It’s early June, and entering Texas A&M coach Mike Elko’s third season at the helm, the Aggies are poised to make another run to the College Football Playoff, but after a record ten players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Aggies enter the summer under the radar, but impressed most national analysts after the annual Maroon & White Game showed a veteran team with plenty of depth and star-level talent.
Among the 17 offseason transfer additions, former Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Horton and Northwestern transfer edge Anto Saka will replace key losses after star WR KC Concepcion and unanimous All-American edge Cashius Howell were selected in the first and second rounds in late April.
Still, nothing compares to the return of quarterback Marcel Reed, who, going into his third season and second as the full-time starter, threw for a career high 3,169 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions last season, but struggled in back-to-back losses to Texas and Miami in the first round of the CFP after turning the ball over a combined four times.
Working with new OC Holmon Wiggins and QB coach Joey Lynch this summer, Reed will need to improve his footwork, accuracy, ball placement, and overall decision-making, especially against tougher competition for the Aggies to have a legitimate shot at making it back to the postseason.
However, after losing four starting offensive linemen to the NFL, four former SEC starters have entered the fold, competing with several players from the 2025 signing class for starting roles. If this new group holds up, Marcel Reed has zero excuses, given the elite talent at wide receiver and a deep running back room behind him.
So, looking at the Aggies’ 2026 schedule, road tests against LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, and Oklahoma will likely dictate the program’s postseason hopes, and while many, including myself believe that Texas A&M’s first loss could come at the hands of LSU, CFB Home released its early projections for Elko’s squad, predicting a 10-2 (7-2 SEC) finish with consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Texas.
If the Aggies do indeed start the season at 10-0, they’re likely guaranteed a playoff spot, but losing to Texas for the third straight season isn’t just embarrassing from a rivalry standpoint; it won’t give the A&M fan base much confidence heading into the playoffs.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: CFB analyst provides intriguing prediction for Texas A&M’s 2026 season
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire | USA TODAY Network
