Mike Elko is cooking with the Texas A&M secondary to start the 2026 calendar year. After snatching former Colorado safety Tawfiq Byard in the portal, Texas A&M cornerback Dezz Ricks just announced that he's coming back to College Station.
Ricks made his decision to On3 Sports on Monday, and gave a message that A&M fans will love to hear.
Texas A&M CB Dezz Ricks has re-signed with the Aggies and will return in 2026, he tells @On3Sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 5, 2026
“Let’s run it back 12th Man, Gig ‘Em!”https://t.co/zrnqxC1GA3 pic.twitter.com/vLJctY3yMq
The Aggies also brought back Marcus Ratcliffe, which makes this secondary look solid on paper for next season.
Texas A&M CB Dezz Ricks announces he's returning to play for the Aggies in 2026
Mike Elko has had quite the weekend on both sides of the ball, getting two tight ends, a kicker, and one of the best safeties in the portal. Byard was the leading tackler for the Buffaloes in the 2025 season, and Ricks quietly turned himself into a lockdown cornerback at the beginning of the season.
With Will Lee III and Bryce Anderson going their separate ways, there were definitely questions about how the secondary would look. It didn't take long for Elko to come up with answers, and Texas A&M fans are pumped.
Now this is HUGE news. Dezz Ricks was one of the most underrated CB’s in the SEC last season and will enter 2026 as one of the best returning CB’s in the SEC.
— Aggie Sports 365 (@365Aggie) January 5, 2026
He joins Ratcliffe as confirmed returners in the secondary. The A&M secondary has a chance to be quite good. https://t.co/01uG1y1k9Q
TexAgs Executive Editor Billy Liucci makes a great point about Elko maintaining the core that builds a strong foundation. Marcel Reed's announcement to stay at Texas A&M wasn't too much of a surprise, but getting back the more important players is being emphasized here in Elko's short tenure.
"Just like last year, Elko and the Aggies are getting it done in terms of retaining many of the most important players on the current roster. Starting cornerback Dezz Ricks is the latest example. No one will bat 1.000 here, but A&M has done very well in this department."Billy Liucci
There's still more news to come in the portal, but make no mistake, this is a huge win for the Aggies, and their secondary is almost set in stone for 2026.