Tulsa transfer Ray Coney brings 128 tackles, power and pressure to Texas A&M as Mike Elko rebuilds a linebacker room hit by key losses.
Texas A&M football didn’t wait around after its College Football Playoff loss to Miami.
Mike Elko hit the transfer portal hard, and one of the most important additions may turn out to be former Tulsa linebacker Ray Coney.
Coney arrives in College Station with real production, real size and a real opportunity to become one of the tone-setters in Texas A&M’s 2026 defense.
After piling up 128 tackles and two sacks in his lone season at Tulsa, the 6-2, 240-plus-pound linebacker gives the Aggies something they badly need ... a downhill defender who can clean up traffic, finish plays and bring some attitude back to the middle of the field.
That's a real need, because Texas A&M’s linebacker room has changed fast.
Taurean York, last season’s veteran starter, is gone after signing with the Denver Broncos following the NFL Draft. Daymion Sanford, a senior who figured to play a major role, suffered a serious lower-body injury in the Maroon & White Game and could miss the first half of the season.
That leaves Coney and sophomore Noah Mikhail in the spotlight.
Mikhail, a former blue-chip recruit, gave Aggies fans a glimpse of his upside during spring ball.
His interception return for a touchdown in the spring game was one of the loudest defensive moments of the offseason.
Now, he’ll be asked to grow up quickly beside a transfer who already has a full season of heavy-duty production on his résumé.
Coney isn’t just a tackle collector, either. His Pro Football Focus grades jump off the page: 87.6 overall and 86.9 against the run.
He also generated 23 pressures, giving new defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill a linebacker who can do more than plug gaps on early downs.
That versatility could be huge for Texas A&M. The Aggies had issues stopping the run late last season, and York’s lack of ideal size showed up at times when opponents leaned into a more physical approach.
Coney and Mikhail both bring bigger frames, and that should give Elko and linebackers coach Travis Williams more flexibility when building the front seven.
There’s also an NFL angle here. Coney already looks the part, and if he transfers his Tulsa production to the SEC, scouts won’t need much convincing.
Texas A&M has playoff expectations again. For those dreams to survive, the Aggies need their defense to get nastier.
Ray Coney was brought in to help make that happen.
