Texas A&M has treated this transfer portal cycle like a contractor with a checklist and a deadline.
Need offensive line help? Done - four veteran additions. Need experience in the front seven? Addressed - at least mostly.
But as the portal door creaks toward closing time, there’s still one light flickering on in the linebacker room.
And that’s where things get interesting.
The Aggies are sitting at 17 portal additions, a number that may or may not be final.
Head coach Mike Elko and his staff have filled nearly every obvious hole, but two areas could still use a final bolt tightened: running back depth and linebacker.
Yes, Texas A&M returns experienced starters. Yes, Tulsa transfer Ray Coney arrives fresh off a 128-tackle season and a reputation as a certified run-stopper.
But losing Taurean York and Scooby Williams to the NFL Draft leaves Daymion Sanford as the lone returning linebacker with real experience in Elko’s defensive system.
That’s not a crisis, but it’s not ideal either.
If the Aggies can land one more impact veteran, the defensive math changes fast. A leaky run defense suddenly looks solved. Pair that with edge rushers Anto Saka and Ryan Henderson screaming off the corners, and quarterbacks may need to bring extra insurance into Kyle Field in 2026.
Enter Arion Carter.
On Friday, news broke that the Tennessee linebacker will enter the transfer portal, and within minutes, recruiting dominoes started wobbling. On3 insider Steve Wiltfong didn’t mince words:
“Immediate programs to keep an eye on would include Alabama and Texas A&M. He is not expected to return to Knoxville.”
That’ll get your attention in a hurry.
Carter recorded 76 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season for the Vols - not eye-popping numbers, but solid, reliable production from a player who knows how to survive in the SEC.
He’s not a flashy stat-chaser. Coaches love those guys. Defensive coordinators sleep better because of them.
Now, before Aggie fans start booking commitment graphics, let’s pump the brakes slightly.
Aggie Yell insider Jaxson Callaway notes there’s little concrete evidence of a deep A&M-Carter connection just yet. But - and this is the important part - there is interest on both sides.
And with the portal officially closing, “interest” is often just one phone call away from becoming urgency.
Texas A&M and Alabama are in similar spots: talented rosters that don’t need much, but could be terrifying with one more proven linebacker.
Carter doesn’t have to be the star of the defense. He just has to be the adult in the room.
In portal season, sometimes the biggest wins aren’t splashes - they’re solutions.
And if Mike Elko finds a way to sneak one last chess piece onto the board before the clock runs out, Arion Carter might just be the move that turns a good defense into a complete one.