5 takeaways from Texas A&M's 2026 Maroon & White Game

Texas A&M's Maroon & White Game served as the final scrimmage of the spring season, sending the Aggie roster into the offseason with plenty of questions, but several answers after adding 17 players from the transfer portal, paired with 26 signees from the 2026 recruiting class. From the 2025 roster, redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed and junior star wide receiver Mario Craver lead the offense, while the departure of four of five starting offensive linemen will likely dictate how successful this unit will be, especially if Reed isn't given time in the pocket to take advantage of his deep receiver rotation. On defense, losing unanimous All-American edge Cashius Howell and defensive linemen Albert Regis and Tyler Onyedim may cause some early headaches, but third-year head coach Mike Elko is confident that the additions of transfer Anto Saka, CJ Sims, and Angelo McCullum will provide senior DJ Hicks plenty of talent to work with in the defensive trenches.

However, the early returns from Saturday's game are sadly marred by senior linebacker Daymion Sanford's lower-body injury suffered just moments before halftime, leading to Elko's post-game quote cofirming the injury, but did not go into specifics. Still, Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton reeled in a handful of of catches in tight coverage, and after last season's kicking woes, transfer kicker David Olano and freshman Asher Murray combined for a perfect 5-5 from the field. As we await more details regarding Sanford's injury status, here are five takeaways from Texas A&M's Maroon & White Game.

Texas A&M's new offensive line passed the first test It wasn't perfect, but from my vantage point, Texas A&M's offensive line, now featuring four or five new starters on both the Maroon and White teams, performed well in pass protection, allowing Marcel Reed and Brady Hart to read through the progressions, and making accurate throw for most of the afternoon. On the Maroon team, Lamont Rogers at left tackle, Tyler Thomas at left guard, Mark Nabou at center, Trovon Baugh at right guard, and Robert Bourdon at right tackle, looked like the potential starting unit in 2026, minus LSU transfer Tyree Adams and Alabama transfer Wilkins Formby, who are both expected to compete for starting jobs. However, much of the success came on the ground, opening big holes for running back Jamarion Morrow, which led to several explosive runs: "They have been great from the start.

When it comes to the run game, they are just moving people. It seems like they gel well. " If the starting O-line rotation can be above average in pass protection, but even better on the ground, Texas A&M's offensive attack under new OC Holmon Wiggins will be much more difficult to stop.