No Mass Exodus: Texas A&M Football’s No. 1 class is just fine

Texas A&M football had no mass exodus from the Transfer Portal this offseason. That No. 1 class from last year is looking just fine.

When Texas A&M Football bottomed out with a 5-7 record and no bowl appearance, rumors of a devastating demise via the Transfer Portal were everyone. The No. 1 class that the Aggies had “bought” surely wouldn’t stick around following one of college football’s most disappointing seasons in recent history, right?

Wrong, apparently.

When looking beyond the aggregated numbers at the individuals, it’s clear that the historic 2022 Texas A&M football wasn’t devastated by the portal. Denver Harris and Chris Marshall were the headline departures, as well as the likes of PJ Williams, Smoke Bouie, Ish Harris, and Marquis Groves-Killebrew.

Denver Harris, Marshall and Williams were suspended during portions of this past season. They never were able to realize their potential on the field in Aggieland and likely were never going to given the off-the-field issues. Their choosing to leave isn’t as much a sign of a program in decline as it is of individuals that had already fallen out of favor with the current staff.

As for Boiue, Ish Harris and Groves-Killebrew, none of that trio had carved out a sizable role either, and that’s without suspensions looming overheard. They fall into the churn that’s become normal in college football today.

Keeping 100 percent of any class just isn’t going to happen. What really matters is keeping the core building block pieces. Connor Weigman? He’s sticking around. Evan Stewart? He’s coming back too. That terrifying haul of 5-star defensive linemen? Yeah, they’ll be in College Station next season as well.

Contrary to popular belief, there’s been no exodus in College Station. Texas A&M Football is going to be just fine and — if things continue as they should — they’ll have a new offensive coordinator to take the program to new heights in 2023 and beyond.