Texas A&M’s tight end room has a clear headliner heading into 2026, but Houston Thomas is the name that jumps out if you’re looking for production already on the roster.
Micah Riley, the former Auburn transfer, is set to lead the group as a senior. He’s one of five team captains and is expected to take another step as a receiver while continuing to do the dirty work as a blocker. Texas A&M is counting on him to fill the kind of dependable role Nate Boerkircher handled in his lone season in College Station before he was selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Aggies’ new offensive coordinator, Holmon Wiggins, should lean on 11 personnel based on his background coaching wide receivers at Alabama and Texas A&M. Even so, this won’t be an air raid. Wiggins has made it clear he wants to get the run game going early, and that means the tight ends will have to matter in more than one way.
That’s where Riley, Thomas, Richie Anderson and redshirt freshman Kiotti Armstrong come in. The group will be asked to handle the tough catches in the seam and also serve as lead blockers in the run game. Texas A&M has a deep receiver room, with Mario Craver front and center and Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton now in the mix, but the tight ends still have a real role in how this offense wants to function.
Thomas, in particular, brings a track record that stands out. He enters his final college season with the fifth-most receiving yards ever by a tight end, sitting at 916. Last season, he caught 34 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns, and he looked like a natural receiving option during the Maroon & White Game this spring.
At 6-foot-5 and nearly 250 pounds, Thomas also brings size that fits the job. His final season at UTSA came with a 68.3 receiving grade and a 67.5 pass-blocking grade, though his run-blocking grade was 46.5. When Marcel Reed is in shotgun and looking to throw, Thomas looks like the kind of tight end who should be on the field, giving Reed another target in the middle of the field.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Backfield Battle Has A New Threat Fans Will Notice
Texas A&Ms backfield is shaping up as one of the more interesting position battles of the fall, with Mike Elko pointing to Rueben Owens and Jamarion Morrow as the main names in the mix for the starting job. The Aggies need more steadiness on the ground after last seasons run game lost its rhythm when LeVeon Moss went down, and that makes this competition about more than just finding a lead runner.
A freshman with big recruiting buzz is also pushing to get into the conversation, giving the room another layer of intrigue as camp approaches. If he keeps trending the way the staff expects, Texas A&M could have a third option who changes the shape of the rotation and forces the coaches to make a tougher call than they might have anticipated a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A Worry It Couldn't Afford At Linebacker
Daymion Sanfords rise last season gave Texas A&M a much-needed boost at linebacker, with the former reserve turning into a real playmaker in the middle of the defense. He started 10 of 13 games and finished with 57 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception, production that made him look like a fixture going forward rather than a question mark.
Now the Aggies have a problem they did not want to face this soon. Sanfords spot alongside Ray Coney is suddenly open, and while Texas A&M has time to sort through options, losing a linebacker who had just established himself changes the feel of the room and puts added pressure on the next man up to seize the job. [Read more 🡒]
Former Aggie Nnamdi Madubuike Just Reached A Huge Career Turning Point
Former Aggie Nnamdi Madubuike is moving back into football work after a neck injury wiped out his 2025 season and sent him through a lengthy recovery process. The Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman had surgery in April, and his path back has now reached another important checkpoint as he works to rejoin the game he left behind last year.
The Ravens have already signaled they will handle his return carefully, placing him on the Physically Unable to Perform list for the 2026 season so he can ramp up gradually. For Texas A&M fans, it is the kind of update that matters beyond the NFL standings, because Madubuike has become one of the programs notable pro success stories and his comeback will be watched closely in Baltimore and College Station alike. [Read more 🡒]