The 2026 college football season is right around the corner, and that can't be any more true with SEC Media Days set to kick off next week from July 20 through July 23 in Tampa, Florida,
For the Texas A&M Aggies , media days are the best way to hear about the progression that many Aggies have made from spring practice through summer conditioning. Taking the stage during the media windows for the Aggies will obviously be head coach Mike Elko and three of Texas A&M 's top players.
Making the trip down to the Sunshine State and joining their head coach are redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed , senior defensive back Marcus Ratcliffe , and senior linebacker Daymion Sanford . The trio of players Elko selected showcases the Aggies' experienced talent that will lead them in a chase for an SEC title and a national championship.
Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs with the ball during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Aggies look to take the next step as Elko's program looks for sustained success that will keep them in the upper half of the SEC and cement themselves as one of the top teams not just in the SEC but in the country.
And doing so, the Aggies will have to depend on their elite talent that has plenty of experience, which the trio of Reed, Ratcliffe, and Sanford all have in common.
Reed heads into his second season as the Aggies' full-time starting quarterback and heads into the 2026 season not as an inexperienced signal-caller but as a veteran who has seen plenty of SEC defenses.
Reed heads into his fourth season in College Station, bearing the majority of the Aggies' expectations on his shoulders, whether fair or not. And Reed garnered Heisman Trophy buzz late in the 2026 season, with the quarterback's biggest step being consistency, which comes with experience that he now has.
Reed will be one of the leading voices for the Texas A&M offense, just like Ratcliffe and Sanford will be two of the leading voices of the Aggie defense headed into 2026.
Ratcliffe has been a prominent part of the Texas A&M secondary since he arrived in 2024. Over the last two seasons, Ratcliffe has played in 26 games, making 24 starts. The safety will be one of the key parts of the Aggies' defense as a multi-year veteran, and that was proven with his inclusion in SEC Media Days.
And Sanford is in the same boat as a multi-year player in the middle of the Texas A&M defense. The linebacker has played all of his college football in College Station, being a part of the rise of the Texas A&M program over the last few seasons.
The linebacker has played 39 games in a Texas A&M uniform with 13 starts under his belt as he prepares for what should be a larger role in 2026.
The three Aggies Elko is bringing with him to Tampa are undoubtedly some of the faces of the program, as some of the talented players on the roster who have the experience to lead Texas A&M to a deep postseason run.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as What Texas A&M's SEC Media Day Picks Say About Mike Elko's Program .
