After a 10-3 CFP loss to Miami, Texas A&M faces staff turnover, portal battles and sky-high expectations for Marcel Reed in 2026.
Texas A&M's breakthrough season ended with a thud instead of a roar, as the Aggies fell 10-3 to Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Kyle Field.
An 11-2 finish and a CFP appearance will go down as historic progress under Mike Elko, but the question now is simple and brutal: what's next for a program that just proved it belongs in the national conversation?
The biggest storyline heading into 2026 hits before the Aggies even take another snap.
Elko is losing both coordinators, with offensive mastermind Collin Klein heading home to Kansas State as head coach, and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman joining new Kentucky coach Will Stein to run the Wildcats' defense.
Rather than going outside the program, Elko doubled down on continuity, promoting co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins to full-time OC and elevating longtime lieutenant Lyle Hemphill to defensive coordinator.
Hemphill is the safe bet.
He has been tied to Elko since Hofstra in 2006 and already served as his defensive coordinator at Duke before rejoining him in College Station. He knows the scheme, the standards and the personnel, and his promotion should keep a surging defense from taking a major philosophical detour.
Wiggins, on the other hand, is a calculated risk.
This is his first job as a primary play-caller, but his fingerprints are all over A&M's offensive resurgence at the skill spots. His work identifying and developing receivers like Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, along with the growth of Ashton Bethel-Roman, gives Aggie fans a reason to believe the passing game can keep trending upward.
Talent won't be the issue. Texas A&M just signed the nation's No. 6 class, headlined by five-star athlete Brandon Arrington, a burner from San Diego expected to play cornerback and impact special teams immediately.
He joins top-100 corners Victor Singleton and Camren Hamiel in a haul that includes nine ESPN 300 defenders. On offense, four-star running back K.J. Edwards brings SEC-ready juice, and Elko already has a head start on 2027 with seven ESPN Junior 300 commitments, including No. 3 dual-threat quarterback Jayce Johnson and a trio of blue-chip defensive backs.
The portal, however, will define whether A&M reloads or slips.
Last year, Elko and his staff crushed it at wide receiver by landing Concepcion and Craver. This offseason, the priority shifts to the trenches. With four-year starter Trey Zuhn III and two-year starter Dametrious Crownover moving on, the Aggies have to find an SEC-caliber tackle (or two) who can keep Marcel Reed upright against a brutal late-season gauntlet.
Expect A&M to chase impact defensive linemen as well to maintain the standard from a dominant 2025 front, and potentially search for a plug-and-play linebacker if Taurean York heads to the NFL.
One under-the-radar crisis that can't be ignored is special teams.
Texas A&M went just 15-of-24 on field goals this season, including a 22-yard chip shot that was blocked against Miami in a game where every point mattered. Randy Bond's 11-of-18 performance simply isn't good enough for a playoff contender. Incoming signee Asher Murray, an 18-of-22 kicker in high school with a 56-yard career long, will get every chance to seize the job and become the weapon Elko says he can be.
Then there is Reed.
The talented quarterback showed obvious growth in 2025, but also faltered down the stretch against South Carolina (before catching fire in the second half), Texas and Miami.
If Texas A&M is going to match or surpass this year's ceiling, Reed must find another level in his decision-making, consistency and late-game execution.
The schedule will not do him any favors.
A&M's 2026 slate closes with a five-game grinder with road trips to Alabama, South Carolina and Oklahoma, plus home dates with Tennessee and Texas.
In that context, another 11-1 regular season feels like a massive ask. A 9-3 finish in the SEC's new nine-game format would still be a success and keep the Aggies firmly in the playoff hunt.
The Aggies just proved their potential. Now comes the harder part ... replacing star coordinators, closing in the portal, fixing special teams and turning Marcel Reed from rising star into finished product.
The CFP loss to Miami hurts, but how Texas A&M responds will determine whether 2025 was a one-off surge ... or the start of something bigger.