With minutes to go until kickoff, reports are emerging that Texas A&M will be without two players who were thought to be healthy coming into the game. Colorado safety transfer Tawfiq Byard and true freshman receiver Madden Williams are not dressed out for the game against Missouri State, subtracting some depth from the Aggies headed into a game where they were likely to get down to the second or third string.
Wide receiver Madden Williams and safety Tawfiq Byard are not dressed out for A&M’s season-opener.
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 5, 2026
Williams is a bit down the depth chart for Texas A&M, with players like Isaiah Horton and Aaron Gregory both ahead of him. He’s a larger, x-receiver type, which both Horton and Gregory also are, so he would likely not have gotten snaps until late in the game.
Byard was set to see a little bit more time. There had been a lot of excitement around him in the preseason, and fans were ready to see his physicality on full display for this game. He’s one of the hardest-hitting defensive backs on the roster, which is always an exciting things for fans to see.
Texas A&M set to miss S Tawfiq Byard and WR Madden Williams against Missouri State
Byard was not listed as a starter for the Aggies on the recently-released depth chart, what with Dalton Brooks and Marcus Ratcliffe ahead of him, but he was heavily in the rotation, without a doubt. Fans will have to wait to see his debut at least one week, however, and his health will be a question for Mike Elko in postgame.
Of course, this means the Aggies will get a look at players like Chance Collins, a true freshman who has been getting a lot of buzz at the safety position in camp. Hopefully, what he’s been doing on the practice field and in scrimmages will translate to the snaps he gets tonight.
Hopefully, both of these are mostly precautionary— if the Aggies had any doubt about possibly reinjuring anything, it’s smart to hold them out of this game. Ideally, this is all the injury news fans get with regard to this game— the Aggies’ best result tonight would be a clean bill of health along with a win.
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