Five Things Texas A&M Needs To Fix Before the 2026 Season Opener

The Texas A&M Aggies' 2026 season opener sits just over four months away as they prepare themselves to host the Missouri State Bears on September 5 to begin Mike Elko's third year in College Station.

Year two for the head coach saw much success for the Maroon and White as the team embarked on an 11-game winning streak before a loss to Texas in the regular season finale and then to Miami (FL) in the first round of the College Football Playoff brought a screeching halt to the team's national championship hopes.

With spring camp over, Elko and the rest of the coaching staff have put together a group that is sure to repeat their CFP appearance from last year, but some work still remains to be done.

What Needs to Be Done Before the Season Opener for Texas A&M

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks to throw the ball during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As spring camp comes to a close, here are some things that Elko and crew need to tidy up before Missouri State comes to town.

Establish Isaiah Horton As a WR1

Chances are, not many fans in College Station knew about the Aggies' newest tool from the Alabama Crimson Tide, but if they didn't before, they are sure to.

Horton caught 42 passes for 811 yards and eight touchdowns from Ty Simpson last year in Tuscaloosa with a Tide team that also found itself in a CFP run before losing out to the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers.

Horton's chemistry with quarterback Marcel Reed has been well documented throughout the spring, and it seemed like Horton never dropped a pass from any quarterback that threw him the ball, making it very clear that he could be on the same realm of WR1 that Mario Craver is for Texas A&M.

Get Players Healthy

Duh.

Football is a contact sport, and there is simply no way around injuries or trying to avoid them. With the number of notable names that did not take part in the spring game, particularly on the defense, it's clear that health and durability need to be a top priority.

Players such as Dezz Ricks, Bryce Anderson, and Tennessee transfer Rickey Gibson III were all out with injuries during the game, with the latter two likely still nursing injuries that they suffered during the 2025 season.

And we all saw what happened to Daymion Sanford during the spring game. Yikes.

Injuries have haunted a skilled A&M team in the past (2022, anybody?) and it would simply be a shame if the talent on the 2026 team had to go to waste.

Forcing Turnovers

Texas A&M Aggies safety Dalton Brooks (25) reacts after an interception during the second quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With the elite play of defenders like Cashius Howell and Taurean York for the Aggies in 2025, quarterbacks were being sacked left and right by the team, 43 times to be exact, the fourth highest in the nation.

However, in terms of all-out turnovers, the Aggies didn't have much to say for themselves, forcing only 11 fumbles and recovered seven (tied for 48th nationally) while only picking off three passes.

Luckily, defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill is already nipping this in the bud as he prepares to enter his first season leading the defense, simply saying that they "needed to work on that" in the offseason.

Let the Transfers Cook

Obviously, Horton will do what he does, but he is far from the only transfer that will serve as an asset to Elko and the Ags.

His Alabama teammate Wilkin Formby served as a brick wall at right guard for coach Kalen DeBoer, and Anto Saka, a transfer defensive end from Northwestern, even recorded a sack in the Maroon-White game this past weekend.

Safety Tawfiq Byard from Colorado also opened eyes during the spring and could very well be on the way to a strong safety role with the team.

Elevate Noah Mikhail

Linebacker Noah Mikhail saw a meek amount of playing time in 2025, mainly due in part to the immense amount of talent on the team at that point in time.

But now with many of that talent moving up to the NFL, and especially if Sanford is going to miss any time, perhaps it's time for Mike Elko to give the linebacker a chance at some more responsibility.

In the time that he was on the field last year, Mikhail tallied sixteen total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, including 1.5 in the game against the Longhorns.

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