Texas A&M is heading into fall camp with a few jobs still up for grabs, and for three players in particular, the next few weeks could go a long way toward defining their 2026 season.
With SEC Media Days wrapped up and the opening week of the season drawing closer, the Aggies are entering the stage where depth charts start to harden and rotations begin to take shape. For Mike Elko, fall camp is the last real chance to sort through what still needs cleaning up before Missouri State.
One of the biggest names under the microscope is junior wide receiver Terry Bussey. He arrived in College Station with serious hype, coming out of high school as a five-star prospect and the No. 1 athlete in the 2024 recruiting class by all the major recruiting outlets.
But two seasons in, the production still hasn’t matched the recruiting profile. Bussey has 35 catches for 411 yards and one touchdown across his first two years, and now he’s trying to carve out a bigger role in a receiver room that already features Mario Craver, incoming transfer Isaiah Horton and Ashton Bethel-Roman, who flashed in 2025.
He’s also fighting to stay in the mix in the return game.
The pressure is just as real in the backfield for sophomore Jamarion Morrow. Texas A&M’s running back room is being reshaped after the departures of Le'Veon Moss and EJ Smith, both key pieces in 2025.
Rueben Owens II is expected to take over as the likely starter, which leaves an opening for someone else to grab a major share of the workload. Morrow got his feet wet as a true freshman, finishing with 182 rushing yards, 4.2 yards per carry and a touchdown on 43 carries.
Now the door is open wider, and fall camp is his chance to force his way into one of the top spots in the rotation.
Then there’s linebacker Noah Mikhail, who suddenly finds himself with a real opportunity after Daymion Sanford went down with a fibula injury during Texas A&M’s Maroon vs. White spring game.
Sanford has made progress in rehab, but he’s still expected to miss a good chunk of the first half of the season. That puts Mikhail in line to compete for the starting job early on.
As a freshman, he played in 13 games and finished with 16 tackles, including six solo stops, along with 2.5 tackles for loss. Fall camp will be his chance to prove he can handle the role until Sanford is ready to return, and maybe even keep himself in the mix after that.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Is Closing In On Two Massive Legacy Recruiting Wins
Texas A&Ms 2027 class already has a new building block in four-star linebacker Mikahi Allen, and the staff is not slowing down with the class sitting at 27 commitments. The Aggies are still in the hunt for more headliners in the current cycle, including five-star targets Joshua Dobson and Landen Williams-Callis, with Williams-Callis set to make his decision on Aug. 1.
The more intriguing long game may be in 2028, where the program is leaning into its legacy pipeline. Four-star running back Ian Thomas and four-star wide receiver Dillon Mitchell have both shown interest in College Station, and Texas A&M is in position to make a strong case as those recruitments develop. Home games next season are expected to give the Aggies a chance to host that next wave, which only adds to the sense that the staff is already working several moves ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Faces Massive Recruiting Test As Elite Edge Nears Decision
Texas A&Ms 2027 class is already close to finished, but the next wave of recruiting is where the real pressure begins to build. The Aggies are tracking a 2028 group that already includes four-star quarterback Donald Tabron, and the bigger headline is the kind of edge talent they are chasing as they try to stay in the mix with national powers for blue-chip defenders.
One of the most important names on that board is five-star edge rusher Darieon Prescott, who is expected to make his decision soon after drawing serious attention from several top programs. For Texas A&M, this is the kind of recruitment that can shape the tone of an entire cycle, especially with a player of Prescotts caliber still weighing his options and outside projections beginning to take form. [Read more 🡒]
Daymion Sanford Just Gave Aggies Fans A Reason To Exhale
Daymion Sanfords spring setback came in the Maroon & White Game, when a lower-body injury forced the Texas A&M linebacker into surgery and an early stretch of patience. Since then, he has had to treat the recovery as as much a mental test as a physical one, leaning on the support of Mike Elko while waiting for his body to catch up with his ambition.
Now Sanford has moved past the walking boot and is running again, a small but meaningful sign for an Aggies defense that wants its depth intact before the season gets rolling. He also likes what he sees around him, pointing to a linebacker room that should be steady even before he is fully back, and singling out Illinois transfer Angelo McCullom as a name to keep in mind on the defensive side. [Read more 🡒]