A Key Depth Piece is Returning to Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Aggies will be bringing back one of their players from this season's roster next year.

Texas A&M Aggies guard Jacari Lane, forward Chris McDermott and forward Zach Clemence celebrate with the students after the win over Mississippi State Bulldogs. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Texas A&M Aggies have gone right to work in the offseason, looking to build on year one under head coach Bucky McMillan. The Aggies wrapped McMillan's inaugural season in College Station with some upside, ending with a 22-12 record and with an NCAA Tournament victory.

The Aggies have been busy in the transfer portal as McMillan looks to add to his roster ahead of his second season on the job. McMillan has already brought in Kansas State transfer guard PJ Haggerty and continues to work the transfer portal, looking to add players to his 2026-27 roster.

While a lot of roster construction in this day and age of college basketball resides in the transfer portal, player retention is still a key piece to building a sustainable program. And the Aggies have worked in that department, bring back a player from this past season.

Chris McDermott Set to Return Next Season

East Texas A&M guard Evan Phelps looks to pass the ball as Texas A&M Aggies forward Chris McDermott defends. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

On Monday, TexAgs' Luke Evangelist reported that sophomore forward Chris McDermott will return to College Station and McMillan's squad for his junior season. As he heads into the 2026-27 season, the six-foot-seven, 228-pound forward has two years of college eligibility remaining.

This past season, the forward found a minimal role as he saw time in only 17 contests, where he averaged only 2.4 minutes per game. In the small minutes he did see, McDermott averaged about a point while shooting 75 percent from the field per game to go along with about a rebound per game.

McDermott's biggest scoring night came against East Texas A&M, where he scored four points in four minutes as he shot 2-2 from the field and brought down two rebounds. The most minutes the forward saw came against the UCF Knights, where he saw action in 10 minutes, as he recorded just a lone rebound.

Standing out about the forward is that he will be the only player on the Aggies' 2026-27 roster who was part of the Buzz Williams era in College Station. McDermott chose to stay with the Aggies after the coaching change from Williams to McMillan, after being recruited to College Station by the former Aggie head coach.

In his freshman season, and the only one he played under Williams, the forward made seven appearances as he averaged 1.3 points per game. The forward shot 37.5 percent from the field to go along with 2.1 rebounds as he averaged 6.4 minutes per game.

As a prospect a part of the 2024 recruiting class and a product of Booker T. Washington in Houston, TX, McDermott was rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports. The forward ranked as the No. 32 player at his position and the No. 9 player out of the Lone Star State in the 2024 cycle.

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