Latest news with #Aggies'
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M men's basketball head coach adds new assistant to 2025 staff
Texas A&M men's basketball head coach adds new assistant to 2025 staff After an impressive offseason with multiple talented transfer additions, Texas A&M men's basketball head coach Bucky McMillan added a new assistant for the Aggies' staff on Monday evening. First announced by Statesman reporter Tony Catalina, former DePaul staffer Corey Felder is headed to College Station, Texas, to become the program's new video coordinator. The Closter, New Jersey, native has a wealth of experience serving as a staff member and assistant in the sport, including an internship as the Vice President of Basketball Operations with the New York Knicks for two summers during his time as an undergraduate at Ohio State. After collecting his bachelor's degree with the Buckeyes, Felder spent two years handling the creation and implementation of player development programs, video/scouting analysis and transfer portal data management for the Blue Demons. He served under two head coaches in Tony Stubberfield (2023-2024) and Chris Holtmann (2024-2025) during his time at DePaul. McMillan's addition of Felder to the Aggies' staff only helps provide experience in well-needed areas heading into his first season at the helm at Texas A&M. Coach McMillan has already added multiple portal players, including the likes of former Creighton guard Pop Isaacs and Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako. As he continues to build up his staff, the excitement for hoops in Reed Arena is escalating for Aggie fans. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M star third baseman will reportedly return for the 2026 season
Texas A&M star third baseman will reportedly return for the 2026 season Friday's news was both positive and negative for the Texas A&M fan base after Athletic Director Trev Alberts announced that first-year head baseball coach Michael Earley will return for a second season in 2026, following the Aggies' 30-26 and 11-19 records in SEC play. This was a surprise to many given Texas A&M's bizarre season, which included early non-conference losses combined with three consecutive SEC series losses before the Aggies randomly found their footing, winning series against Tennessee (road), South Carolina, Arkansas, and LSU, before last-place Missouri shockingly swept A&M in Blue Bell Park. The loss to the Tigers ultimately ended the Aggies' postseason hopes, following their defeat to Georgia at the end of the regular season. Despite wins over Mississippi State and Auburn in the SEC Tournament, Texas A&M was eliminated from the postseason after a close 4-3 loss to LSU, casting doubt on Earley's future. This week, Trev Alberts stated that he would "evaluate" Earley's performance during his rookie coaching season, concluding that the injuries the team dealt with at the plate and on the mound ultimately proved too much to handle, which included star sophomore third baseman Gavin Grahovac. With the news that Michael Earley will stay in College Station, Grahovac reportedly told TexAgs analyst Ryan Brauninger that he will officially return next season after serving as the program's first base coach towards the end of the year, while continuing to rehab, and will be in full health going into the winter months. Before his injury, Grahovac recorded five hits and two home runs in six games, hitting .227 at the plate. This is just the start of the future return announcement, with Earley's return finalized. 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.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M basketball included in CBS Sports analyst's Top 45 preseason rankings
Texas A&M basketball included in CBS Sports analyst's Top 45 preseason rankings New Texas A&M head basketball coach Bucky McMillan is one of the shining stars of the offseason, becoming the program's 23rd head coach last month after Buzz Williams departed College Station for Maryland after six seasons. So far, the Alabama native has landed nine players from the transfer portal, including his latest acquisition, former Texas Tech/Creighton point guard Pop Isaacs. Right now, Texas A&M's 2025 roster is filled with talent at every position, as McMillan's fast-paced system relies on elite guard play to quarterback the offense and shoot the ball at a high and efficent rate, especially from beyond the arc, as five of the Aggies' portal additions shot at least 30% from 3-point range last season. In addition to Isaacs's commitment, the news that Indiana transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft jolted the Aggies' potential next season as a likely NCAA Tournament team, which CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein wholeheartedly agrees with. On Thursday, Rothstein released his "Rothstein 45" preseason rankings ahead of the 2025 season, placing Texas A&M at No. 35, just below, yes, Buzz Williams' Maryland Terrapins at No. 34. Here is Rothstein's projected starting lineup, which is very similar to my own for the 2025 Aggies. G Pop Isaacs G Marcus Hill G Rylan Griffen F Mackenzie Mgbako C Federiko Federiko With this starting lineup, Texas A&M's offense should be one of the top units in the SEC, based on Isaac's and Griffen's past performances. Mgbako's shooting performance during the NBA Combine also showed an improved player from 3-point territory. However, the first 10 or so games of the season will define this team, as it needs to mesh this offseason and find an early rhythm before entering SEC play. 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.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
'We have to finish' Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during Austin Coach's night
'We have to finish' Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during Austin Coach's night It's officially "talk'n season" ahead of the 2025 college football season, and Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has been making the rounds, starting with the Brazos Country Coach's night last week, followed by the SEC Spring Meetings on Thursday, while Wednesday night's Austin Coach's night saw the second-year head coach sounding as confident in his 2025 roster as you'll likely hear all offseason. Ever since the Aggies' game-losing drive against USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, Elko has made significant changes to the coaching staff and 2025 roster, starting with hiring James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill to the defensive staff to fix the remaining issue in the secondary, which will (hopefully) prevent the blown coverage's that cost the Aggie's several games last season. From starting quarterback Marcel Reed's improvement to edge rusher Cashius Howell's likely breakout season, Elko provided several player updates that will both excite and, yes, shock the Aggie fan base as the countdown to the 2025 campaign continues. Talking for over an hour in front of Texas A&M donors and media members, here is every key detail Mike Elko provided on Wednesday night. Mike Elko on Texas A&M's bright future "We you look at some of the things in and around the program and some of the indicators of where the program is going, we're very proud of the foundation we have laid." Elko on the fan buy-in during his first season at the helm "For the second straight year, we had 100 percent attendance in the Big Event in College Station. We've been way more active in the community service aspect of our program." "We've been able to reconnect with our community so that our kids are not just viewed as athletes, but they're also viewed as Aggies." Elko on hosting several big name 2026 prospects in June "We've got a big month coming up in June. For those of you who still follow recruiting, it looks to be a big 2026 class. We'll have about 50 kids on campus in the next week and a half." Elko on Texas A&M's entire offensive line returning next season "Any time you're building a team and talking about possible success, when you bring back your top six starting offensive linemen, that's a really strong starting point." Elko on Texas A&M's deep running back room with the return of senior Le'Veon Moss "We bring back every running back that carried the football for us last year." "Watching Le'Veon Moss work this offseason and the commitment he has shown to getting back on the field has been nothing short of amazing. … We expect to have him fully ready by the start of training camp." Elko on Texas A&M's deep and improved wide receiver corps "It's a revamped group. It was an area where we had to figure out how to get playmakers to be honest, and we had to go to the transfer portal to find them." "We're really happy with our young group. Our young group took a really, really big step forward." Elko's sounds confident that the 2025 tight end has more juice "The tight end room, we felt we had to get a little more stout, a little more physical." Elko on QB Marcel Reed's mental advantage after taking over as the starter last season We're excited about Marcel (Reed). He got thrust into some situations last year that he wasn't maybe ready for, and you saw him take really big steps forward." Elko on QB Marcel Reed's improvement this offseason "He's an electric playmaker. He has really, really quick-twitch athleticism, and he's taking some major strides in his ability to deliver the football." Elko on backup QB Miles O'Neill's future with the program Miles O'Neill is a really young quarterback in our program that I think is going to be really, really good." "He brings some different ability in the throw game and his ability to push the ball downfield … We're excited about him and his development." Elko on Texas A&M's secondary, highlighting the return of senior CB Tyreek Chappell "We brought back every kid that played in the backend of our secondary last year…or kids that should have played." "Tyreek Chappell was probably our best DB last year, and losing him early was a big loss… He'll be back (this year)." Elko reveals that Texas A&M LB Scooby Williams played through a torn meniscus throughout the season "One of the things that we didn't tell anybody about Scooby (Williams) because you can't tell this story is that on the first drive of the Notre Dame game, he tore his meniscus." "Him and Taurean (York) make a really strong pair." Elko's confident senior Edge Cashius Howell is set to break out in 2025 "Cashius Howell coming back was really, really big. I don't think people understand how high of an NFL Draft prospect he really is." "I think he has unbelievable potential to have a really strong year." Like Cashius Howell, junior Edge Rylan Kennedy is poised to become reliable pass rusher "Rylan Kennedy showed out last year and made a lot of plays, and for anybody who paid attention to the spring game, Marco Jones might have had one of the best freshman spring games out of anybody we've ever had." Elko on Texas A&M's "experienced" offensive and defensive line "We have an older, experienced group, and we have that on both sides of the line." "We're excited about where we're going. We're excited about the direction we're heading." Elko on the Texas A&M's culture, and the resilence and passion seen throughout the roster "We're here to build a championship program. It starts with laying the foundation and building the culture." "This program is resilient. These kids are resilient. They believe in this program, and they believe in where we're going." Elko on Texas A&M's veteran specialist group, led by senior kicker Randy Bond "They're all back. One of the things as a head coach is that when the specialists go to the back of your mind, it's a good place to be because you don't worry about them." "Every kid who kicked the ball or snapped the ball on special teams last year returns. That group is in really good shape." Elko on calling a majority of the defensive plays in 2025 "I tried to go up into the press box, but they wouldn't let me." "I've called plays from the sideline at different times in my career. I've done it as a head coach. … It's not something that's new or that I'm worried about. It'll be a collaborative effort." Elko on his his roster has handled NIL opportunities "Given the rules and circumstances, our kids do a really good job of handling NIL." "We don't have a lot of horror stories. … We don't have kids demanding this or demanding that. … I credit our kids for handling the situation really well. Kids these days get a really bad rap for a situation that adults have handled really poorly." Elko on keeping the same coaching staff heading into Year 2 "When you have consistency of staff, you have consistency of messaging. That's really important for young people." "I'm thankful for the staff we have because we have a phenomenal staff." Texas A&M's offense line will likely determine the Aggies' success in 2025 "We're really excited about the offensive line. When I stood on this podium last year, that was question mark No. 1." "You've established that offensive line group, who those guys are and what they're all about." Elko ended the night with a quote that will define the Aggies through every win and loss in 2025 "We did move forward in our win total from where we were last year. I know that's now our expectation and what's acceptable, but we are moving forward." "We learned valuable lessons down the stretch last year. I did. Our team did. Our staff did. … We'll be confident when the season starts. We'll be confident through every win. We'll be confident through every lost. We'll be confident throughout the entire season until they tell us we can't play anymore." 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.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M HC Mike Elko reveals shocking news regarding his senior linebacker
Texas A&M HC Mike Elko reveals shocking news regarding his senior linebacker There's never a dull moment during the 2025 college football offseason, mainly due to what the media calls "talk'n season," when head coaches make the rounds to various fundraising/SEC media events during the early parts of the summer. This week, following his trip to Destin, Florida, for the annual SEC Spring Meetings, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko has continued to preview his 2025 roster and the upcoming critical season. On Wednesday night, Elko once again took the podium, this time at the annual Capital City A&M Club in Austin, also referred to as Austin Coach's night. While this was the third time in three weeks that Elko discussed Texas A&M's 2025 roster, led by starting quarterback Marcel Reed's progress, and the Aggies' veteran offensive line, the second-year head coach revealed a shocking fact regarding senior linebacker Scooby Williams, who reportedly played through a torn meniscus which occured during the season-opening loss to Notre Dame. "One of the things that we didn't tell anybody about Scooby (Williams) because you can't tell this story is that on the first drive of the Notre Dame game, he tore his meniscus." "Him and Taurean (York) make a really strong pair." This is simply incredible, looking back at his performance as one of the Aggies' best defenders after recording 43 tackles, a forced fumble, and his first career interception. Texas A&M's 2025 linebacker rotation is much deeper than some expect, while junior Taurean York and Williams look like the best tandem in the SEC outside of Alabama, LSU, and Texas. 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.
