Texas A&M has been cooking in the portal as of late. They just robbed LSU of their elite offensive tackle on Wednesday morning, and a few hours after that, landed on Anto Saka, one of the best edge rushers in the portal.
The former Northwestern Wildcat totaled 41 tackles, 12 tackles and three forced fumbles in his time with Northwestern, and comes to the Aggies in a desperate time when they need an answer for the loss of Cashius Howell.
The defense has remained strong and cohesive by sticking with Marcus Radcliffe and Dezz Ricks, while also acquiring Sako and Tawfiq Byard from Colorado. This has been an excellent week for A&M, and it adds on with Sako.
Former Northwestern EDGE Anto Saka commits to Texas A&M
Put simply, Saka was going to be a tough ask for anybody, as multiple teams had a shot at him, but once again, Elko wins. At 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, Saka is the angry demon that is going to haunt offensive linemen every weekend. Cashius Howell was two inches shorter, and that puts Saka at an advantage when it comes to pass deflections.
This is about the perfect replacement for Howell as it can get. According to Pro Football Focus, Sako earned an 82.5 pass rush grade and a 77.7 overall grade. No doubt, Sako can use the exposure of Texas A&M football to get his draft stock up.
Elko has already addressed the absence of Tyler Onyedim and Albert Regis, as both defensive tackles will be in the NFL Draft. Elko was able to jump on another former Colorado defender Brandon Davis-Swain. They need about one more DT to feel comfortable on that front, and it wouldn't hurt to get another reliable pass rusher.
Nonetheless, this is a great get for the Aggies. Sako will have an immediate impact from Week 1 and beyond.