Tag: texas aggies football

Coach Lincoln Riley addresses USC players transferring before bowl game versus Texas A&M

“Every school has a budget, this is what we got to spend and you’ve gotta decide. It’s tough because we’re not completely professional.”

Due to the NCAA Transfer Portal, Texas A&M will be playing an undermanned USC football team in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley was asked by the media on Thursday about if he felt a lot of those recent decisions had been influenced by NIL money.

“Yeah, they have on both sides. Every school, you have a budget, this is what we got to spend and you’ve gotta decide. It’s tough because we’re not completely professional,” Riley explained. “When a lot of these guys were signed, it wasn’t in a professional manner. It was sitting in their living rooms, relationships, program, academics, the development, all those things. Now, all of a sudden, it’s shifted midstream.

“That’s what’s made it tough on everybody involved right now. Players, coaches, schools, everybody, because a lot of these guys were brought in under a different system. Now that’s changed. Now there’s a financial component to every decision that we make and every decision that a player makes.”

The Aggies (8-4) will play USC (6-6) at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 27 at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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‘I have to be the pillar they can lean on,’ Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed is ready to lead

“It’s a new room. I am the leader of it now. That’s a new role and I have to take accountability. I have to be the pillar they can lean on.”

Texas A&M redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed spoke to the media this week and was asked about what he’s focusing on in the upcoming Las Vegas Bowl game.

“Just taking what they give me. Don’t try to force anything, taking what they give me. Try to stay ahead of the sticks and move the sticks when we need to, convert on third downs,” Reed said Tuesday afternoon. “Really, just stay calm in the pocket and don’t get too ancy. I feel like sometimes I leave too early and cause a little bit of a disruption for myself and really the whole scheme of the play. But this game, I’m going to be relaxed, calm, and go out and play my game.

“It’s a new (QB) room. I am the leader of it now. That is a new role, and I have to take accountability. I have to be the pillar they can lean on.”

The Aggies (8-4) will play USC (6-6) at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 27 at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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‘This is getting out of hand,’ Texas A&M coach Mike Elko discusses NIL and transfer portal

“Obviously, this is less than ideal to be going through what we’re going through right now roster wise with games coming down the stretch.”

This time of year, any time a sports fan opens X, formerly known as Twitter, there is a college football player announcing their entrance into the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko recently shared his thoughts about the portal and Name, Image & Likeness.

“Obviously, this is less than ideal to be going through what we’re going through right now roster wise with games coming up down the stretch. I don’t have a great solution other than, at some point, we’ll have to figure out some kind of centralized leadership for college football because this is getting out of hand,” Elko proclaimed Tuesday afternoon. “Now, more than ever, this sport needs somebody to step in and create some type of rules and regulations. I am all for the portal. I am all for NIL. I have no problems managing any of that.

“There is a lot of unregulated stuff going on right now, and it’s going to impact young people and young people’s futures.”

The Aggies (8-4) will play USC (6-6) in the Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 27 at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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Texas A&M legend Mike Evans keeps hopes for another 1,000-yard season alive with huge game

Entering Sunday’s game in Inglewood against the Los Angeles Chargers, Evans had 590 total yards with four regular season games left in 2024.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar wide receiver Mike Evans is a certified first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.

The Texas A&M legend has racked up 10 consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving to begin his professional career, which is an NFL record.

Entering Sunday’s game against the Chargers in Inglewood, Evans had totaled 590 yards with four regular season games left in 2024. Despite missing three matchups due to injury, he had averaged 59 yards per game through Week 14, forcing him to average 102.5 yards in each remaining contest to reach the benchmark again.

During a dominant 40-17 victory versus Los Angeles, Evans had a monster performance to chip away at the 1K mark. He recorded 9 catches for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now, he needs 251 more yards (83.7 per game) over the final three contests.

Evans has tallied 12,429 receiving yards during his 11-year career. With the big game Sunday in Southern California, he surpassed Antonio Brown (12,291) to enter the top 25 in NFL history for receiving yards.

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Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Former coach Jimbo Fisher’s son will kick for Samford vs. Texas A&M at Kyle Field in 2025

On Nov. 22, Samford will be visiting Kyle Field for Texas A&M’s regular season home finale, which may seem uninteresting on the surface.

Following Wednesday’s release of the 2025 Texas A&M football schedule, the media and 12th Man began dissecting every detail of the upcoming campaign, down to the minor details.

Carter Karels, the Aggies beat writer for 247Sports, immediately discovered a pretty interesting factoid. On Nov. 22, Samford will be visiting Kyle Field for Texas A&M’s regular season home finale.

While that may seem uninteresting on the surface, Karels spotted the game’s storyline. Former Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher‘s son Ethan is currently a freshman kicker for the Bulldogs.

Ethan is 5-foot-7 and 135 pounds. He graduated from North Florida Christian High School earlier this year.

“Never would I ever have thought I would have this opportunity, especially being told at a very young age by doctors that I may never see the field,” Ethan stated on X upon committing to Samford last year.

Ethan received the Dale Doss Courage Award by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club in Dec. 2023.

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Former Texas A&M offensive lineman Matthew Wykoff reunites with Conner Weigman at Houston

Prior to becoming a Bear, Wykoff spent the first two years of his career at Texas A&M. He was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2022.

Two former Texas A&M football players are reuniting at the University of Houston through the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman officially departed from the Aggies on Wednesday when he chose the Cougars. The next day, California senior offensive lineman Matthew Wykoff chose to join Weigman in Houston.

“Dear Cal Family, I have thoroughly enjoyed the last two years being a part of this team and community,” Wykoff stated via X on Dec. 1. “I am blessed to be graduating this semester, but after lots of deliberation and prayer, I have decided to enter into the transfer portal as a grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

“It has been a honor and Berkeley will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Prior to becoming a Bear, Wykoff spent the first two years of his collegiate career in Aggieland. Wykoff played in 16 games over two seasons at Texas A&M. He was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2022.

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Johnny Manziel thinks Texas A&M freshman QB Marcel Reed ‘needs to give the fans some hope’

“He needs to continue to take the next step and give the fans some hope going into next season. This is gonna be the guy and his team.”

Ahead of the Texas A&M football team’s game against USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, Johnny Manziel shared his thoughts on the upcoming matchup.

Johnny Football provided his analysis and opinion regarding the play of redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed during the Aggies’ 2024 season and Conner Weigman’s departure on the Action Network’s Big Bets On Campus podcast.

“I think this is another chance for Marcel Reed to be able to go out and showcase his ability,” Manziel said. “He needs to continue to take the next step and give the fans some hope of going into next season – this is gonna be the guy, and this is gonna be his team. With Conner Weigman going into the portal, it very much is that.

“I think we need to see a little bit more offensive fireworks, and I think this is another chance for Collin Klein to go out and showcase his ability of being the play caller for this team moving forward.”

Texas A&M (8-4) battles the Trojans (6-6) on Dec. 27 at 9:30 p.m. CT at Allegiant Stadium on ESPN.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Texas A&M needs to target Arkansas transfer tight end

Texas A&M needs a playmaking tight end, so why not Luke Hasz?

Texas A&M’s transfer portal strategy will become clear only after defensive ends Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart announce their future intentions regarding the NFL Draft.

However, what is clear is that the OC Collin Klein’s scheme needs playmakers in the passing game, specifically at tight end after last offseason’s additions didn’t quite move the needle through the air, but did provide an impact blocking in the running game.

Suppose redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed is indeed the future starter going forward. In that case, he needs more at his disposal, and going back to the days of tight end Jace Sternberger’s memorable one-year as one of the program’s best play-making tight ends, a similar athlete recently entered the transfer portal.

After two seasons with Arkansas, Hasz’s season ended coincidentally against Texas A&M during the start of the 2023 season. Still, they returned this season as one of the more reliable targets in OC Bobby Petrino’s offense, recording 26 receptions, 324 yards, and four touchdowns.

Standing at 6-3 and nearly 250 pounds, Hasz runs routes like a wide receiver and is a mismatch in the seam. He is a much more polished tight end than Theo Melin Öhrström, who should take the next step in his development next season.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

Which teams landed in the final College Football Playoff bracket? Full playoff picture

Here is the final College Football Playoff after championship weekend

Texas A&M (8-4, 5-3 SEC) finished the season disappointingly after losing to Texas (11-1, 7-1 SEC) in the revival of the Lone Star Showdown but fell woefully short on both sides of the ball despite allowing just 17 points on the night.

With the loss, the Aggies were eliminated from the College Football Playoff and lost their shot at facing Georgia in the SEC Championship game, as the Longhorns fell to the Bulldogs 22-19.

However, despite the loss, the future looks bright under head coach Mike Elko. He is heading into his second full offseason with plenty of recruiting momentum, which showed up during Early Signing Day when he signed 25 players last week.

The final College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed on Sunday, while Texas A&M awaits its bowl game destination.

Here is everything you need to know after the final CFP Playoff reveal:

College Football Playoff bracket: Who’s in, who’s out:

  • 12-seed Clemson vs. 5-seed Texas in Austin (TX): Winner plays 4-seed Arizona State
  • 9-seed Tennessee vs. 8-seed Ohio State in Columbus (OH): Winner plays 1-seed Oregon
  • 11-seed SMU vs. 6-seed Penn State in University Park (PA): Winner plays 3-seed Boise State
  • 10-seed Indiana vs. 7-seed Notre Dame in Notre Dame (IN): Winner plays 2-seed Georgia
  • First Team Out: Alabama (9-3)
  • Second Team Out: Miami (10-2)

Latest CFP rankings:

  1. Oregon (13-0)
  2.  Georgia (11-2)
  3. Boise State (12-1)
  4. Arizona State (12-1)
  5. Penn State (11-2)
  6. Notre Dame (11-1)
  7. Texas (11-2)
  8. Ohio State (10-2)
  9. Tennessee (10-2)
  10. Indiana (11-1)
  11. SMU (11-2)
  12. Clemson (10-3)

Texas A&M’s Postseason Outlook:

Texas A&M was not ranked within the Top 25 and has been eliminated from CFP Playoff contention. The Aggies will await their bowl game destination on Sunday afternoon.

How many teams are in College Football Playoff 2024?

For the first time, 12 teams will participate in the College Football Playoffs. Five automatic bids will go to each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots will go to the seven at-large teams.

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Texas A&M sophomore linebacker plans to enter the transfer portal

Texas A&M sophomore linebacker Chantz Johnson will reportedly enter the transfer portal

Texas A&M’s 2024 season ended a disappointing 8-4 (5-3 SEC) after losing three of its last four games, including the season finale, a 17-7 loss to rival Texas in the revival of the Lone Star Showdown.

On Wednesday, the Aggies signed 24 players in the 2025 recruiting class. They flipped two former Missouri commits, five-star offensive tackle Lamont Rogers and four-star running back Jamorian Morrow, while five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles surprisingly signed, squashing previous reports.

Twelve players have entered their names in the transfer portal, including sophomore linebacker and College Station native Chantz Johnson. After two seasons, Johnson might have seen the writing on the wall following the news that junior linebacker Scooby Williams plans to return next season.

Johnson’s future with the program was always somewhat in doubt, given the coaching change once Mike Elko took over, while Elko and his staff are slated to add one or two more linebackers from the transfer portal this offseason.

Johnson has three remaining seasons of eligibility.

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