Texas A&M Football: Transfer Portal Madness – Pre-ESD Edition

The transfer portal action keeps chugging ahead, and the Texas A&M football program remains under scrutiny from all corners of the college football world.  Freshman cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew is the latest A&M player to enter the transfer portal, doing so last Friday.

Groves-Killebrew appeared in one game this past season, notching 2 tackles.  Even that was more than was expected in the preseason, as he entered the year coming off of a knee injury that most thought would keep him out for all of 2022.  Groves-Killebrew, from Kennesaw, GA, was originally committed to Georgia before flipping to Texas A&M on signing day last year.  Nick Williams was a big part of his recruitment, and with Williams’s departure, and no playing time promised (despite a lack of depth at the position), Groves-Killebrew evidently decided to take his talents elsewhere.

Groves-Killebrew is a talent you would’ve certainly liked to keep— he ranked just shy of the top 100 in the 247 composite rankings coming out of high school— but, especially coming off a knee injury and with the Aggies in the market for a starting corner from the transfer portal, playing time wasn’t guaranteed.  Just as I said when Smoke Bouie transferred, this departure merely underscores the need for depth at the corner position, as the Texas A&M football program is now left with only Tyreek Chappell, Bobby Taylor, and Deuce Harmon as scholarship players at the moment at corner.  Of course, Texas A&M football has 3 top-100 defensive backs inbound in the upcoming recruiting class in Jayvon Thomas, Dalton Brooks, and Bravion Rogers, but if the 2022 season has taught us anything, an overreliance on young talent without experience ahead of them is not a winning strategy.

Landing a starting-caliber corner from the transfer portal, even as a one-year rental, is imperative now for this program.  Former five-star Tony Grimes is the guy that fits that bill best for the Aggies, and all signs are pointing to Texas A&M football landing his services, and in pretty short order.

Grimes spent the weekend in College Station and has since cancelled his remaining visit to USC— something that has to make you feel good about the prospect of him ending up as a part of this Texas A&M football team next spring.  He would slot in nicely as a veteran presence across from Tyreek Chappell for the 2023 Aggies and would be a great add.

In addition, freshman all-American DB A.J. Haulcy looks like he’ll be making it to campus at the beginning of next month after a visit to Ole Miss, per Ryan Brauninger of Texags.  The Rebels are vying hard for his services but the Fort Bend Marshall product by way of New Mexico will give the Aggies a shot.  Haulcy played safety for the Lobos this past season, but he If you manage to land both Grimes and Haulcy, you’d feel much better about your prospects at defensive back headed into next season.

Speaking of positions of need for the Texas A&M football program, the Aggies remain in a good position for linebacker Mason Cobb, formerly of Oklahoma State.  Cobb was in town from Thursday to Saturday, and, by all accounts, the Aggies did a great job with his visit.  A&M will have to weather a USC visit, but Cobb would be another great addition at a position of dire need on the defense.

The Aggies also hosted a portal target at wide receiver this past weekend in Tre Harris (formerly of Louisiana Tech).  The depth (or lack thereof) is evident at that position, so getting this one over the finish line would be huge for A&M.  There hasn’t been as much A&M buzz around Charlotte WR Grant Dubose recently, and it seems like Auburn has gone all in there to land the big receiver.

To close with some good news regarding the Aggies and the transfer portal, rising senior LB Edgerrin Cooper has reaffirmed his commitment to sticking with the Aggies for his fourth year of college football.

There were some rumblings that LSU had been attempting to poach the Louisiana native from an Aggie linebacking corps that desperately needed to retain his services for the upcoming season.  It looks like the Aggies were able to weather that storm, and have come out the other side with a guy who, if he lives up to his athletic potential, could be poised to have an All-SEC type of season in 2023.  This is one A&M had to keep, and it looks like they were able to outfox LSU’s attempts to lure Cooper across the Sabine.  What exactly those attempts consisted of is anyone’s guess, though in the NIL era, and given the reputation of LSU boosters, certain possibilities seem more likely than others (though I do want to emphasize that this is all pure speculation).

With Early Signing Day coming up soon, there’s lots of action ahead for Texas A&M football in the short term.  We’ll have it all covered here at Gig ‘Em Gazette.