Following a list of CFB's best players by Pro Football Focus, ESPN came out with its own, and it favors the Aggies way more.
Cashius Howell, Mario Craver and KC Concepcion all made it on, and it further proves Mike Elko made the right move by giving Marcel Reed some valuable weapons to work with, and it paid off. Speaking of Reed, he did not crack the list, but A&M fans aren't surprised at this point. But even some of Reed's biggest fans will admit he fell flat in the Miami game, and he needs to work on his accuracy.
Craver was No. 87, while Concepcion made it to No. 21, and Howell finished as the tenth-best player in college football.
Mario Craver, KC Concepcion and Cashius Howell make ESPN's list of best CFB players
The Notre Dame performance for Craver was the game that put him in the national spotlight, and he became an instant household name with A&M fans. As Bill Connelly of ESPN says, he came through as a lone light at times.
"A perfect complement to KC Concepcion out of the slot, Craver was at his best at the start and end of the season. He charged out of the gate with 20 catches for 443 yards in his first three games, peaking with an incredible 207-yard performance in A&M's thrilling win over Notre Dame. And in A&M's season-ending loss to Miami, as gusty winds made passing almost impossible, he caught seven balls for 92 yards, including a 59-yarder in the second quarter, to give the Aggies a shot."Bill Connelly
About Concepcion, Connelly adds that even at his limited size, it didn't let him limit his skills one bit.
"In one of his first touches as an Aggie, Concepcion returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown. The versatile NC State transfer was vital in A&M's 11-0 start, scoring 12 total touchdowns and producing a couple of his biggest performances -- seven catches for 113 yards against Auburn, seven for 158 against South Carolina -- in tight wins. He was dangerous as a deep-ball threat, and he was dangerous on screen passes. The 5-foot-11 speedster could do it all."Bill Connelly
Howell, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was one of the best pass rushers in college football. Thanks to that, he looks to be a late first-round pick on most draft boards.
"Howell became one of the nation's best pass rushers at A&M in 2025. He recorded at least one sack in over half his games and at least six pressures in three different SEC games. When he wasn't getting to the quarterback, he was getting his hands up: He batted down five passes, including three in the comeback win over South Carolina."Bill Connelly
All three of these players were game wreckers, but it's the transfer portal that allowed this to happen. A lot of people still don't like players moving from place to place, which many can understand. But Elko has taken advantage, and he's not stopping anytime soon.