Texas A&M’s 2025 football season ended with the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff at 11-2, as then second-year head coach Mike Elko led the Aggies to their best start since 1993 after cruising to 11-0, but back-to-back losses to Texas and Miami in the first round of the CFP simply wasn’t good enough heading into the 2026 offseason.
Yes, making it to the postseason for the first time was certainly an achievement, but Texas A&M’s position from an NIL standpoint demands better results, especially after Indiana won its first National Championship under veteran head coach Curt Cignetti after years of being the proverbial doormat of the Big Ten. After losing more than a dozen players to the 2026 NFL Draft, Elko and his staff landed 17 players from the transfer portal, led by Alabama star wide receiver Isaiah Horton and Northwestern edge rusher Anto Saka.
Advertisement
With starting quarterback Marcel Reed and ascending wide receiver Mario Craver leading the offense for the second consecutive year, plenty of questions surround the Aggies’ ability to get back to the CFP after losing five offensive linemen and several defensive starters to the NFL Draft, but combined with the 17 transfer additions, Texas A&M’s 2025 and 2026 signing class features a handful of young players who could earning key starting or rotational spots.
Among all 12 teams that made up the 2025-2026 College Football Playoff, Pro Football Focus writer Max Chadwick discussed the likelihood for every team’s chances of making it back to the CFP next season, stating that, with everything I listed above, it gives Texas A&M a “medium” chance to earn its way back to the tournament.
“There are certainly reasons to feel optimistic about Texas A&M’s chances of making it back to the playoff. Wide receiver Mario Craver is a rising star at the position and leading rusher Rueben Owens is back as well. The defense lost plenty of pieces, but head coach Mike Elko has proven to be an excellent coach on that side of the ball.
“The biggest question surrounds quarterback Marcel Reed and how he develops as a passer with a new offensive coordinator in Holmon Wiggins. He was only on target for 53% of his passes in 2025, which was just 124th in the FBS.”
Quarterback play will determine nearly every team’s chances of making it back to the postseason, and for Marcel Reed, new QB coach Joey Lynch, Holmon Wiggins, and new offensive assistant Drew Hollingshead will be the coaches who will either receive praise or blame for Reed’s performance in what could be his final season at the helm.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Pro Football Focus projects Texas A&M’s chances to returning to CFP
