It’s no secret at this point in time that the 2026 season has been one to forget for the Texas A&M Aggies football team, as a bowl game is starting to look like a hit-or-miss option for the squad this year.
Following their most recent loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Aggies now sit at 4-4 on the year, an even .500, with all four of those losses coming against their fellow SEC opponents.
The team as a whole has seen a massive regression from the College Football Playoff team that graced College Station last year, but there is still plenty of ball left to play, and there is also time for a few specific personnel on the team to show what they’re capable of, starting with a transfer defensive lineman that has been quiet since coming over to Aggieland this year.
DE Anto Saka
Saka arrived to College Station after a tenure with the Northwestern Wildcats to fill the void left by Cashius Howell being drafted into the NFL, and he has yet to make the same noise in the SEC that he was making in the Big 10.
Up to this point, Saka has notched 10 total tackles, two going for loss, and 0.5 sacks, the latter stat pretty far behind the pace he was putting on with the Wildcats.
Despite the slow start to his play, as well as his limited snap count against Alabama this past weekend, Saka has shown the ability to generate consistent pressure and disruption on quarterbacks, and if he can shed blocks and get to the quarterback quicker, his production will eventually mirror that of what Howell gave A&M last year.
WR Mario Craver
Part of Craver’s subtle contribution to the team this year can be chalked up to injuries, but at the end of the day, he was expected to be an All-SEC selection, and even when healthy, he hasn’t always been what the 12th Man has come to know him as in his second year at A&M.
The junior has recorded 30 catches for 286 yards and three touchdowns, which included an 11-catch, 119-yard effort against the Kentucky Widcats that has made up the majority of his production this year.
Last week against Alabama saw Craver score his first touchdown in conference play this year, which could be signs of an upward progression in the latter half of the season, and if he can stay healthy and productive, it would be his best bet of returning to form.
QB Marcel Reed
The clearest case in this regard.
Last year, there was no doubt that Texas A&M was Marcel Reed’s team, and that statement couldn’t be any farther from the truth in the 2026 season.
An equal number of touchdown passes and interceptions, an awful passer rating, need we go on?
There’s not much we can say that hasn’t been said already, but nevertheless, Mike Elko still has Reed as the QB1 on the depth chart, and given the head coach’s stubbornness, all Reed can do is take advantage of the opportunity and try to return to his form from last year.
But if the struggles continue any longer, it could be Brady Hart’s time to shine and for Reed to maybe start looking at other options to use his remaning year of eligibility at after this season.
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