Texas A&M Football Loses Another Defensive Lineman to Portal

Isaiah Raikes Heads to Portal after Three Years with Aggies

Another defensive lineman is headed from Texas A&M football to the portal, as Isaiah Raikes has entered his name as a graduate transfer. Raikes played in all twelve games this season, but only started in one.

Given that Raikes is 1) a defensive lineman and 2) from the Northeast, he fits the bill of the players who have been departing Texas A&M football to the portal. I would not be surprised if he joins Fadil Diggs up at Syracuse, now that Elijah Robinson is the defensive coordinator for the Orange.

Raikes, a former three star recruit, nevertheless saw time quickly as an Aggie. I'll always remember him chasing down an Alabama returner on a punt play, rumbling down the sideline at Kyle Field to knock the guy out of bounds. That should tell you some about his physical gifts and his hustle.

Despite those, however, he was never able to crack through into the starting lineup consistently. He was passed up a by a few different guys, but he was always there and contributing as a rotation player.

So where will the Aggies go next for the nose tackle position? Are they cooked in the middle of their defense now that Nolen and Raikes are looking around? I wouldn't be pronouncing that so hastily.

You may recall that the Aggies brought in a huge nose tackle in Samu Taumanpepe as part of their class last year. While big Samu didn't see the field much this year, I think he can be a huge piece of things going forward, as his mere presence on the field will wreck the middle of an offensive line. In addition, the Aggies still have a five star they haven't yet fully unleashed in Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy up front. Once Dindy comes into his own, he will be a monster—and we could see that as soon as the bowl game.