2 Texas A&M defenders 'primed for huge 2026 seasons' per 247Sports
· Yahoo Sports
Texas A&M's 2026 defensive line will feature several additions from the transfer portal, including former Northwestern edge Anto Saka, who, despite only producing three sacks last season, was underutilized during his time with the Wildcats, and is a perfect fit, on paper, at least, to become the Aggies' top pass rusher before likely heading to the NFL.
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This week, 247Sports writer Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz released their list of the Top 100 "lesser-known" Power Four players who are deemed to break out during the 2026 season, and for Texas A&M, Anto Saka, and senior defensive tackle DJ Hicks, who is entering the most important season of his career, were among the 25 SEC players who made the list.
Starting with Saka, third-year coach Mike Elko and his defensive line staff received their first look at the Northwestern transfer this spring, who is expected to start as the Big defensive end in Elko's defensive alignment, and while losing unanimous All-American edge Cashius Howell to the NFL stings, Saka's size and elite athleticism, paired with his consistency against the run makes him an immediate plus player.
"While Saka's production was modest the last three seasons at Northwestern, including just 13 tackles and three sacks last season, the 6-foot-4, 255-pounder is a freak athlete who's already on the radar for NFL scouts as a potential top three-round 2027 draft pick. However, based on feedback from A&M sources, it's safe to assume he could be a big draft riser — and a big producer for the Aggies — this fall.
"He was just a terror (this spring)," a source said. "Good rusher and stout against the run."
Replacing Howell with Saka is as good as it gets, and could be even more productive as a wide-9 pass rusher given his size advantage. If the defensive line, starting with DJ Hicks, produces more interior pressure and also stops the run at a higher clip, combined with Texas A&M's deep secondary, the Aggies' 2026 defense will lead the SEC in several categories.
After ending the 2025 season with a career-high 26 tackles and three sacks, DJ Hicks is primed to break out in his third season as the starter, taking on one of several leadership roles, and has caught the eye of several college football analysts, including Hummer and Zenitz, as a player on pace to dominate in the trenches.
"After modest production through his first three seasons at Texas A&M, including just two starts last season, the belief among some Aggies sources is that the former five-star recruit is positioned for a breakthrough senior year. Hicks ranked as the top defensive line prospect in the 2023 recruiting class.
"Not getting much preseason love but is going to dominate the league," a source said.
Hicks has yet to live up to his elite potential if his recruiting ranking means anything, but after witnessing his improvement last season, another offseason with S&C coach Tommy Moffitt should result in the former five-star DL becoming one of the more feared interior defenders this fall.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 2 Texas A&M defenders 'primed for huge 2026 seasons' per 247Sports