Aggies pursue former Alabama DL Jordan Renaud. This high-potential Texas native could bolster their defensive line depth as the portal window closes.
As the window begins to close, Texas A&M’s transfer portal counter is sitting at 18, and it feels like Mike Elko and his staff have already done the heavy lifting, especially up front.
Five defensive line additions later, the Aggies look stocked.
Comfortable and even. And yet, the portal has a funny way of tapping you on the shoulder right when you think you’re done shopping.
Enter Jordan Renaud.
The former Alabama defensive lineman officially entered the portal this week, and while his stat line won’t make anyone spit out their coffee, his background absolutely should make Aggie fans lean forward in their chair.
Renaud is a Tyler, Texas native, a former top-60 national recruit in the 2023 class, and the kind of versatile trench piece SEC staffs quietly obsess over. You don’t survive in this league without waves of defensive linemen, and Elko knows that better than most.
At Alabama, Renaud never quite became a household name.
During his redshirt sophomore season, he logged 295 snaps as a rotational edge rusher, finishing with 16 tackles and five pressures. Not exactly box-score fireworks.
Pro Football Focus wasn’t kind either, tagging him with a 53.8 defensive grade, the lowest on the Tide defense.
But anyone who’s watched college football for more than five minutes knows that PFF grades don’t tell the whole story. They’re a data point, not a verdict.
Renaud is still young, still physically developing, and still learning how to weaponize his size and length consistently. Sometimes, the difference between “rotation guy” and “problem for offenses” is a scheme fit, or a coach who knows exactly how to use you.
That’s where Mike Elko comes in.
Elko has built his reputation on defensive line development and depth. He doesn’t just want starters; he wants options. Bodies. Flexibility.
The kind of depth that keeps fourth-quarter legs fresh in November when the SEC schedule starts collecting souls. Texas A&M already understands that lesson the hard way after losing Dealyn Evans and Rylan Kennedy to the portal, now headed to the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles, respectively.
Renaud wouldn’t need to walk into College Station as “the guy.” That’s actually part of the appeal.
He profiles as a sturdy run defender with enough pass-rush juice to collapse an edge when rotated properly. Think of him as a chess piece, not a centerpiece, someone who helps keep the defensive line functional when injuries hit or the grind sets in.
Texas A&M and Alabama have quietly become frequent portal pen pals. Just ask Isaiah Horton, the former Tide wide receiver who landed in Aggieland earlier this cycle. Once that door cracks open, it tends to swing a little wider.
Is Texas A&M done in the portal? Maybe. Probably.
But if Elko’s phone hasn’t buzzed yet with Renaud’s name on it, it should. Depth wins championships ... or at least keeps seasons from unraveling. And in the SEC, you never apologize for having one more capable defensive lineman than you think you need.
Because the moment you stop adding linemen is usually the moment you wish you hadn’t.