Through eight games of its 2026 season, Texas A&M football is in turmoil. Although it was the defense that suffered arguably the most losses through the 2025 NFL Draft, it has been the offense that has been unable to gain a foothold despite returning the same starter under center.

Whether it's a new offensive line or the inaccuracy of quarterback Marcel Reed, the Aggies have been left stagnant on the attack, and costly turnovers have left them having to claw out of ditches against seemingly every Power 4 opponent. While the quarterback is usually the position under the most scrutiny, there may be a broader issue at hand.

After losing former offensive coordinator Collin Klein to his decision to coach his alma mater, head coach Mike Elko promoted wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins to assume the same role. Hoping to pick up where his predecessor left off, it has been a fruitless wish, as regression across the board has plunged the Aggies into a 1-5 Southeastern Conference record.

A losing product results in a fair share of the blame, but in this case, there are plenty of areas to attribute the inefficiency to. So where do we start, and how was A&M so blindsided by this complete fall from grace? Let's take a look below.

Quarterback Dilemma

It's easy to blame Elko for not bringing in a veteran quarterback to sit behind Reed this year, but after the 2025 season, it would be almost impossible to expect the level of drop-off he has displayed. At this point last year, Reed had already accounted for more than 20 touchdowns through the air and on the ground with six interceptions; in 2026, he has less than half his previous mark with eight interceptions.

In his recent matchups against ranked opponents, Reed has just a 57.7% completion rate with four picks and just two touchdowns. Additionally, his performance against Alabama was his fifth straight game passing under 200 yards. While Wiggins shares some of the blame for his inability to scheme receivers open and quality checkdowns, Reed has, time and time again, tossed a ball into the dirt and killed drives.

His rushing ability, which used to be a key part of his game, has been left as a shell of its former self, as he has run for over 25 yards just twice this season. Wiggins has had the chance to work with his quarterback, but the synergy fans and critics were expecting them to have together has just never truly clicked in meaningful games.

Portal Additions

All things considered, the new members of the Aggies' offensive line have fared well in recent weeks, but they have still left the offense wanting for more. The new age of NIL and the transfer portal has meant that college football goes through a free agency period, and like the NFL, there are studs and duds brought in to replace departing starters.

For A&M, it lost four starters in the NFL Draft, all of which getting drafted and landing on 53-man rosters. Their replacements? Well, they have struggled to fill in their shoes to say the least. Reed was sacked just 10 times through the regular season in 2025; fast-forward to this year, and he has been wrapped up behind the line of scrimmage on 14 occasions already.

Underclassmen like Lamont Rogers and Sam Roseborough have gotten their chance at starting due to injuries and inefficiency, and the growing pains of finding the line of the future have kept the Aggies from getting their offense to its maximum potential.

No More Excuses

Against Missouri, Reed and the offense had one of their worst performances of the season, rewarding an admirable defensive effort from defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill's unit with just six points. A completion rate of 48.7% and being sacked three times kept Reed on his toes the whole afternoon, even tossing a pair of interceptions that, while tipped, were still thrown off target.

Compare that the performance against the Crimson Tide, which, despite back-to-back interceptions thrown by Reed, was one of his best outings of the year against Power 4 competition. For two quarters following his blunders, the Nashville native looked poised and in control, as the Aggies maintained a small lead at the start of the third quarter. But that is when everything came undone.

After running back KJ Edwards seemed poised for a breakout game, the rookie rusher was virtually absent in the second half, when the Aggies seemed to abandon the run. Kicker David Olano was brought in to fix A&M's kicking situation, which he has done with flying colors, but even he was neutralized as the Aggies couldn't get the ball moving in the fourth quarter.

Apart from Olano and the young band of running backs, the offense has had very few reminders of what a productive unit looked like a year ago. But the blame does not rest solely on the players; if Wiggins can't get his pieces into the fold, there's no offense to come.