Texas A&M vs Samford takeaways: Future is bright
The youth movement, especially on defense, was quite obvious against the Bulldogs. We pointed out some of the young players who really popped in that game, and the grades from Pro Football Focus have borne out the high level of play from those youngsters:
Texas A&M's highest graded defensive players by category against Samford, per PFF (minimum 10 snaps):
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) November 23, 2025
▪️Defense: Landon Rink (88.0)
▪️Run Defense: Landon Rink (89.7)
▪️Tackling: Myles Davis (83.7)
▪️Pressure: Dealyn Evans (65.5)
▪️Coverage: Noah Mikhail (73.6) pic.twitter.com/jMvaOE6mgD
It's pretty notable that every single one of these categories was led for the entire game by a true or redshirt freshman. This doesn't even mention that Marco Jones, no. 10 on the defensive line, led the team in tackles and is really beginning to round into form as the dominant pass-rusher we've been promised.
The 2025 class in particular is really showing that they've got some big time players ready to make a name for themselves in the maroon and white. Noah Mikhail, Landon Rink, and Marco Jones will all be names to watch closely going forward.
The offense has something to say as well, as WR TK Norman is another player who showed his stuff, if only briefly. QB Brady Hart looked great in relief as well (while Miles O'Neill struggled a bit). True freshman OL Tyler Thomas, a late and underrated pickup, received the highest grade on the team for run-blocking.