It’s been a whirlwind transfer portal window (only one window now), with a flurry of additions to Texas A&M’s roster. While we can’t officially close the book on additions just yet, Friday marks both the closing of the transfer portal window as well as the first day of classes, so it’s a safe assumption that the vast majority of the Aggies’ additions (and subtractions) have already happened. So let’s break it down.
I already went over all of the departures that were announced prior to the portal window
opening, so if you want those, they can be found here. In addition to that, here are the guys we also learned will not be returning in 2026:
Declared early for the NFL Draft (2 new, 5 total):
- LB Taurean York
- OL Chase Bisontis
Entered the portal (4 new, 11 total):
- OL Jonte Newman
- WR Izaiah Williams
- DT Dealyn Evans
- CB Cobey Sellers
Took their name OUT of the portal:
- S Bryce Anderson
Transfer Portal Commitments (17):
- WR Isaiah Horton (Alabama)
- TE Richie Anderson (Fresno State)
- TE Houston Thomas (UTSA)
- OL Tyree Adams (LSU)
- OL Trovon Baugh (South Carolina)
- OL Coen Echols (LSU)
- OL Wilkin Formby (Alabama)
- DT Brandon Davis-Swain (Colorado)
- DT C.J. Mims (North Carolina)
- DT Angelo McCullom (Illinois)
- DE Anto Saka (Northwestern)
- EDGE Ryan Henderson (San Diego State)
- LB Ray Coney (Tulsa)
- LB T.J. Smith (Houston Christian)
- CB Rickey Gibson (Tennessee)
- S Tawfiq Byard (Colorado)
- K David Olano (Illinois)
Overall, this is a pretty impressive portal haul, with A&M ranking No. 9 in the 247 Sports portal team rankings, and No. 3 in the On3 rankings (which account for who left in addition to who you brought in. That’s good, because A&M is having to replace 15 starters from last year’s 11-2 squad (16 if you count the kicker). Those departures include all but one starting offensive lineman and the entire starting defensive front (DL and LBs). That doesn’t mean there aren’t players who played a ton of snaps who are returning, but there is A TON of production that needs to be replaced. So let’s take a look at where that might come from among these portal additions.
A lock to start:
- WR Isaiah Horton (Alabama)
- OT Wilkin Formby (Alabama)
- CB Rickey Gibson (Tennessee)
- K David Olano (Illinois)
Gibson is the top-rated CB in the portal, Horton is the No. 2 WR, Formby is the No. 6 OT and Olano was a kicker A&M had to fend off several other power programs to acquire. These are all players you don’t commit resources to unless you plan on them being plug-and-play guys. And each comes at a position where at least one 2025 starter has departed.
Should compete to start:
- TE Houston Thomas (UTSA)
- OL Tyree Adams (LSU)
- OL Trovon Baugh (South Carolina)
- OL Coen Echols (LSU)
- DT C.J. Mims (North Carolina)
- DT Angelo McCullom (Illinois)
- DE Anto Saka (Northwestern)
- LB Ray Coney (Tulsa)
- S Tawfiq Byard (Colorado)
Virtually all of these players were starters as their previous stop, so it stands to reason they didn’t come her to ride the bench. That said, I’m not ready to just hand them a starting role over some of the existing players on this roster. Can Blake Ivy, Robert Bourdon or Lamont Rogers earn starting roles on the OL? Can DTs Landon Rink/DJ Sanders elevate in year two? Will TE Kiotti Armstrong make it too difficult to keep him off the field? Might LBs Noah Mikhail or Jordan Lockhart win a starting role? There are still plenty of talented returning players that could beat out these transfers if they develop appropriately. And of course none of this accounts for the 26 players A&M has added from the high school ranks.
We’ll learn a bit more in spring football (but not all that much tbh), but won’t fully know what we should expect to see until the 2026 season kicks off on Sept. 5 against Missouri State. But whether they come from the portal, recruiting or the bench, you’ll see a lot of new faces on the field for the Aggies this fall.
