Mario Craver Could Join Rare Texas A&M Company in 2026

The 2026-2027 season is less than a week away for Texas A&M football, and with it comes high-flying expectations for new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins to maintain a star-studded cast into a deep College Football Playoff push.

The former wide receivers coach of both A&M and Alabama, Wiggins has developed some of the NFL's biggest young stars like Devonta Smith and KC Concepcion, and now the Aggies' WR1 Mario Craver could be the latest on the list of college phenoms going off to the league with everyone on notice.

With that in mind, Craver is coming off a career year with 917 receiving yards and four touchdowns, but now as quarterback Marcel Reed's top target, it's time to consider that the Birmingham native could be chasing A&M record books with his projected reps. He's got a lot of football ahead of him, but could Craver match the legends of Mike Evans and Ryan Swope? Let's take a look.

What will it take to become Aggie royalty?

Mario Craver and KC Concepcion | Photo by Chris Swann/Texas A&M Athletics

A&M, known mostly for producing defensive legends like Myles Garrett, Von Miller and Ray Childress, has one of the most consistent wide receivers in NFL history in now-San Francisco 49ers Evans. A streak of 11 straight professional seasons of 1,000 yards began in College Station, where the Galveston product hauled in 69 passes for 1,394 yards in 2013, still an Aggie record.

The much younger Craver would require quite a jump in productivity to surpass the receiving king's single-season heroics, but entering the top 5 would only mean a handful more catches, as Josh Reynolds' 2016 campaign is the most recent 1,000-yard effort, with 1,039, good for fifth in A&M history.

From that point on, climbing the record books could become an easier task should the Aggies find themselves in a deep push for a College Football Playoff title run, as more games equal more opportunity for Craver. After Reynolds at fifth, 27 more yards put Craver tied with Jeff Fuller for fourth-most in team history. Add an extra 29, and Craver ties Evans's 2012 rookie campaign.

Being the featured target of one of the better quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference could propel Craver into Day 1 talks of the NFL Draft like his predecessor, Concepcion, a season ago and all it would take is just a little bit more production.

One of the Aggies' most consistent wide receivers of all time, Ryan Swope, who functioned as Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel's security blanket, could be passed with a 1,208-yard junior-year tear. While obviously easier said than done, the elusive speed and catch radius for Craver could make the dream happen with a long postseason.

Being the king of single-season touchdowns would require Craver to expand his 2025 production threefold, as Reynolds' 13-TD year in 2014 and 12-TD season in 2016 are first and second in team history, respectively. To enter the leaderboard tied at eight? Nine touchdowns would do the trick and pair him with his former teammate Concepcion.

In the world of an expanded playoff bracket, a record season would mean extra munitions for the Aggies in their quest for a title, and etching himself in A&M history might be the perfect opportunity to get Craver and his crew straight to the promised land.

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