Texas A&M football's kicking situation was nothing short of horrendous to end the season in 2025, which in large part led to the Aggies' loss to the Miami Hurricanes in Kyle Field last month. Had Texas A&M been able to convert on a few field goals against the Canes, or had better range, they may have pulled out a low-scoring win.
The Aggies need to remedy that immediately. Randy Bond and Jared Zirkel are both out the door, but even if they were sticking around, there needs to be some changes in the kicking game to remedy those issues we all saw late in the season.
That's where the transfer portal can really help the Aggies. They're bringing in a highly-regarded freshman in Asher Murray, but rather than pinning all their hopes on him, the Aggies can add a true weapon via the transfer ranks— and one from the Big 10 may just be the man for the job.
Texas A&M must pursue Illinois's K David Olano via transfer portal
Longtime Illinois kicker David Olano announced yesterday that he would be entering the transfer portal, and the reaction from Illini fans was pretty interesting, to say the least.
Thanks for the memories David.
— Barstool Illini (@BarstoolILL) January 1, 2026
Have fun in College Station. https://t.co/ujguhDyyiy
Olano is a real weapon for the Illini as a very accurate kicker. He was 20 for 23 last season and is 82 for 83 on extra points in his career. His career long is from 50 yards out, which is a range that the Aggies would not have been even able to consider this past season.
Whether it's Olano or someone else, the Aggies need to figure out a solution to the kicking issues they've been facing over the past couple of years. Randy Bond was big in moments, like in the Notre Dame game, but Texas A&M needs consistency in that aspect of their game.
That Illini fans immediately think that Olano is headed to College Station is quite interesting, of course. Maybe they're onto something, or maybe they're just blowing smoke. The portal is about to get pretty crazy, so we'll see soon enough.