is getting clearer, and Texas A&M’s secondary and wide receiver groups still stand out as the deepest units on the team.
That leaves the tight end room in an interesting spot. On paper, it is headed by senior Micah Riley, one of the program’s five team captains, and he is stepping into the role left behind by Nate Boerkircher, who led the group in receiving yards and touchdowns last season. Riley is expected to bring reliability as a blocker and should also take a step forward as a short- and intermediate-range target.
But with the Aggies’ receiver talent and depth, the tight ends do not have to be featured every week to matter. The name that keeps popping is Armstrong, whose 6-foot-5, 285-pound frame already makes him hard to miss. The report out of camp is that his receiving ability has taken a noticeable step, and that showed up again in the scrimmage clip released by Texas A&M’s media team.
The catch itself was a reminder of why Armstrong is worth watching. He worked through traffic, tracked the throw cleanly, and finished the play on a well-placed deep ball from Reed.
It is still just a snapshot, but one that fits the larger picture Texas A&M is trying to build. If Armstrong can become a dependable receiver and keep growing as an inline blocker, the Aggies’ 2026 passing game could become even tougher to handle, especially if new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins leans into Reed’s dual-threat ability and the offensive line comes together early.
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