OL Mark Nabou defied the odds as Texas A&M's 2022 class faded away

Before No. 23 Texas A&M takes on No. 10 LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, On3's Chris Low released a lengthy, well-researched piece detailing the Aggies' historic yet problematic 2022 recruiting class, assembled by former head coach Jimbo Fisher. On the 2026 roster, only two players from the 2022 cycle remain: senior center Mark Nabou and senior defensive back Bryce Anderson.

While Anderson serves as a rotational nickel in third-year coach Mike Elko's secondary, Mark Nabou has been the team's starting center for the last two seasons and entered the year as the only returning starter along the offensive line after four 2025 starters were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Nabou suffered an ACL tear just weeks before the 2024 season after being named starting center before Mike Elko's inaugural season, and while the Aggies managed his departure, Texas A&M's interior blocking struggled late in the season. Three games into his final season, Nabou's 75.5 run-blocking and 82.6 pass-protection grades, per Pro Football Focus, lead all offensive linemen on the roster.

Nabou's standing in the loaded 2022 recruiting class made him an underdog on paper, but as one of two players who stuck it out, kept his head down, and kept working, the Washington native made his 30th career start against the Tigers on Saturday night.

“My name wasn’t brought up much in that class, the only time it was is when people were wondering why they took this three-star prospect with all these four- and five-star prospects around me,” Nabou told Chris Low. “I was at the bottom. I was the underdog, kind of brushed off by everybody."

As Low notes, among the 28 signees, including nine five-star and nineteen four-star commits, Nabou is the only player from the class who is still starting for Texas A&M, as Bryce Anderson has yet to take the field this season. The Aggies' 2022 class is another example of how recruiting rankings and star status matter only to fans and some of us in the media.

“Time goes fast, especially when you’re playing in the SEC,” Nabou said. “I came in as part of this loaded class, and now there’s just two of us left. I’m just thankful that I’m still healthy, still playing ball and still have a chance to achieve my goals.”

Texas A&M's offensive line has been a roller coaster through three games, but has made progress under third-year OL coach Adam Cushing and will need to continue improving as a run-blocking unit against the Tigers on Saturday.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: OL Mark Nabou defied the odds as Texas A&M's 2022 class faded away