Texas A&M Aggies ink key playmaker to record-setting deal as they gear up for CFP hopes beyond this season
The Texas A&M Aggies lock up a key part of their future ahead of College Football Playoff showdown with a record-setting NIL deal for Mario Craver
The Texas A&M Aggies are gearing up for their pivotal College Football Playoff match against the Miami Hurricanes. Despite plenty of change around the program for the present, the Aggies haven’t forsaken investing into their future.
Just days after quarterback Marcel Reed announced his return to Texas A&M for 2026, the Aggies earned another massive win with a key playmaker returning for next season.
Mario Craver Locks in as Highest-Paid Aggie WR
Craver was a sensational transfer portal find for the Aggies this season in his sophomore year. The former Mississippi State Bulldog finished second on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns this season, emerging as a reliable big play threat whenever he touched the ball. Occupying the slot receiver role for A&M, Craver’s production diminished later in the year as he battled a nagging injury over the last few weeks, but he still proved to be a threat even while playing through injury.
He finished the regular season with 825 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 52 receptions. Additionally, Craver’s 523 yards after the catch this season finished seventh in the country. There’s a reason the Aggies inked him to a deal that made him the highest-paid wide receiver in program history.
With Craver set to return alongside another breakout player in Ashton Bethel-Roman, the Aggies will have two of their top three receivers from their 11-1 2025 season back to return next season. We’ll see if they get aggressive in the portal to replace KC Concepcion’s role or if they trust the young talent in the room to take the next step up.
For now, the Aggies enter their matchup against Miami with plenty of momentum on their side and their future secured. Head coach Mike Elko, quarterback Marcel Reed, and now Craver have all inked extensions over the past month, and A&M has their coordinators on both sides of the ball set for the foreseeable future.
Many will wonder about the irony of announcing a deal like this, as it’s akin to an NFL contract, but that’s the way the modern game is going. A&M fans can rest easy that the program is taking care of its own and putting its vast resources to good use in a college football landscape getting wilder and wilder.
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