Aggies reward Bryant Gross-Armiento for leading a transformative defensive leap, elevating him to cornerbacks coach after a remarkable pass defense resurgence.
Texas A&M continues to reinforce its defensive foundation under head coach Mike Elko, announcing Thursday that Bryant Gross-Armiento has been promoted to cornerbacks coach.
The move rewards continuity and development within a secondary that took a major step forward last season.
Gross-Armiento has been a familiar face in College Station for several years, steadily climbing the coaching ladder. He spent the 2025 season as the Aggies’ nickel coach after earning a promotion from senior defensive analyst during Elko’s first year in 2024.
His history with the program runs even deeper, having previously served as a defensive analyst from 2021-22 and as a secondary coach in 2023 before joining Elko’s current staff.
The promotion comes on the heels of a dramatic turnaround in Texas A&M’s pass defense.
In 2024, the Aggies ranked 90th nationally in passing yards allowed. One season later, that figure jumped to 16th nationally, a leap that reflected improved technique, discipline, and communication in the secondary.
One of the standout contributors in that unit was nickelback Tyreek Chappell, who closed out his Aggie career with 34 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and four pass breakups.
Gross-Armiento’s influence extended beyond one position, however, as he also played a role in the development of Jaylon Jones and Antonio Johnson, both of whom were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Before returning to College Station, Gross-Armiento gained valuable experience at Georgia in 2020 as a defensive analyst for the Bulldogs. Working primarily with the secondary, he helped Georgia navigate a shortened 8-2 season and cap it with a Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati.
That group included future NFL defensive backs such as Lewis Cine, Tyrique Stevenson, Tyson Campbell, Eric Stokes, and Richard LeCounte III - players who combined for more than a dozen interceptions and well over 150 tackles that year.
Gross-Armiento’s coaching journey began at his alma mater, Wake Forest, where he started as a recruiting assistant in 2017 for the Demon Deacons before serving as a graduate assistant from 2018-19. A former defensive back himself, Gross-Armiento transferred to Wake Forest from Rutgers and battled injuries late in his playing career.
Now stepping into a full-time cornerbacks role, Gross-Armiento will be tasked with building on recent progress and continuing to elevate a Texas A&M secondary that has quickly become one of the program’s defensive strengths.