SEC Unfiltered predicts Texas A&M football’s 2026 season

Texas A&M’s 2026 preseason kicked off on Wednesday evening, as coach Mike Elko’s third season at the helm is expected to be his toughest, given the new 9-game SEC schedule that features road tests vs. LSU, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma before hosting the Texas Longhorns to end the regular season.

On paper, Elko returns 65% of his 2025 roster, while adding 17 players from the transfer portal and nearly 30 signees from the 2026 recruiting class, which, according to senior tight end Micah Riley, is the “most talented” group of newcomers he’s been around since arriving in College Station. The combination of talent and experience trumps at least half of the other 15 teams in SEC play, resulting in the Aggies being ranked 8th in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.

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On Thursday, Texas A&M‘s 9-3 prediction train has yet to make an unannounced stop, as SEC Unfiltered host Chris Phillips believes the Aggies will not just lose to the Texas Longhorns for the third straight season, but also fall to Alabama and Oklahoma on the road.

Returning for his second full starting season, quarterback Marcel Reed already proved that he isn’t just a dual-threat running option after passing for a career-high 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, while his 12 interceptions, including 8 against top-32-ranked defenses, have been the primary focus this offseason, centered around avoiding “mental mistakes” and avoiding forced throws, while running the ball much more efficiently.

After losing unanimous All-American Edge Cashius Howell, who led the SEC with 11.5 sacks and nearly 40 pressures during his final season, Elko and his defensive line staff are hoping that Northwestern transfer Edge Anto Saka fills the gap and lives up to his NFL potential after being underutilized during his last two seasons with the Wildcats. Paired with what Elko has described as an “SEC-level secondary,” Texas A&M’s defense shouldn’t lose a step.

Predicting that A&M will once again falter at the end of the regular season after falling to Texas, and Miami in the first round of the CFP last season is based more on a lack of confidence that Marcel Reed won’t improve, even though his new wide receiver rotation, now featuring Alabama transfer WR Isaiah Horton, is by far the most talented, NFL-level receiving corps in program history.