Way-too-early top 25 for college football in 2026: 6 - Texas A&M
The Aggies closed last season on a 0-2 stretch, which led to a lot of fans and national media members forgetting just how dominant this year was for the Aggies overall. Texas A&M was number five in the nation in net success rate through all their games, dominating opponents all season long in the down to down business of playing football.
Where they were hurt most was in the big plays on defense, especially through the run game. Mike Elko and Lyle Hemphill were forced to play an extremely aggressive style due to their personnel in the middle of the defense, and that sometimes came back to bite them when a safety, linebacker, or defensive tackle missed a read.
The portal has remedied that, as the Aggies add several players to buttress that area of their team. They've also done extremely impressive work to bring in offensive linemen with SEC starting experience, alleviating the biggest concern about this team for 2026.
If Marcel Reed can take another step forward, transfers like Isaiah Horton pan out, and the young players like Marco Jones develop in 2026, this is an Aggie team that will once more challenge for the SEC title next year. Mike Elko looks already like he's the real deal for the Aggies, but next season will be a true test of that inference.