Aggies lose star guard Chase Bisontis to NFL Draft. The O-line faces a major rebuild, needing new talent to fill four starting spots.
Texas A&M fans knew change was coming up front in 2026. They just didn't expect the dominoes to fall this fast.
Junior left guard Chase Bisontis officially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, confirming what scouts around the league have quietly believed for months ... his tape says Sunday-ready, and his body agrees. At 6-5, 315 pounds, Bisontis leaves College Station after three seasons as one of the Aggies' most dependable and versatile offensive linemen.
For Texas A&M, this isn't just another early draft departure. It's the fourth starting offensive lineman they'll replace next season, forcing head coach Mike Elko and offensive line coach Adam Cushing into a full-on rebuild in the trenches.
Bisontis' journey in Aggieland has been anything but linear.
A New Jersey native, he chose Texas A&M over Rutgers in the 2023 class and was immediately thrown into the fire. As a true freshman, he started at right tackle during Jimbo Fisher's final season, and that's not exactly the gentlest introduction to SEC football. Yet he held his own, earning respect inside the locker room for his toughness and adaptability.
When Elko arrived, the vision for Bisontis sharpened. Cushing slid him inside to left guard, and the results were immediate. Over three seasons, Bisontis logged 1,962 career snaps, including 795 at left guard in 2025, becoming a tone-setter for an offense that leaned heavily on physicality.
NFL scouts now view him as a plug-and-play interior lineman, capable of starting at either guard spot early in his pro career.
Pro Football Focus graded Bisontis at 70.7 in pass protection and 62.7 as a run blocker, numbers that may not scream dominance in a vacuum, but look far better when contextualized against SEC competition.
Guards facing top-10 defensive fronts every Saturday rarely post clean sheets.
From a roster-building standpoint, Elko clearly saw this coming. Over the past three days, Texas A&M secured transfer commitments from LSU guard Coen Echols and South Carolina guard Trovon Baugh, injecting SEC-tested size and experience into the interior line. That timing doesn't feel accidental; it feels like preparation.
There's also a broader lesson here for fans as elite offensive linemen don't wait around anymore. Since 2020, more than 60 percent of SEC linemen drafted in the top four rounds declared after three seasons. The position has become one of the NFL's safest early-entry bets, and Bisontis fits that profile perfectly.
As for Texas A&M, the challenge now is cohesion. Replacing starters is one thing, but replacing chemistry is another. Spring ball and fall camp will matter more than ever, especially with new faces expected to protect a quarterback who won't have the luxury of growing pains.
Bisontis leaves behind a blueprint of being versatile, being physical and being reliable. If the Aggies can replicate that mindset, the rebuild up front may not be as painful as it looks on paper.
Still, make no mistake ... Chase Bisontis will be missed.