Texas A&M’s 2026 transfer portal class is all but complete after head coach Mike Elko and his staff landed 17 players over the last two weeks. It’s heavily assumed that the staff is finished adding players, feeling that the 2026 signing class will also provide depth at several positions.
Losing more than a dozen players to the transfer portal and the 2026 NFL Draft, Elko had a clear plan that was impressively executed, filling out nearly every gap along the offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and the secondary, while the addition of Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton will provide starting quarterback Marcel Reed the size he was mixing as the X receiver spot.
Knowing that star edge Cashius Howell, middle linebacker Taurean York, and five offenisve lineman, including four starters, are all headed to the NFL, Elko hopes that Northwestern transfer LB Anto Saka, Tulsa transfer LB Ray Coney, and four SEC starting offensive line transfers will fill those voids, and prevent a significant drop off next season.
This week, ESPN writer Craig Haubert released the site’s updated transfer class rankings, placing Texas A&M at No. 10, while the LSU Tigers, under new head coach Lane Kiffin, took the top spot after landing three of the top players in the portal rankings. Here’s what he had to say regarding Mike Elko’s transfer haul:
Identifying KC Concepcion and Mario Craver in the portal transformed Texas A&M’s passing attack in 2025 and netted the Aggies their top two receivers. Craver will return in 2026, but Texas A&M jumped back into the portal in search of a complementary target and landed 6-foot-4 Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton. Horton is a jump-ball specialist who knows how to use his size working in the deep middle of the field, and his three-touchdown performance in the Iron Bowl showed his upside.
Horton was one of four, four-star caliber transfers Mike Elko added this cycle. Fellow Alabama transfer Wilkin Formby has a massive 6-foot-7, 324-pound frame and positional versatility after splitting time between right guard and right tackle in 2025. Tennessee defensive back Rickey Gibson III is comfortable in man coverage and as a one-on-one tackler, and he’s a bounce-back candidate after missing most of last season with a left arm injury. Anto Saka (Northwestern) adds depth to the defensive line and could take a step forward if he can find a bit more bend off the edge.
Tennessee transfer cornerback Rickey Gibson will enter the program as a potential starting cornerback alongside Dezz Ricks as the No. 1 or 2 outside CB, as the Volunteers were sad to see the star defensive back go after missing all but one game last season. If Saka and Gibson pan out, the Aggies gained two key defensive starters.
Wilkin Formby’s positional versatility could place him at left or right tackle, while LSU transfer Tyree Adams could also play at either tackle spot. At guard, fellow LSU transfer Coen Echols should easily slot in on the left side, while South Carolina transfer Trovon Baugh, who comes in with his vast experience, should start at right guard.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: ESPN ranks Texas A&M’s 2026 transfer class ranked No. 10 nationally
