Thoughts on 2026 captains

As I mentioned on the board a little bit ago, there are five of them: Marcel Reed, Micah Riley, Daymion Sanford, Dalton Brooks and Marcus Ratcliffe.

I am absolutely unsurprised by Sanford and Ratcliffe. Sanford, especially, showed he had embraced a leadership role this spring. Ratcliffe is almost universally respected and was discussed as a likely 2026 captain before last year ended. Brooks really stepped up as a team late last year, which seemed to correspond with his breakthrough second half of the year.

Reed became a vocal leader as last year went on, as evidenced by his fiery speech at halftime of the South Carolina game. He’s become the leader of the offense in words and deeds. Riley is a veteran with plenty of experience and is a strong influence in the locker room. 

I am kind of surprised Terry Bussey and/or Reuben Owens aren’t captains. They’re also well-respected by their teammates and seemed like strong candidates too.

Significant number of players out tomorrow

This isn’t exactly breaking news, since A&M announced it when they put out the rosters for the Maroon & White Game. But I’ll post it and make a few comments on who’s out:

Jamar Beal-Goines

Terry Bussey

Jermaine Kinsler

Deyjhon Pettaway

Dezz Ricks

Chace Sims

Madden Williams

Jonah Wilson

Bryce Anderson

Dalton Brooks

Brandon Davis-Swain

Rickey Gibson

Camren Hamiel

Tom Tom Johnson

Jerome Myles

Tiger Riden

Kelvion Riggins

Micah Riley

Let’s start with the guys we knew would be out: Ricks, Beal-Goines, Kinsler, Brooks, Pettaway, Riley, Johnson and Myles. We were told they were out before the spring even began. 

I have not seen Chace Sims practice at all since maybe last spring. Jonah Wilson hasn’t been out at practice either. I haven’t seen Riggins, either. Those remain real questions marks, at least to me.

Anderson, Hamiel, Riden, Williams, Gibson, Davis-Swain and Bussey were all out there earlier this spring. I don’t think their injuries are severe — we certainly haven’t heard anything to that effect.

The competition we weren’t expecting

When the Aggies signed Ray Coney, the belief was A&M had their MIKE linebacker and replacement for Taurean York. That may eventually be true, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Noah Mikhail, who played mostly WILL last year, has been taking the majority of first team snaps so far this spring. Mikhail will be (or already is) an outstanding linebacker, and he’s not going to give up his job quietly. Coney started off slowly as he figured out the defense — something I cautioned you about a month or so ago — but came on strong late in camp. 

I still expect Coney to win the job, but Mikhail will play a lot at both MIKE and WILL that he’ll be a de facto third starter.

One freshman to watch (for next year)

One player who has drawn a lot of positive attention, but we still probably won’t see much of this year, is safety Chance Collins. Even though he was a 4-star, the Mansfield Timberview product was largely overlooked, even compared to fellow safety Tylan Wilson. But Collins has been really good this spring and has shown the ability to hit hard and tackle well. With Tawfiq Byard and Myles Davis ahead of him for the backup jobs, odds are Collins (and Wilson) won’t play much if at all this year. But Collins has positioned himself well to fight for not just playing time, but a potential starting role for 2027.

Keep this in your back pocket

Texas A&M’s coaching staff likes Robbie Bourdon. Robbie Bourdon doesn’t have a tackle job because of Wilkin Formby — who killed it this spring — and Tyree Adams. 

Texas A&M still isn’t sure what it’s going to do at left guard. Bourdon played some left guard this spring and it may be something to watch moving forward if Coen Echols or Blake Ivy doesn’t put a stranglehold on the job. The longer things go, the more I think it’s possible Bourdon ends up taking that job.

How will the Aggie basketball team line up in 2026-27?

First off, they’re clearly not done. They still need a big and a couple of point guards at the very least. But here’s how things could stand at this point: 

C: Mackenzie Mgbako. Not my idea of optimal, but he played center in the games before he got hurt and did ok. His outside game causes trouble for big men.

PF: Cade Phillips. Someone needs to fight for rebounds and play tough interior defense.

G: Marcus Hill (pending waiver). As we know, a slasher whose game is getting to the basket. He may have the floor even more spread out due to…

G: PJ Haggerty. Having one of the nation’s top scorers who can score from anywhere brings a new element to this offense. I can’t wait to see how defenses have to adjust in order to deal with him, opening up other guys in turn.

PG: TBD. Neiko Mundey may be a guy who gets a look, but he was not a ball handler in high school. He was a shooting guard. Right now, the Aggies do not have a pure point on the roster, and they need to get at least one and maybe two.

On the bench:

Zach Clemence. We know what he can do when he gets hot, and he causes trouble with his size.

Jamie Vinson. The only “true” center (IMO) on the roster. Showed some good things last year.

Lukas Walls. Wing who has proven he can put up points when he gets open. Good, and consistent, 3-point shooter.

Jeremiah Green: Could also get a look at the point but, like Mundey he’s got a background as a 2.

Josh Irving. The freshman is a center with a well-rounded game, but is still a little thin (200 pounds) to be out there dealing with SEC centers.

Chris McDermott. The forward and last remaining player from the old regime didn’t play much last year.

Noah Shelby. The transfer from Kansas, Rice and Vanderbilt got minimal minutes in 2025-26.

So A&M has at least three open spots still to fill, and they could alter the makeup of the lineup significantly.

Advantage A&M?

One big difference at the plate for Texas A&M this year is their patience and pitch recognition. They’re fourth in the nation and first in the SEC in terms of walks drawn, which has been a weapon for the offense. LSU, on the other hand, is 14th in the conference in walks allowed. If LSU’s pitchers are struggling with their command early, don’t be surprised if the Aggies start taking a lot of pitches and daring them to get the ball over the plate.