Texas A&M Football: Tyreek Chappell Returning From Portal for One Last Run?

Texas A&M Football Could See Tyreek Chappell Return; Three-Year CB Starter Previously Entered Portal

The secondary for Texas A&M football, though having been almost completely reworked through the portal efforts of Mike Elko and company, could see an unexpected boost here soon. Tyreek Chappell, who entered the transfer portal back on December 6, could be eyeing a return to the Aggies.

Chappell was a three-star out of high school up in Philadelphia. He was an undersized prospect at only about 5'11", but even so, he began to start not long into his freshman year opposite Jaylon Jones. Many Aggies considered him a diamond in the rough prospect, as his cover skills and willingness to tackle were undeniable.

His 2021 and 2022 were both solid years—he projected excellently as a freshman and maintained that level of play in 2022, though not progressing much. There was a bit of a regression this past year, as the entirety of the Aggie pass defense was subpar, and he was no exception.

Following the year, he entered the portal, as previously mentioned. Being from the northeast, I assumed that his relationship with Elijah Robinson was a huge reason for coming to College Station, and that he may either follow Robinson or find some landing spot closer to home.

As things stand, though, Chappell has yet to declare a destination, with the drop/add deadline fast approaching at every school in the country. The deadline for NFL draft declaration has also passed, so he is not bound for the pros, either. Those facts, along with the tweet below from his father, have been the cause of speculation recently.

From what I can tell, Chappell is still enrolled at Texas A&M. Though there has been no official announcement, there is enough smoke here on message boards and from insiders that I have come to believe that Chappell will attempt to make a return to the Texas A&M football team.

If #7 does return to the Aggies, he will be looking at a far different CB room than the one that he departed. His aforementioned skills in coverage are hard to deny, and would rank up there with the best players at the position for the Aggies, but the depth and level of competition has ratcheted up several notches over the past month or so.

That said, Chappell's addition would be nothing but a positive for the Aggies. He would bring skill and experience to the room; even if he doesn't start, he would be able to push the other players to a higher level by his presence. I find it hard to believe that, absent some sort of grade or injury issue, he would not be a contributor for Texas A&M football if he is on the roster this fall.