Texas A&M Edge may be one of the 'most feared' pass rushers in the SEC
Among the 13 players from Texas A&M's 2025 roster who participated in the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, unanimous All-American edge Cashius Howell will be missed after producing 11.5 sacks and 30-plus pressures during his final season in College Station, and won't be easily replaced heading into the 2026 college football season.
This offseason, coach Mike Elko and his staff signed 17 players from the transfer portal , including former Northwestern edge Anto Saka , who is highly regarded as one of the top pass rush specialists in the country, despite recording just three sacks last season.
Standing at 6'4" and over 250 pounds, Saka is built like a track star, and plays with an extremely high motor, and looks like a perfect fit in Mike Elko and new defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill's scheme, and thanks to college football analyst Landon Tengwall's recent breakdown of Saka's skill set, Aggie fans who have yet to watch his tape can now enjoy a quck two and a half minute summary of what Saka can bring in 2026.
A former high school sprinter, Saka's reported 36 1/2 inch vertical and 10-4 broad jump will have NFL scouts attending every Texas A&M home game this fall, while his early production, including 5.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss during his 2023 redshirt freshman season, led to being placed at No. 56 in Feldman's last Freaks List before the 2025 season.
Per Pro Football Focus, Saka earned an impressive 82.5 PFF pass rush grade during the 2025 season and recorded 12 sacks during his Northwestern career. As Tengwell notes in his breakdown, Saka thrives off the edge as a power rusher, given his lower body strength and ability to consistently push the pocket with a simple bull rush.
While the Wildcats utilized Saka in twists & stunts more often than not, the Baltimore native is too dangerous lining up outside the tackle to replace Cashius Howell in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: College football analyst breaks down Texas A&M transfer Edge Anto Saka
