Texas A&M Aggies had their first season with Mike Elko, and it certainly is looking like they can dream again. They finished the season at 8-5, which is an improvement on their 7-6 finish in the 2023 season. Only if a few games had gone as planned we might have seen them even playing the SEC championship. And there are aspects where Elko has made significant improvements with the Aggies that may not look on the surface in their 8-5 season finish. And here is why.
The first and foremost addition to their optimism was when Marcel Reed stepped up in place of Weigman. The redshirt freshman started most of their games and looked the real deal in his first season as starting QB. Apart from that, Texas A&M also utilized the transfer portal well in their 2024 class and added a whopping 28 transfers. Their freshman recruitment in 2025 was also quite good, as they added 25 enrollees to their freshman roster. That was just the first season of Mike Elko. Surely, the second will go much better, right? Well, there’s a slight hiccup.
Although their 2026 class is looking quite capable, they are ranked 2nd in terms of total commits and 4th ranked overall. But they have been handed some disappointing news. As their 4-star tight end, Xavier Tiller has de-committed from the program. He committed to the Aggies in November 2024 and has left the class with only 1 tight end as of now. Although Caleb Tafua, the only tight end left in the A&M 2026 class, is quite good and is ranked 193 overall. But he still is not as good as Tiller. Xavier has an overall 124th ranking and also outmatches him in several aspects. But the question now is, where is Tiller going after all?
Kyle Rush, who runs a college football podcast on YouTube, speculated on Tiller’s potential move ahead. “Xavier Tiller, a four-star tight end from Langston Hughes High School, is decommitted from Texas A&M. Kind of a surprise commitment to Texas A&M and is now possibly on his way to Auburn. We’ll have to see.”. And, mind you, this is not just speculation, as Xavier Tiller had also hinted at joining the program with his statements.
“I don’t have anything set right now, but I plan on getting all that set next week. I’m definitely taking one to Auburn.” He said that when he was at the Under Armour Atlanta camp recently this month. He also had praised the Auburn tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua and liked Auburn’s tendency to use tight ends in their offenses.
“We’ve got a great bond. He (Aigamaua) hits me up, like, every day. Even after I committed, he would still hit me up, so it really showed he still had an interest in me”. Well, the statement does highlight that Auburn, too, is seriously pursuing Xavier. Now that he is decommitted, his commitment to Auburn is looking very much on the cards. But why is there so much buzz on Xavier? What does he actually bring to the table?
Is Xavier Tiller the real deal?
At 6 foot 5 and weighing 225 pounds, he is an inbuilt beast. Furthermore, he possesses athleticism that can be used both in air raid offenses and rushing offenses. A Langston Hughes High School graduate from Georgia, he also had a phenomenal sophomore season with his team. He caught more than 25 passes and totaled 352 yards, scoring 7 touchdowns. Furthermore, his rushing stats are also looking quite good. But he primarily features in receiving duties. The verdict?
Well, Xavier Tiller’s departure will certainly create a temporary void in the Aggies’ 2026 roster. But that doesn’t mean Coach Elko doesn’t have that knack to land similar prospects. Still, their 2026 roster has some decent blue-chip prospects like Edge Jordan Carter, WR Aaron Gregory, and Caleb Tafua, their sole TE. Jordan Carter, especially, is a nearly 5-star prospect who is ranked 79th nationally and 9th in his position. So, Aggies may well have a temporary cause for worry after Tiller’s departure. But, most likely, they will cope.
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