Texas A&M Football Preview 2026: Can the Aggies Prove They're Still a CFP Power?

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Mike Elko got Texas A&M into the College Football Playoff.

Don't get into a twist over the gripping 10-3 loss to Miami in the first round, and okay, losing to Texas 27-17 with a spot in the SEC Championship on the line stunk, but …

Again, really, Mike Elko got Texas A&M into the College Football Playoff.

For a program with an almost impossible recent history of doing the least with the most, focus on the huge breakthrough step the Aggies just took.

Texas A&M Finally Broke Through. Now Comes the Hard Part.

You think this is a bit overdramatic?

The 2012 Johnny Manziel team went 11-2. That, the 1998 team that pulled off a stunning Big 12 Championship, and last season were the only three campaigns with double-digit wins in 31 years.

Elko took over a program that went 12-13 in the final two seasons of the Jimbo Fisher era.

Texas and Oklahoma were coming aboard in 2024, Georgia and Alabama were rocking and rolling, and it seemed like the Aggies would need a total overhaul to be players in the new SEC.

Instead, Elko – an elite defensive coordinator for years, including at Texas A&M, before becoming the head coach at Duke – put together a killer defensive front, found the right playmakers on offense, and it all clicked.

And now it's time to prove that it was all for real.

An SEC team going 11-2 with a road win over Notre Dame on the way to a spot in the CFP is amazing no matter what, but …

Texas A&M didn't play Georgia. It didn't play Alabama, Ole Miss, or Oklahoma, and, of course, it lost by double-digits to Texas.

This year's schedule is way nastier, the team is undergoing a wee bit of an overhaul, and none of that matters.

Power programs win no matter what, and that's the next step for Elko.

Back-to-back double-digit wins for the first time since Texas A&M was in the (sky point) Southwest Conference would be big, getting back to the College Football Playoff would be better, and making a deep run in the tournament would be exactly what Texas A&M football is supposed to do.

– 2026 Texas A&M Schedule Analysis

Texas A&M Quick Hits

• Head Coach: Mike Elko (3rd year at Texas A&M: 19-7; 5th year overall: 35-16)
• Best Case / Worst Case: Win the national championship/Miss the College Football Playoff and lose to Texas – again.
• Key Player: Marcel Reed, QB Jr.
• 2025 Record: 11-2
• Biggest Question: Can the Aggies replace the stars on the lines fast enough to be College Football Playoff good?

Texas A&M Key 2025 Stats

• Sacks: Texas A&M 43 for 327 yards, Opponents 19 for 111 yards
• Time of Possession: Texas A&M 32:30, Opponents 27:30
• Third Down Conversions: Texas A&M 71 for 172 (41%), Opponents 38 for 166 (23%)

Offense

It's up to offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins to take the attack up a few notches.

He has some key replacements to fit into the rotation at receiver, and the offensive line is all about the transfer portal – but there's no crying about the talent level across the starting 11.

With quarterback Marcel Reed back along with a deep backfield, the production will come.

The Aggies averaged 444 yards and 34 points per game, but after closing with rough outings against Texas and Miami, the pressure is on early.

What’s Working

Marcel Reed. The dynamic playmaking quarterback threw 12 interceptions and was a bit off late, but he threw for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for six scores.

Now a junior, he knows what he's doing. He has been through the wars, and he'll be among the SEC's best quarterbacks. Helped by Reed …

The ground game will have a wonderful rotation. Leading rusher Rueben Owens is back after tearing off over five yards per carry, with 639 yards and five scores.

Jamarion Morrow is a shifty, compact back who can handle more work, and Tiger Riden brings a bit more pop.

The receivers are there to be amazing. Leading receiver KC Concepcion is a Cleveland Brown, but the Aggies get back 59-catch veteran Mario Craver.

Big play sophomore Ashton Bethel-Roman is also back after averaging 21 yards per pop on his 24 catches, and coming in from Alabama is superstar transfer Isaiah Horton, with 112 career catches for over 1,300 yards and 14 scores.

What Needs Work

The offensive line has to jell immediately. If you're wondering where Texas A&M's transfer dollars went, look on the line.

The Aggies replaced four starters around veteran center Mark Nabou.

Tackles Tyree Adams (LSU) and Wilkin Formby (Alabama), and guards Coen Echols (LSU) and Trovon Bough (South Carolina) are all massive, but the front five has a giant standard to play up to.

A&M's line was among the best in the nation at preventing tackles for loss.

The downfield plays have to work. Reed has plenty of speedy receivers to hit the big plays, and he's not afraid to keep pushing his throw.

The Aggies couldn't do anything down the field in the losses to Miami and Texas, failing to average more than six yards per throw.

The only other time under Mike Elko's offense failed to hit six yards per pass was in the loss to Notre Dame in the 2024 opener.

There's nothing experience-wise behind Reed. The great starting quarterback isn't exactly built like Josh Allen. He's a thin 6-1 and 185 pounds, and he takes shots.

Brady Hart got in a few throws last year, but not enough to matter, and it's asking for too much for good recruit Helaman Casuga to be ready.

Player to Watch

Micah Riley, TE Sr.
Or Houston Thomas, or Richie Anderson. The Aggies like to use their tight ends, and 19-catch targets Theo Melin Ohrstrom (SMU) and Nate Boerkircher (Jacksonville Jaguars) are gone.

Riley is a 6-5, 257-pound former Auburn transfer who missed all of last year with a shoulder issue. He's got NFL-caliber skills.

Anderson (Fresno State) is a strong midrange target, and Thomas (UTSA) is a dangerous receiver.

Defense

Mike Elko's defenses are always going to be nasty, and this year's should be solid again after finishing second in the nation in sacks and tackles for loss behind Oklahoma.

Defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill has to replace big parts on the line, and several other key playmakers are gone, but the Aggies restocked the shelves in a hurry.

What’s Working

The linebackers will be fantastic. Top tackler Taurean York is done, but Daymion Sanford is a terrific all-around player on the outside.

Ray Coney is a slightly under-the-radar hitter from Tulsa who doesn't miss a thing.

The A&M safeties will be among the best in the SEC. The stars are back in the middle of the secondary. Marcus Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks combined for 127 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss last season.

On the way is Tawfiq Byard, a stat-sheet filler from Colorado coming off an 85-tackle, eight tackle for loss, one interception, four broken-up pass, two forced fumble season.

Third down conversions. Part pass rush, part brilliant coaching who knows how to do this, but the Aggies were good in Elko's first year, allowing teams to convert 35.5% of their third down tries,

A&M took things up several notches last season.

The Aggies were No. 1 in the nation by a mile, giving up third down conversions just 22.9% of the time – the best by anyone in over five years. Virginia was No. 2 at 28%.

What Needs Work

The Aggies have to find the pass rushers. The big pass rushers from last year might be done, but the shelves were restocked with Anto Saka (Northwestern) and Ryan Henderson (San Diego State).

They're good, but they're not quite the prospects and talent around College Station over the last few years.

Marco Jones and Sam M'Pemba got their feet wet last year, and they're about to be turned loose.

The defensive tackles will be good, but there's a big turnover. It doesn't help when you lose special defensive tackles to the NFL Draft, but the Aggies reload.

DJ Hicks is another next-level prospect who'll be a factor at one spot, and Angelo McCollom (Illinois) and CJ Mims (North Carolina) will be instant SEC stars.

The run defense was feast or famine. Arkansas ripped through the Aggies for well over eight yards per carry in the too-close 45-42 A&M win. Texas averaged 6.2 yards per pop and Miami 6.3 in the two Aggie losses.

In all, five teams averaged over six yards per carry, and the other seven were at 3.7 or fewer.

Player to Watch

Ray Coney, LB Sr.
It's easy for die-hard fans to get fired up over the transfers coming in from the Power Four schools, but Coney could end up being the team's best transfer. 

He's a 6-2, 240-pound missile who stepped up in his only year at Tulsa, making 129 tackles with two sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. He'll be a powerhouse in the middle linebacker gig.

Keys to the Season

• Keep the pass rush rolling with all the new parts.
• QB Marcel Reed needs to stay in one piece and be even sharper.
• Cut down on all of the penalties (94 last year).

Player Who Needs To Shine

Mark Nabou Jr., C Sr.
He wasn't a big-time recruit, but he turned into a factor right away, rising into a great-looking guard as a sophomore before missing almost all of 2024 hurt.

Last year he cemented himself as an anchor of a center, and now he's the lone returning starter as the leader of a reworked front line.

At 6-4 and 330 pounds, he's got the size to go along with the talent and experience.

Biggest Concern

Even for Texas A&M, there's a lot of lost talent.

The Aggie defense lost leading tackler Taurean York to the Denver Broncos and top pass rusher Cashius Howell (Cincinnati Bengals).

Tackles Albert Regis (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Tyler Onyedim (Denver Broncos) are gone, and top corner Will Lee (Carolina Panthers) will be missed.

The offense lost running back Le'Veon Moss (Miami Dolphins), star receiver KC Concepcion (Cleveland Browns), and four starters on the line to the NFL.

Biggest Game

Texas, November 28
Yeah, the rivalry thing matters, but Texas A&M has to get to the last game of the regular season with no more than two losses to make this showdown a part of the College Football Playoff puzzle.

And beating Texas for the first time since 2010 really, really matters, too. Even crazier, A&M hasn't beaten the Longhorns in College Station since 2007.

Transfer Portal

A&M did exactly what it was supposed to. It upgraded in some spots and addressed the needs with top players.

There might not be the flash and wow factor like last year's class when top receivers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver took over, but there's more overall star talent coming in for different positions.

Best Signing

Wilkin Formby, OT (Alabama)
There might be some higher-rated prospects coming in, but for what Texas A&M needed, getting a 6-7, 295-pound ready-to-go left tackle was a strategically key signing.

Biggest Loss

Theo Melin Ohrstrom, TE (SMU)
He's about to be a star for SMU.

The 6-6, 257-pound pass catcher from Sweden is just scratching the surface, coming up with 29 catches for 352 yards and three scores over the last two years for the Aggies.

He might get at least that in the first half of this season.

Other Names to Know

• Tyree Adams, OT (LSU)
• Angelo McCollom, DT (Illinois)
• Coen Echols, OG (LSU)

CFN Season Prediction

Texas A&M should be a bit worse than last season, and the schedule is far tougher – at least on paper – but at this point, nothing less than another trip to the College Football Playoff will do.

It'll require the lines to be up and rolling right away, and the depth and rotation will have to emerge quickly, but the Aggies don't have to face Notre Dame like it did to open up the 2024 season.

It does get Arizona State in Week 2, though, and the SEC season starts against Kentucky in Week 3. Missouri State – that's the tune-up.

CFN Prediction: 9-3

The five SEC road games are deal-breakers – LSU, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina (who's much better this year), and Oklahoma. 

On that alone, the ceiling might be an 8-4 campaign. Now throw in the home dates against ASU, UK, Tennessee, and Texas into the mix.

There's no Georgia or Ole Miss, but missing Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt is getting the short end of the SEC schedule stick.

But that shouldn't matter.

The true College Football Playoff powerhouses beat who's on the schedule – at least, it wins ten games and gets into the tournament – and Texas A&M can't turn back now.

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