Two former Alabama players will walk back into Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday in different colors, but with plenty still familiar about the setting.
Wilkin Formby and Isaiah Horton both transferred to Texas A&M from Alabama during the offseason, and both are set to play major roles when the Aggies go to Tuscaloosa for one of the biggest games left on their schedule. The path that took each player to College Station looked different, but the destination is the same: Texas A&M now leans on their SEC experience in a game that could demand it.
Formby’s connection to Alabama runs deep. The offensive lineman grew up in Tuscaloosa, went to Northridge High School and followed a family line that included his grandfather, Rod Wilkin, who played for Paul "Bear" Bryant.
His college journey, though, took work. After redshirting in 2023, he went through a tough sophomore season before eventually locking down a starting role in 2025 and making 14 starts across Alabama’s offensive line.
"I never want to feel that feeling of letting my team down again," Formby told BamaCentral in 2025 while reflecting on his early struggles.
Even after becoming a dependable starter, Formby entered the transfer portal after the season and landed at Texas A&M. He pointed to his relationship with offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins and offensive line coach Adam Cushing’s track record for developing players as reasons for the move. He arrived expecting to play right tackle, but has since shifted inside to guard, where the Aggies will need him to help bring some steadiness to the offense against his old team.
Horton’s Alabama stint was shorter, but it came with real production. After starting his career at Miami, the 6-foot-4 receiver transferred to Alabama ahead of the 2025 season and immediately became one of the Crimson Tide’s more dangerous options. He finished with 42 catches for 511 yards and eight touchdowns, including three scores against Auburn.
"It's Alabama. It's the standard of college football," Horton told the Crimson Tide Sports Network in 2025 when discussing his decision to join the program.
When he left after that season, Horton headed to Texas A&M and reconnected with people he already knew. His bond with Wiggins went back to his high school recruitment, and his connection with quarterback Marcel Reed dates to seven-on-seven football they played together as kids in Tennessee.
"I believe in Marcel Reed," Horton said during an April media availability. "I believe in him with all my heart."
Through seven games with the Aggies, Horton has 20 receptions for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Texas A&M will need more from him and from the passing game as a whole against an Alabama defense that can create problems for quarterbacks.
The challenge gets steeper because Texas A&M has not won in Tuscaloosa since 2012. If that changes Saturday, both former Crimson Tide players figure to be right in the middle of it. Formby’s job is to help keep Reed clean and stabilize the line, while Horton gives the Aggies a target with plenty of familiarity with the people on the other side.
For both players, it’s a return to a place they once called home, only now they’re trying to beat the program they used to help.
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