New Age-Based Legislation Could Have Massive Impact on Texas A&M Football

The future of Texas A&M football could be benefitted from a recent update to the NCAA’s eligibility model.

Texas A&M Aggies safety Marcus Ratcliffe gestures after defeating the UTSA Roadrunners at Kyle Field. | Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

The NCAA’s Division I Cabinet has reached a unanimous decision on a groundbreaking age-based eligibility model that will reshape college athletics.

Pressure has built from a bipartisan bill by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz, which is making its way through Congress. The NCAA has taken action to regulate its eligibility rules, a major point of contention over the last half-decade.

The new eligibility rules could have a massive impact on the Texas A&M Aggies football roster in 2027, as several players could be set to return to Aggieland.

How NCAA’s New Age-Based Eligibility Model Impacts Texas A&M

Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Daymion Sanford reacts with defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim after recovering a fumble against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of the first round game of the CFP at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The NCAA announced a unanimous vote approving a new age-based eligibility model. The decision is not final until the Division I Cabinet meeting concludes on Wednesday, June 24, but the expected changes have sweeping consequences.

Notably, the new model includes a five-year window of competition for student-athletes. The old model that included redshirts and medical waivers will be replaced, allowing athletes to have five years of eligibility in a five-year window that opens “upon initial full-time enrollment in college or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs earlier,” according to On3.

Athletes who completed their final season of eligibility by the spring of 2026 will not receive any additional eligibility. However, the new model would replace current eligibility rules, and those with remaining eligibility could earn a fifth season. Current athletes can apply whichever model suits them best.

For Texas A&M, this means several players could be eligible for the 2027 season who would have been ineligible under the previous model. This could specifically impact one key defensive player who will miss the start of the 2026 season.

Texas A&M Aggies defensive tackle DJ Hicks runs the ball after a strip sack during the fourth quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Texas A&M linebacker Daymion Sanford suffered an injury during the annual Maroon & White Game during the spring. His lower-body injury is expected to keep him sidelined at the start of the season, but his timeline for recovery is unclear.

Sanford is entering his senior year, his fourth season of college football, meaning he would be eligible to return to Texas A&M in 2027 under the new eligibility model. He is one of several Texas A&M seniors who could benefit from a fifth season.

While fifth-year seniors would not profit, fourth-year seniors could gain an extra year. This includes several starters on both sides of the ball.

Sanford is entering his fourth season. Several key defensive players are as well, including safeties Dalton Brooks and Marcus Ratcliffe, defensive linemen DJ Hicks and T.J. Searcy, linebacker Ray Coney and cornerbacks Bravion Rogers and Rickey Gibson III.

Other members of the Class of 2023 could receive a fifth season without the need for a redshirt. Offensive linemen Trovon Baugh and Wilkin Formby also fit the bill. Texas A&M could benefit from several veteran players returning in 2027.

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