These 5 Texas A&M Defensive Players Could Have Big Spring Football Camps

With basketball reaching its conclusion and baseball conference play now in full swing, some attention now begins to shift to the Maroon and White's football team, hoping to repeat the success that the team saw during a majority of last regular season.

After the 11-2 campaign that saw an early exit from the College Football Playoff at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes, head coach Mike Elko made major changes to his coaching staff, which included promoting defensive assistant Lyle Hemphill to defensive coordinator, replacing a departing Jay Bateman who took up defensive coordinating duties with the Kentucky Wildcats.

And though the Aggies are losing crucial pieces of their defense to the NFL draft such as edge rusher Cashius Howell, Taurean York and Will Lee III, there are still plenty of returning players as well as new Aggies looking to make names for themselves in College Station.

5 Potential Stars For Texas A&M in Spring Football Camp

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko looks on prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

As we sit a little over five months away from the first game fo the season, here are some potential breakout stars for Elko and Hemphill as spring camp kicks off.

Marco Jones, DE

Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Marco Jones (10) lines up during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Jones, a sophomore out of Dublin, California, showed a lot of promise during his freshman year with the Aggies in 2025, recording 21 total tackles and 2.5 tackles while he took a back seat in the edge rushing game with the tear that Cashius Howell went on last year.

The edge's spurts of production, though, showed that he was capable of making big time plays in big time situations, such as the five tackles he recorded against LSU or the sack he nabbed in Fayetteville against Arkansas.

With Howell at the higher level now, expect Jones to be more prominent in the depth chart.

TJ Searcy, DE

Another edge rusher that could catch fans' attention is senior TJ Searcy, who was also a crucial part in the win over LSU with his 1.5 sacks in the game.

Searcy, a transfer last year from the Florida Gators, recorded 31 total tackles, with 6.5 of them going for loss of yardage during a campaign that saw him record more reps as the season went on, putting him in prime position for a stellar campaign in the 2026 season.

Brandon Arrington, CB

Will Lee's departure in the secondary should be relieved by Texas A&M's five-star recruit out of Mount Miguel High School in San Diego, Brandon Arrington.

His track background gives him the edge in speed, and should allow him to lock down any receiver that comes his way, and with how highly touted he was during his recruitment process, A&M truly secured a gem with the true freshman.

Dezz Ricks, CB

Texas A&M Aggies cornerback Dezz Ricks (2) looks on during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Ricks may be somewhat of a household name at this point, about to enter his third year with Texas A&M after transferring from the Alabama Crimson Tide before the 2024 season, but he has yet to turn into that lockdown corner that Mike Elko is likely expecting him to be.

Ricks did show improvement in 2025, breaking up six passes and allowing a lot less deep ball completions from the opposition as opposed to his 2024 campaign, and with another full camp under Elko and Lyle Hemphill, Ricks could see his NFL draft stock rise as he goes through 2026.

CJ Mims, DT

Now on his third school after transferring from the North Carolina Tar Heels, Mims comes over to the Lone Star State, where he should serve as a notable option to replace Albert Regis' role in the defensive line after he declared for the draft.

In a disappointing 2025 season for the Tar Heels, their first under legendary head coach Bill Belichick, Mims was a silver lining on the defensive front, with 42 total tackles and two sacks as well as a forced fumble.

Not to mention, Hemphill's coaching style focuses largely on creating turnovers, so we could see those forced fumble numbers rise as Mims adjusts to the way things roll in College Station.

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