Texas A&M's secondary came into the 2026 season as one of the deepest rotations in the country, led by senior cornerbacks Dezz Ricks and Julio Humphrey, while offseason transfer addition Rickey Gibson looked like the final piece, combined with former Colorado safety Tawfiq Byard, who was one of the top defensive backs in coverage last season.
However, due to a combination of bad coaching and poor player development, Texas A&M's secondary struggled in losses to Kentucky and LSU, allowing too many explosive plays in coverage, while Dezz Ricks, despite allowing a season-high 125 yards and a touchdown against LSU, has been virtually perfect, including his impressive performance during Saturday's 27-6 road loss to Missouri.
Per Pro Football Focus,
Ricks's 65.9 coverage grade is the highest among A&M cornerbacks, outside of nickel Bravion Rogers, who played 283 snaps in six games and has been targeted 15 times for 137 yards and one touchdown.
As I stated above, Ricks' one bad game against LSU was the outlier; the senior corner allowed only 12 yards in every other game, including zero yards on two targets against Missouri. It's tough to watch a player of Ricks' caliber be virtually wasted during one of the Aggies' worst seasons under coach Mike Elko, but if this level of play continues, the former Alabama transfer is on track to be selected on Day 2 of the 2027 NFL Draft.
Texas A&M will host The Citadel on Saturday, October 17, at noon, and will stream on SEC Network+.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M senior has been a lockdown corner amid disappointing season
