Texas A&M players, DC speak to the media after fourth spring practice
Here is what Texas A&M players and defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill said after the Aggies' fourth spring practice session.
Texas A&M wrapped up another practice session on the gridiron on Thursday, as the Aggies prepare for another campaign under head coach Mike Elko in 2026. After starting 2025 with an 11-0 record for the first time since 1992 and capturing its first College Football Playoff birth, Texas A&M is looking to take another step forward in 2026. To do so, especially with the first year of a nine-game SEC schedule, it will take returning stars like wide receiver Mario Craver to explode for the Aggies.
Craver, who transferred from Mississippi State to Texas A&M before the start of last season, ranked second on the team behind KC Concepcion with 917 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his first year in Bryan-College Station. The junior from Birmingham, Ala. , enters 2026 as one of the most highly touted wideouts in college football and will be an integral piece of the Aggie offense, with quarterback Marcel Reed returning for his third year in the Maroon and White.
On the defensive unit, the departure of Cashius Howell, Albert Regis, and many more to the NFL will have a significant impact on production, leaving the success in the trenches up to players like T. J. Searcy.
The senior from Thomaston, Georgia, spent two years with the Florida Gators before transferring to Texas A&M in 2025. At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Searcy could be the Aggies' next game-changing end. Here are some quotes from Craver, Searcy and first-year defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, following the conclusion of Texas A&M's fourth spring practice: Craver gives his definition of leadership Mario Craver on his definition of leadership: pic.