Texas A&M basketball is just around the corner, and the Aggies' full roster is beginning to fully take shape for Bucky McMillan and this staff. The head man for the Ags has a transfer-heavy team for the second-straight season, but he has a much more solid foundation to build on than he did last year.
Key among those transfers is guard Jordan Pope, who— improbably— came over from the Texas Longhorns following a late decision regarding eligibility after last season. Sean Miller has said multiple times how much he wished he could have Pope back on the team, and he certainly played a large role in the Longhorns' victory over the Aggies late last year, so this is a significant add.
However, up until now, there has been a bit of an elephant in the room regarding Pope's eligibility, given how many years he has already played in college. That has now been resolved, thankfully, and the former Longhorn guard is now officially authorized to suit up in the maroon and white this year.
Texas A&M guard Jordan Pope eligible following preliminary injunction ruling
BREAKING:
— Luke Evangelist (@lukeevangelist_) October 20, 2026
Jordan Pope’s preliminary injunction has been GRANTED by a California judge 👍
Pope now has longer-term protection as the courts continue to side with the 5th years in Glancey vs. NCAA (Premium): https://t.co/KKR1UToQTm pic.twitter.com/218KkUn8dM
Pope had received a temporary restraining order against the NCAA previously, but this preliminary injunction means that he is going to be eligible for the entire season, given that it is a more permanent form of injunctive relief than the TRO. There will be another hearing for permanent injunctive relief, but the stakes for that hearing regarding the Texas A&M basketball team are none, since Pope will have already played the season at that point— and even if the NCAA won, judges routinely disallow any consequences for cooperating with previous injunctive relief, so the Aggies couldn't be punished.
Pope brings SEC experience, ball-handling, and a considerable shooting pedigree to the Aggies' backcourt. He, along with Kansas State transfer PJ Haggerty, can help out Bucky Ball quite a bit when it comes to generating offense, and he has the ability to be a dog on the defensive end of the floor as well.
Believe it or not, Pope is not the first player on this Texas A&M basketball team that is a transfer from the Longhorns— big man Jamie Vinson, who was one of the best pure centers on this team last season, came over from Austin previously. Hopefully, Pope, like Vinson, excels in his matchups against his former team.
Pope's injunction is the penultimate domino to fall for this Texas A&M basketball team to be fully eligible— now, all the Aggies are waiting on is Rylan Griffen's case to be decided. Griffen has already been granted a TRO, but he will be considered for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA in a hearing on October 28, according to Luke Evangelist of TexAgs.
That would be the final piece to what is shaping up to be a really intimidating backcourt for the Aggies. If Pope, Haggerty, and Griffen are all able to go this year for the Aggies, we could see the ceiling of Bucky Ball begin to skyrocket far sooner than any Texas A&M fan anticipated.
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