Texas A&M’s 2026 offseason is in full swing, as third-year coach Mike Elko and his coaching staff will look to take a revamped roster, now including 17 transfer portal additions and 26 signees from the 2026 recruiting class, back to the postseason after leading the Aggies to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.
From a continuity standpoint, Elko returns a solid 65% of his 2025 roster, including starting quarterback Marcel Reed, who enters his second full starting season and has his own national championship hopes. Nationally, Texas A&M is seen as a 10 to 11-win team with CFP potential, while any hope of getting past the first round after losing to Miami last season hinges on Marcel Reed taking the proverbial “next step” as a pocket passer.
On Monday, USA TODAY’s Blake Toppemeyer included the Aggies as one of his college football “sleepers” who could contend for a national title this fall, coming in with 15-1 odds to make, and win the title game, per Bet MGM. Reed’s improved play is the catalyst, while his new wide receiver rotation, led by Mario Craver, and now including Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton, who brings much-needed size at 6’4″.
“If you have a quarterback, you have a chance. Texas A&M has one who totaled more than 3,600 yards through the air or on the ground last season. Marcel Reed’s task as a fourth-year player is to limit his interceptions and elevate his performance against top opponents. He struggled in losses to Texas and Miami. He’ll like throwing to a premier group of wide receivers. As Reed told me earlier this spring, the weapons around him “are crazy good.”
Alongside Reed’s quest for more consistency, the key to a postseason run could be how well Texas A&M holds up at the lines of scrimmage. It used portal plunders to rebuild the offensive and defensive lines.”
Texas A&M will replace four starters along the offensive line, as third-year O-line coach Adam Cushing hopes that four transfer portal additions from the SEC, who all started for their respective previous teams, quickly gel and allow Marcel Reed enough time in the pocket to find his playmakers.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: USA TODAY lists Texas A&M among 5 CFB national title ‘sleepers’
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire | USA TODAY Network
