Texas A&M’s safety room is stacked, and the biggest reason might be the names that don’t even make the headline list.
Marcus Ratcliffe and Tawfiq Byard are both sitting among the SEC’s highest-graded returning safeties, according to Pro Football Focus, and that’s a strong sign for a group that already looks like one of the Aggies’ best. Ratcliffe’s rise has been one of the cleaner success stories in Mike Elko’s first year in College Station.
He came in through the transfer portal and turned himself into one of the most trusted players on the roster, good enough to earn a captaincy this season. Byard, the Colorado transfer, flashed real physicality in the spring game and looks like he could bring another layer to the position.
What makes the picture even more interesting is that Dalton Brooks isn’t on that PFF list at all. That feels notable, because all signs point to him taking another step this year after spending his whole career at Texas A&M.
He’s also a first-time captain, which says plenty about where he stands in the locker room and how much confidence the staff has in him. If Brooks makes the jump people expect, the Aggies could end up with three safeties showing up on that kind of ranking before the season is over.
The PFF graphic on the top ten returning SEC safeties shows Texas A&M with two in the mix, and only Alabama has a more highly graded pair. That’s a pretty sharp indicator of how strong this unit can be, especially with true freshman Chance Collins also drawing attention in fall camp. The depth keeps building.
Last season, safety play was a major reason Texas A&M’s defense held up so well against the pass. The bigger problem was explosive runs, but downfield through the air, the Aggies were excellent. They consistently held opponents well below their usual passing efficiency, and only Florida and South Carolina managed to put together an average showing against them by that measure.
With Ratcliffe back, Brooks ready for a bigger role, Byard in the mix, Collins emerging, and Dezz Ricks returning, Texas A&M has a real chance to match or even top that standard. Under Lyle Hemphill, and with a deeper defensive line in front of them, this safety group has the look of one that could get even better as the 2026 season goes on.
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