The "superteam" era of college football may well be over, but that isn't stopping the Texas A&M Aggies from striving to build one of the sport's deepest teams.
But through two games, the goal of building a deep team seems to show most on defense. The Aggies played 25 players defensively in a 48-20 win over Arizona State, which proved no match for Texas A&M in the fourth quarter.
Thirty-one unanswered points go a long way in creating that separation, yet 14 of those points came directly from the defense. Head coach Mike Elko credits his unit's rotation as a big reason they dominated the final 15 minutes.
"I just think one of our goals, specifically on defense, really as a program, but specifically on defense, is to get a lot of guys that are capable of playing at a high level so that the level doesn't drop," Elko said.
Sep 5, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Marco Jones (10) defends in coverage during the first quarter against the Missouri State Bears at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Of the 25 players who saw the field in the win, all but four didn't play at least 10 snaps on Saturday. Yet, 15 Aggies played at least 20 snaps, with veteran safeties Marcus Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks leading all players in snaps with 60 and 59, respectively.
"If you look at just the amount of guys - we had the pick-six, and then we came back, got a fumble on the next play," Elko said. "If you watch that play, the amount of bodies in that picture and the amount of bodies in and around him and there to recover the fumble, to me, a lot of that is where you are in the fourth quarter from a stamina standpoint."
Two of the biggest plays in the game on defense came from players who are still looking to break into the full-time starting rotation. Former four-star edge rusher Marco Jones recorded his first-ever pick-six on a play where a hit from TJ Searcy caused the ball to go flying straight into Jones's hands.
Then, just a drive later, it was fellow edge rusher Sam M'Pemba recovering a fumble. Before cornerback Julian Humphrey picked off a Cutter Boley pass.
Both M'Pemba and Humphrey are former Georgia transfers who, despite being in their second seasons in College Station, are just now getting their first real opportunities to contribute. The same thing can be said of Jones, who, after a standout spring game as a true freshman, was more of a reserve last season.
As the SEC moves to a nine-game conference schedule, the added depth could become even more crucial for the Aggies, as the grind of the conference schedule could force more players into action.
And despite this only being Elko's third season in charge, he's already setting the foundation for one of the sport's best rosters.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as Texas A&M's Defensive Depth Is Becoming a Serious Problem for Opponents .
