Ex Texas A&M Defenders Are Thriving, Exposing Aggies' Pass Rush Woes

Texas A&M football has a growing problem, and three former Aggies defenders are making it harder to ignore.

While Mike Elko's defense struggles to generate consistent quarterback pressure, Rylan Kennedy, Solomon Williams and Tristan Jernigan are finding success elsewhere.

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Their production raises an uncomfortable question about whether Texas A&M let valuable defensive talent walk out the door.

And the numbers aren't particularly flattering for the Aggies.

Through eight games, Texas A&M has recorded just seven sacks, averaging fewer than one per contest.

That's a startling decline for a program that featured one of college football's most productive pass rushers just a year ago.

Kennedy's emergence at Florida State is particularly painful.

The former Aggies defensive end has developed into one of the Seminoles' most disruptive defenders.

Pro Football Focus credits Kennedy with seven sacks, 21 quarterback pressures and a 73.4 pass-rush grade this season.

Official game statistics list six sacks, but either total represents significant production for a player who previously struggled to establish a meaningful role in College Station.

Meanwhile, Williams has made his presence felt at California.

The former Texas A&M edge defender has generated 25 quarterback pressures, including two sacks, five hits and 18 hurries.

His 73.3 PFF pass-rush grade suggests he's becoming a legitimate threat off the edge.

Jernigan, another former Aggie now playing for the Golden Bears, has contributed 28 tackles in eight games.

Individually, none of those performances guarantees the players would have produced identical results in Elko's defense.

But collectively, they demonstrate how much defensive talent Texas A&M once had available.

The contrast becomes even more striking when examining Anto Saka.

The Northwestern transfer arrived with considerable expectations after recording 12 career sacks with the Wildcats.

Through eight games at Texas A&M, PFF credits him with nine pressures and one sack.

That's hardly the production Aggies fans envisioned.

Consider the standard set by Cashius Howell.

The former Bowling Green transfer became the SEC Defensive Player of the Year after recording 11.5 sacks for Texas A&M in 2025.

The Cincinnati Bengals subsequently selected him in the second round of the NFL Draft.

Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden praised Howell's effectiveness, saying, "Not average production — great production."

That's precisely what Texas A&M is missing.

Elko's challenge isn't simply recruiting talented defenders. It's identifying players who fit his system, developing them and keeping them on the roster long enough to contribute.

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As the Aggies begin evaluating their defensive personnel for 2027, Kennedy's success at Florida State and the emergence of Williams at Cal provide another reminder that talent evaluation doesn't end on signing day.

Sometimes the player capable of fixing your biggest weakness is someone who already wore your uniform.