"You know the Avengers meme where they say, 'we have a Hulk?' Well, we have David Olano."
Texas A&M defensive lineman Landon Rink could not have spoken truer words about his teammate, senior Illinois transfer David Olano, who booted field goals from 57 and 50 yards out, respectively, in A&M's 34-7 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday.
Olano also drilled a 53-yard kick in A&M's loss to the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, and with his hot start to the 2026 season, he has brought back confidence to the Texas A&M kicking corps that the team has been searching for since Seth Small roamed the campus' sidewalks.
Texas A&M Aggies place kicker David Olano (24) celebrates after kicking a field goal during the second quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Kyle Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Olano literally could not have asked for a better start to his individual season, as he is a perfect seven-for-seven for his field goal attempts to start the season, the best since Small's six-for-six start in his freshman year in 2018.
To add to his accolades in his short tenure in College Station, Olano's 57-yard make this past weekend is the longest kick made by an A&M placekicker this century.
Olano's success must bring a breath of fresh air to Mike Elko and the rest of Texas A&M's special teams coordinators, who had to bounce back and forth between Randy Bond and Jared Zirkel during the 2025 campaign, neither of whom could deliver the consistent level of performance that the team was looking for from the kicking game.
With Olano, those issues seem to be put to rest, and this could definitely be a benefit to the Aggies when games get down to the wire.
Olano's massive range means that Marcel Reed won't have to lead the team down the field as long on a potential game-tying or game-winning drive, and Elko likely will feel much more comfortable taking the three points on a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down deep inside enemy territory because of some iffy booting.
Zirkel had field goals blocked in both of the late losses that the Aggies suffered last season against the Texas Longhorns and in the College Football Playoff against the Miami Hurricanes, and both were near the red zone, but with Olano's abilities, Elko could actually be more willing to look to his kicker further back in the field and elect for three.
Texas A&M hits the road this Saturday to take on the No. 14 Missouri Tigers.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram for the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as Texas A&M Has a New Weapon That Could Change Close Games .
