Joel Klatt Shows Texas A&M Respect in Early Top 25 Rankings

One prominent college football analyst is higher on the Texas A&M Aggies than most.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt at the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With programs around the country wrapping up spring practice, we now have a much better idea of what teams will look like when the actual season rolls around this fall. As such, many pundits are releasing their updated top 25 rankings, and one of them is particularly high on the Texas A&M Aggies.

Joel Klatt, Fox Sports' lead college football analyst who also runs a self-titled podcast, ranked the Aggies at No. 19 in his post-spring top 25. Most other analysts seem to have the Aggies at the bottom of their rankings, if they're on it at all, so this is a pleasant surprise.

NEW: College Football Post-Spring Top 25 per @joelklatt👀https://t.co/45ihMeXrtL pic.twitter.com/C1MDgNDOcq

— On3 (@On3sports) May 5, 2025

"At 19, here's a team that I have been accused of 'hating' for a long time: Texas A&M," Klatt said on his podcast. "Some don't have them ranked, I have them ranked. Mike Elko is getting this program back on track, I really like Mike Elko a lot, I like his approach. I think that he fits there, which is important because that's a unique culture, it's a unique fanbase and there's something really special about that. I was fortunate enough to be an opponent at Kyle Field when I played at the University of Colorado, that's a special place, special fanbase.

"I loved their 7-1 start, we knew that it was going to get rough, I didn't think that we knew it was going to get as rough as it was, losing four of five down the stretch. But, you look at this team and their roster, Marcel Reed is coming back, he took over last year and I think he showed that he can be a dynamic player for them, in particular athletically. They're bringing back their entire offensive line..."

On offense, the Aggies have most of their key players returning along with a much-improved wide receiver room, so they could be dangerous on that side of the ball. They lost more on defense with three of their top defensive linemen being selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, but Elko' being the bright defensive mind that he is, should have them ready to play.

A&M's schedule will be rough this season as it faces Notre Dame, LSU and Texas - all of whom Klatt has in his top 10 - on the road. The Aggies will have to earn their respect, but they have the tools to pull it off.