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Mike Elko remains confident in Texas A&M RB room after injury news
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- Mike Elko remains confident in Texas A&M RB room after injury news
Texas A&M's 2026 running back room took a hit on Thursday afternoon when coach Mike Elko revealed redshirt freshman Deondrae "Tiger" Riden Jr. will miss the regular season with an undisclosed injury. The news came as a surprise; media had seen the second-year back performing well enough this preseason to be in line to win the No. 3 running back job behind Rueben Owens and Jamarion Morrow .
To avoid leaks, Elko and nearly every college football coach keep injuries close to the vest in the weeks before the start of the regular season. Given the state of the running back room, Elko had praised Rueben Owens' improvement this offseason. He is in line to earn the starting job, although many, including me, believe this will be a running back by committee, especially in light of Morrow's rise as one of the best athletes on the roster.
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Still, Owen's contact balance issues have apparently, based on what we've seen/heard, been solved, giving the former five-star commit a clear edge to begin the season as the starter.
"What you have now is a healthy, mature version of him that is physically ready to take on the rigors of the SEC."
"We're excited for him to be able to go out and finally put out his absolute best, healthiest foot forward into a new season."
Even with Riden sidelined, Owens and Morrow provide new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins the 1-2 punch needed to improve the rushing attack after last season's massive drop-off at the end of the season. With freshmen KJ Edwards and Carsyn Baker also in the mix, Elko is fully confident Riden's injury will not derail the running back room's depth.
"(Rueben Owens) and Jamarion (Morrow) have had strong games. We're happy with what (KJ) Edwards and (Carsyn) Baker have done in camp. We feel good about the group we have."
"We certainly feel good and believe in what we have."
Edwards and Baker took another step this preseason and bring unique skills that should be utilized throughout the season, The new 5-for-5 rule will essentially force coaches to play younger players who are too skilled to sit on the bench, especially with depth at nearly every position during the new nine-game SEC schedule.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Mike Elko remains confident in Texas A&M RB room after injury news
