Aggies lose promising defensive talent Solomon Williams to the transfer portal, exacerbating concerns about defensive depth for the upcoming season.
Texas A&M's December skid just found a new way to sting.
Edge defender Solomon Williams plans to enter the transfer portal when the window opens on Jan. 2, per On3's Hayes Fawcett, making him the fifth Aggie from the 2025 roster to signal a portal exit. Notably, all five have come from the defensive side.
Williams' time in College Station ends after only two seasons.
He arrived in 2024 as part of Mike Elko's early foundation class, flashed developmental promise as a freshman, and then spent much of 2025 as a special teams and depth piece.
The raw snap count won't wow anyone, but the profile still matters. He's a 6-2, 250-pound edge with pedigree, and he managed to be disruptive when he actually got chances, finishing his Aggie stint with 11 tackles and five for loss, including seven tackles and three for loss in 2025.
That's the frustrating part for A&M.
Williams never really got to show the full package. He wasn't projected to walk in and replace the production of departing starters, but he absolutely looked like a player who could've carved out a real role in the rotation.
Instead, the Aggies lose another defensive reserve in a portal run that's becoming a depth tax.
Along with Williams, Rylan Kennedy, Tristan Jernigan, Jordan Pride, and Jayvon Thomas are also slated to enter the portal. None were marquee starters, but losing multiple rotational pieces at once is how a defense quietly gets thinner, and then suddenly gets exposed.
Williams' recruiting background only adds spice.
Out of Tampa, he was a four-star and a top-25 edge recruit per Rivals.com, and he originally chose A&M over a heavy-hitter list that included Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, and Oregon.
Now he'll hit the market with three years of eligibility and plenty of upside for a program that can promise snaps and development.
The portal opens Jan. 2 and closes Jan. 16.