Texas A&M’s 2026 spring practice season officially begins on Friday afternoon, and for coach Mike Elko, his third season at the helm might be his most important after leading the Aggies to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, only to come up short at home against the eventual national runner-up Miami Hurricanes.
This offseason, after losing 20-plus players to the transfer portal and the 2026 NFL Draft, Elko and his revamped coaching staff added 17 transfer additions and 26 signees from the 2026 recruiting class, including four SEC starting offensive linemen, who will likely replace four O-line starters from the 2025 season.
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Among the offseason changes, Elko promoted five coaches to new positions, including new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, who, after two seasons as the program’s wide receiver coach, will now call plays for the first time in his career. While this change was rumored just weeks after the 2025 season ended, Elko’s steadfast trust in his coaching staff has never wavered and has mostly panned out.
On Tuesday, Elko, along with Holmon Wiggins and first-year defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, spoke to the media for the first time before the spring season begins, and for those unfamiliar with Wiggins’s background, his impressive resume, including several seasons serving as former Alabama coach Nick Saban’s assistant head coach, should help avoid significant issues as the playcaller.
“I’ve had the luxury of working hand-in-glove with some really good playcallers… We’re looking to build on what we’ve done really well. I’m a kid from South Central Los Angeles, so I coach with an edge and want us to play with an edge.”
After serving as Elko’s wide receiver coach the past two seasons, Wiggins will now call plays for starting quarterback Marcel Reed, who, after throwing for a career high 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns, still needs to become a more consistent and reliable pocket passer, and avoid forcing throws while continuing to utilize his legs.
This offseason, the Tennessee native has put it upon himself to fix these remaining issues while sticking to his natural athletic ability. Wiggins, who helped Reed take another step last season after landing elite transfer wide receivers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver, is confident that 2026 should be the signal caller’s best season yet.
“When you think about anything that you do, especially from a schematic standpoint, it’s about what we feel our guys do well. Everything will be centered around the quarterback.”
“Marcel has done an unbelievable job of trying to get better and take the next step in his development… We’re going to get a chance to move the pocket a little bit.”
Now paired with Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton, who provides more size to an already fast wide receiver room, the offensive line holding up is the only thing preventing Marcel Reed from playing at a Heisman-level every week.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M OC Holmon Wiggins praises QB Marcel Reed’s progress
