Texas A&M ranked below 'elite tier' in CBS Sports' SEC power rankings
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Texas A&M’s 2026 spring season welcomed 17 transfer portal additions, paired with 25 of 26 signees from the 2026 recruiting class. After losing 20-plus players this offseason, including a record ten players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, coach Mike Elko enters his third season with plenty of expectations, while the Aggies are still under the radar, which is the perfect spot after making the College Football Playoff last season.
Led by redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed, who returns for his second full starting season, Texas A&M’s offense took another step last season, while the Tennessee native threw for a career-high 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns, but his 12 interceptions and poor play in losses to Texas and Miami in the CFP have not led to his national status improving.
After losing four starting offensive linemen, O-line coach Adam Cushing will have his work cut out for him, but after landing four SEC starters, paired with extensive depth from the 2025 signing class, this group could be a work in progress, but already looks improved in run blocking after opening up plenty of holes during the Maroon & White Game.
On defense, the additions of Northwestern transfer edge Anto Saka, defensive tackle CJ Mims, and Colorado transfer safety Tawfiq Byard provide Elko and new defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill with experience at key positions who, on paper, look like improvements in several areas.
This offseason, the Aggies have been ranked as high as 8th or as low as 11th in nearly every preseason top 25, and after releasing his post-spring rankings, CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford’s fresh power rankings placed Texas A&M at No. 5 after the spring season, as Crawford noted that, if it wasn’t for four new starting offensive linemen, the Aggies would have been in the “elite tier.”
“Four new starters along the offensive line keep the Aggies outside the elite tier. Yes, Marcel Reed returns at quarterback alongside Mario Craver, Terry Bussey and Ashton Bethel-Roman at wide receiver, but this rebuilt group of portal blockers must gel quickly to keep Texas A&M in contender status.
The Aggies should again field one of the SEC’s nastiest defensive fronts despite losing All-American Cashius Howell. Sophomore Marco Jones is poised for a breakout season as Howell’s replacement alongside Northwestern transfer Anto Saka at edge. Paired with returning talent like DJ Hicks and T.J. Searcy, the newcomers entering Mike Elko’s scheme give Texas A&M a weekly advantage few teams nationally can match when healthy.
Despite last season’s playoff appearance and 11-0 start, the Aggies are not carrying overwhelming national title pressure. Instead, this feels like a well-constructed roster with playoff upside if the offense continues evolving around Reed.”
Crawford hit the nail on the head regarding the Aggies’ underrated status compared to the likes of Texas, LSU, Georgia, and Ole Miss, who carry plenty of pressure to not just make the CFP, but win a national title, especially for a Longhorn offense that features quarterback Arch Manning and Auburn transfer WR Cam Coleman.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M ranked 5th in CBS Sports’ post-spring SEC power rankings
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