Texas A&M’s 2025 season ended at the hands of a Miami team that could be crowned the national champion on Monday night, but that doesn’t mean the Aggies should feel any better about losing to a team that looked like the lesser opponent in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
However, due to one of the windiest days of the year in College Station, the Aggies had their chances to capitalize in the red zone for touchdowns, but starting quarterback Marcel Reed’s struggles in the pocket, combined with a non-existent run game, led to just three points off a chip-shot field goal from senior kicker Randy Bond.
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Losing 10-3 after Marcel Reed’s red zone interception during the Aggies’ attempt to tie the game and force overtime, head coach Mike Elko did not place blame on Reed, whose accuracy issues were likely affected by the strong winds, but did focus on fixing the run game, which starts in the trenches.
This month, Elko and his staff have landed 17 commitments from the transfer portal, including four offensive linemen after losing five starters in the trenches to the 2026 NFL Draft, while the rest of the additions include five defensive linemen, two linebackers, two defensive backs, two tight ends, wide receiver Isaiah Horton, and kicker David Olano.
While the Aggies may add more players, looking ahead to next season is simply a fun exercise for most, especially the national media, who are already making record predictions a little over seven months from the 2026 campaign.
No one knows how each transfer addition will pan out for any team, but after finishing 11-2 and making the CFP for the first time in program history, Mike Elko’s third season could be his best despite the new nine-game SEC schedule, knowing that Marcel Reed, despite his late season struggles, as two seasons of experience under his belt, and will be working with one of the best wide receivers corps in the country.
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Defensively, A&M’s pass rush, which will look to replace unanimous All-American Cashius Howell with a combination of sophomore edge Marco Jones and transfer edge rushers Anto Saka and Ryan Henderson, while the run defense, which was a significant issue in both losses, should vastly improve with transfer defensive linemen CJ Mims and Angelo McCullom now on the roster.
Texas A&M’s secondary looks like the defense’s strength with senior cornerbacks Dezz Ricks and Julio Humphrey returning, while Tennessee transfer CB Rickey Gibson, who was injured last season, could end up being one of the program’s most important players once conference play begins.
So, with road games against LSU, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma, are the Aggies poised to match their 2025 record, or fall back to the 8-4 threshold that has kept them from CFP contention in years past? According to SEC Unfiltered hosts Chris Phillips and Cole Thompson, Texas A&M will finish 8-4, and if I had to guess, two of those losses will be against Oklahoma and Texas.
We have a long way to go, folks, so debate as you please.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: SEC Unfiltered predicts Texas A&M football will finish 8-4 in 2026
