It wasn’t just David Pollack, but even Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt joined that ‘believe train’ of this one SEC team that has CFP capabilities. Funny thing is, they barely made the Top 25 Coaches Poll, coming in at No. 21. Klatt released his preseason rankings for the 2025 season, placing them at No. 16. So, what are they going to do about it?

That’s the question that’s hanging over College Station like thick summer humidity. Texas A&M Aggies — the same team that stumbled down the stretch last season — is earning serious buzz from voices who know the game inside out. Pollack didn’t mince words when laying out why he’s all in on the Aggies in 2025. “I think that people are going to realize about A&M, I think their offense is going to be a problem this year because you look across the line of scrimmage on that O-line, like they got a lot of bodies, a lot of girth.

“They got Bell at running back, who’s going to do your eyeballs. They got a QB that can absolutely fly and can throw the football. They’ve built it with weapons, I think that are quick, elusive, can add the jet sweep component, and the plus one in the running game. I think with Marcel Reed is going to be a big deal and it’s going to be very difficult. So I had A&M on that tier as well with those teams.”

Pollack’s breakdown hits all the right notes: girth in the trenches, dynamic skill guys, and a quarterback in Marcel Reed who adds a legitimate run-pass dimension. He’s right to highlight Rueben Owens’ backfield running mate, Le’Veon Moss, whose downhill violence and lateral bounce can give defenses fits. “The offense has a lot coming back,” even the Fox rival analyst, Klatt, said the same. Throw in a healthy mix of misdirection and outside-zone motion, and suddenly Reed’s legs become lethal in short-yardage and red zone calls. This system is not just dangerous — it’s deliberate.

Then came Joel Klatt with the alley-oop. While the Aggies haven’t exactly been darlings of the preseason pollsters, Klatt sees the long game. It’s a bet rooted in infrastructure, not hype. “I believe in their head coach. I think that this fan base deserves it because they’ve supported this program at a top-10 level, and have not gotten top-10 results from their team,” Klatt said. “They’ve got the right guy now, and he can bring this thing to fruition. I’m talking about Texas A&M.”

Mike Elko’s presence has already started to reshape the tone in Aggieland. He’s brought in discipline, simplified the defensive reads, and isn’t afraid to build around the players he inherited. With 15 combined starters returning — a rare luxury in today’s portal-saturated game — the Aggies might finally have both continuity and coaching vision working in sync. And Klatt, like many others quietly watching the build, sees the fan base’s patience nearing its reward. “Texas A&M is a sleeping giant, folks,” he said. “They’re absolutely a sleeping giant. And the more that I looked at A&M over the offseason, the more that I liked them.”

A&M’s journey to contention has always been more about emotional scars than recruiting rankings. They’ve had the talent — the blue-chip ratios prove that. But they’ve also had three head coaches in under a decade, an identity crisis on offense, and a fan base tired of seeing 8–5 seasons masquerading as progress. As Klatt noted, “I believe Elko will get the defense going. That’s his history. The schedule then becomes the difficult part… I’m a huge, huge bet on the future guy with A&M. I think Elko is going to turn it around. I think that Texas A&M, again, is a bit of a sleeping giant. I think they can, and will, be a top-10 team here in the next couple of seasons.”

All eyes are on QB Marcel Reed

In College Station, belief is starting to bubble up like a brisket smoker at dawn. The reason? The redshirt sophomore QB1 who’s starting to look like the answer Texas A&M has been searching for. All eyes remain on Marcel Reed, and after Tuesday’s press conference, it’s clear the staff sees something special brewing under center.

“He’s a lot more comfortable going through the progressions,” head coach Mike Elko said. “Are the eyes getting to the windows the same time as the routes getting to the windows? That’s how we’re going to improve our passing game… That is coming. You’re seeing that get better each and every day.”

That’s not just coach-speak. Reed quietly finished last season with a surge, averaging over 250 passing yards and 2 touchdowns per game in his final four outings. That closing stretch turned heads in the building—and it’s a big reason why the Aggies are considered a dark-horse CFP contender.

Offensive coordinator Collin Klein followed Elko at the podium, clearly impressed with Reed’s football IQ. “He comes from a football family and has been around it his whole life,” Klein said, a nod to the quarterback’s calm command of the offense. And then came defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, putting a bow on the hype. “The team believes in Marcel,” Bateman said. With the full offensive line returning and a loaded backfield, this might finally be the year A&M has its passer—and the team—to match the noise.