At this point in time last year, the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies were ranked near the top of the AP Top 25 and were celebrating a blowout 49-25 win over the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, eventually earning a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Fast forward one year later, and the team is in desperation mode just to be eligible for a bowl game, as they currently sit 4-4 on the season, and 1-4 in conference play, which included a 35-6 beatdown at the hands of those same LSU Tigers they manhandled the year before.
But how does a team go from a potential national championship run to one of the worst in their conference in the span of not even one year?
That's quite a can of worms to open up, but let's break it down here as to where it has really gone wrong for Texas A&M in the 2026 season.
Exhibit A: The Regression of Marcel Reed
Easily the most visible failure of the A&M team in 2026, Marcel Reed seemed to have flipped a switch from last year to this year, and not in a positive light.
Last year saw the Nashville native in Heisman Trophy talks for a majority of the season and eventually finished with 25 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions, with most of those picks coming later in the season.
This year? His interceptions and touchdowns are currently the same number, with eight apiece, and his passer rating sits at 42.6, one of the worst in the nation.
Of course, Reed's downgrade in play isn't the entire reason for A&M's script flip in 2026, as he is taking snaps behind four new offensive linemen and his no. 1 target in Mario Craver hasn't been 100 percent for a majority of the season, but that still hasn't kept some from calling for Mike Elko to put in backup quarterback Brady Hart.
And speaking of Coach Elko...
Exhibit B: Mike Elko's Decision-Making
At the end of the day, a lot of the fingers are pointed at the head coach, and that has been the case for some with Texas A&M's head coach Mike Elko.
As a head coach is the trend setter for a team in terms of philosophy and culture, Elko has placed blame on nobody but himself following losses or sloppy performances, but simply taking the blame can only be acceptable for so long.
Especially on some of the calls that he has made this season, most recently the head-scratching 4th & 6 punt against Alabama while they were down 11 late in the fourth quarter, with Elko saying that he believed that the team simply "wasn't in a position to convert."
Yet, against Kentucky last month, the Aggies went for it on 4th & 2 from their own 33-yard line while they were down by 14 points, so the main concern here is a lack of consistency on fourth down play calling, and that does tie directly back to the head coach.
Many have also questioned Elko's promotion of former wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins all the way up to offensive coordinator, a position Wiggins had never held on his own, instead of going with an outside hire.
In the end, an unproven play-caller, a rebuilding offensive line, and a slumping quarterback all got thrown into the same unit, and Texas A&M seems to be paying the price for it this season.
And speaking of slumping quarterbacks, the way that Elko has handled his quarterback situation has also been criticized by many. Elko agrees that Reed is not playing at his highest level, but his remedy has remained to keep the junior under center instead of calling on Brady Hart's number.
Then again, some inconsistency can be marked here as well, as Elko and the coaches were quick to sit Conner Weigman down two years ago against LSU when he was holding the offense back and put Reed in, but they now show reluctance when faced with another potential change at quarterback.
Exhibit C: The Offensive Staff
Holmon Wiggins is not a bad coach.
He coached DeVonta Smith to the 2020 Heisman Trophy while he was at Alabama, while we witnessed the current Philadelphia Eagles star put together one of the greatest statistical receiving seasons ever laid down on the gridiron.
Last year, the passing game with Craver, KC Concepcion, and Ashton Bethel-Roman was one of the country's most efficient, and it landed Wiggins the promotion to coordinating the entire offense.
And it hasn't exactly been a smooth transition.
The nine-yard touchdown pass from Reed to Craver Saturday against the Crimson Tide was a huge play for the Aggies in more ways than one.
It marked their first touchdown away from Kyle Field, as well as their first touchdown in a ranked matchup.
That is how abysmal the offense has been, on the road in particular.
Missouri was a nightmare for the Maroon and White, as the offense rode on two first downs for most of the game, and could only put together three yards in the entire third quarter, while Reed went nearly 14 minutes of gameplay at one point in between completions.
Needless to say, it's been a long year for the 12th Man in football, and there is still plenty of season left to go, but while a return to the College Football Playoff will have to wait until next year, a bowl game is still well within reach for Mike Elko's squad.
As long as they start making some changes, and fast.
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