On Monday morning, Texas A&M landed a pair of defensive ends from the transfer portal in Samuel M’Pemba (Georgia) and T.J Searcy (Florida), making it three consecutive Edge additions since Friday after landing former Pitt/Colorado DE Dayon Hayes.
While M’Pemba will enter the 2025 season as a rotational player with upside, Searcy is already a polished SEC defender and one of the top run defenders in the SEC after two seasons at Florida, following Texas A&M DC Jay Bateman, who served as the Gators linebackers coach during the 2023 season.
Over two seasons, Searcy recorded 60 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles, and he is coming off his best season after producing 34 tackles and 20 solo tackles.
According to Pro Football Focus, Searcy earned an impressive 70.1 defensive grade and 69.5 run defense grade, credited with 14 defensive stops, nine hurries, and a low 6.7 missed tackle rate.
Searcy’s 332 snaps as an Edge rusher saw a player willing to take on blocks and use proper technique and footwork not to get caught up in the trash and find the ball carrier with ease. Credit to Austin American Statesman’s Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina for the video below:
Earlier today Texas A&M gained 2 commitments from SEC defensive linemen.
Focusing on T.J. Searcy, I think the former Gator has a chance to be a big piece for the Aggies & I think they will use him better.
70.1 grade & improved from 2023 to this year in almost every PFF metric. pic.twitter.com/ibf97IZNmI
— Tony Catalina (@Tony_Catalina) December 24, 2024
Whether Searcy is a starter or rotational Edge in 2025, Coach Mike Elko and Jay Bateman have gained a valuable defender who looks like a star in the making.
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