Texas A&M Aggies LB Duo Recognized Among Best in the State

The Texas A&M Aggies have a promising linebacker duo despite losing a pair of star linebackers to the NFL draft.

Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Daymion Sanford breaks up a pass intended for Florida Gators tight end Amir Jackson during the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Taurean York and Scooby Williams have been staples for Texas A&M’s defense under head coach Mike Elko. Heading into Year 3 of his return to College Station, Texas, he will be without both linebackers.

Fortunately, Daymion Sanford stepped up in the middle of the Aggies’ defense during Williams’ absence in 2025, showing promise for 2026 as a senior.

Paired with transfer portal addition Ray Coney, the Aggies could have another strong linebacking duo this season.

Aggies’ New LB Duo Rank in Top 5 in Texas

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney returns a punt and is tackled by Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Daymion Sanford during the first half of the first round game of the CFP at Kyle Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

According to a recent article from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, a pair of Texas A&M linebackers ranked inside the top five returning players in the state of Texas. Mike Craven ranked the top 10 linebackers in the state, with Sanford ranking fifth and Coney third.

Texas A&M was one of three programs with multiple linebackers in the top 10, joined by Texas and Texas Tech. The Red Raiders boasted No. 1 and No. 4, while Texas had players ranked No. 2 and No. 6.

Sanford is returning to College Station after a season where he started 10 games, including in the College Football Playoff. He recorded a career-high PFF grade of 70.6 and personal bests of 57 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

He enters his senior season as the Aggies’ expected full-time starter, alongside Coney, who was an exciting addition from Tulsa. With the Golden Hurricane, he was named to the American’s all-conference team in 2025 as a junior.

East Carolina Pirates quarterback Katin Houser throws the ball against Tulsa Golden Hurricane linebacker Ray Coney during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. | James Guillory-Imagn Images

Coney started his career at East Tennessee State, where he spent two seasons and was named a Freshman All-American by Phil Steele in 2023. In 2025, he recorded 129 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Additionally, his PFF defensive grade of 87.6 was 10th nationally and second in the AAC among players with at least 100 defensive snaps last season. This was accompanied by a conference-best 86.9 run-defense grade and a grade above 70 in coverage and pass rush.

“Ray Coney was a kid that — we wanted to get one older, experienced linebacker. I thought that was critical,” Elko said during a press conference on Feb. 16. “A kid who's been really, really productive at Tulsa, has been a dominant player in that league, I felt like had the skill set that projected to kind of make this jump and be a successful player.”

Elko also mentioned that he was excited for the team’s depth at linebacker and had high expectations for returning players like Noah Mikhail and Jordan Lockhart.

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

“It’s a really unique dynamic that you have that at a lot of these positions,” Elko said. “You have these young guys that, you bring them guys in here and put them on the stage and they're going to tell you, ‘I'm not sitting behind anybody.’ You've got these older guys who've started a lot of college football games that have certainly come here to win starting jobs.”

“I think that's going to create a really, really competitive environment, and I think that's really good.”

The Aggies are replacing plenty of talented players, setting an NFL Scouting Combine record for participants from the same school. Elko has proven he has an eye for talent, and he and his staff have developed well. Linebacker will be a position to watch as Elko and defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill build the linebacking core to compete in the SEC.