10 Things for Tuesday

Here’s your latest edition of 10 Things for Tuesday, and this week, we’re handing out hardware for some of the standouts from the regular season:

1. Offensive MVP: Marcel Reed. This wasn’t an easy choice, but nearly 3,400 yards of total offense and 31 touchdowns is some quality work. He has emerged as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation, and he’s still got plenty of room for growth.

Defensive MVP: Cashius Howell. This one was an easy choice. With 11.5 sacks and a likely first-team All-American designation coming his way, Howell has to get the nod. 

2. Newcomers of the year (Offense): Wide receivers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver. It’s gotten to the point where it’s hard to mention one without the other. The two have combined for more than 1,800 yards of total offense (well over 2,000 if you include Concepcion’s punt returns) and 15 touchdowns. Both are over 800 receiving yards and have a shot at 1,000 if A&M wins a game in the CFP. 

Newcomer of the year (Defense): Defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim wins this one going away. He shattered all of his personal bests this year, with 46 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks, including one that nearly put Arch Manning through the walls of DKR. He’s been fantastic and far better than anyone could have expected.

3. Overlooked transfer to Aggie legend award: Goes to TE Nate Boerkircher. The supposed blocking tight end shattered all of his career marks, catching 17 passes for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns — including the game-winner at Notre Dame. For good measure, he carried the ball 3 times for 5 yards and a touchdown against LSU. He also trucked a defender against South Carolina, pushed Concepcion and a Mississippi State defender into the end zone…and yes, he blocked.

4. Comeback player of the year (Offense): Running back Rueben Owens gets the nod here. After missing nearly all of last season, Owens returned to lead the team in rushing with 618 yard while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

Comeback player of the year (Defense): Cornerback Dezz Ricks didn’t get hurt in 2024, he just got worn down and then battered by opponents. This year, he was arguably the best cornerback on the team, with 23 tackles, 6 passes defensed and 9 forced incompletions. He’ll enter 2026 as one of the top returning corners in the SEC.

5. Surprise impact player of the year (offense): Running back EJ Smith. Smith was fifth on the depth chart coming into the season, and he ended it with the Aggies’ final touchdown of the regular season against Texas. He ended up with 191 yards rushing on 40 carries — many in high pressure situations — and scored 4 touchdowns.

Surprise impact player of the year (defense): Linebacker Daymion Sanford didn’t have to work his way up the depth chart — he was already the third linebacker in a rotation — but nobody could have anticipated he would put up All-SEC caliber numbers once he stepped into the starting lineup against Notre Dame. Sanford racked up 50 tackles, 9 TFL, 3.5 sacks, picked off a pass and forced two fumbles.

Most improved player award (offense): Wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman didn’t do much in his true freshman season and was hardly a factor in the first half of this year. Then the Arkansas game arrived and he had 4 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown and he took off. He had 139 yards against South Carolina, an amazing one-handed grab against LSU and 2 touchdowns on his only two receptions against Samford. He ended up with 20 catches for 459 yards and 5 touchdowns for the year, with 15 of those receptions and 373 of the 459 yards coming in the last six games. For the year, he averaged 23 yards a catch.

6. Most improved player award (defense): Defensive tackle DJ Hicks did precisely zilch in the first two games of the 2025 season — no tackles, no assists, nothing. But, starting with a big tackle for loss early in the Notre Dame game, Hicks became borderline unstoppable. He had 22 tackles for the season, but made them count with 6.5 TFL and 3 sacks. Hicks easily surpassed his combined career totals for tackles for loss and sacks this season and will get plenty of attention in his senior year.

7. Game of the year: There are a few candidates, but the week 3 win at Notre Dame was a critical and special one. It had a little bit of everything, all the way down to a then-unknown tight end catching the game-winning pass and me changing my flight for the next day during the second quarter since it was already so late. It may have been the biggest road win of the year for any team and looks really good right now.

8. Play of the year: I’ve already pointed to Reed’s touchdown pass to Boerkircher against Notre Dame a few times, so let’s go with Reed’s 86-yard touchdown pass to Mario Craver in that same game. Notre Dame’s safety bit down hard when he saw Reed roll to his left and Boerkircher heading to the flat, and Craver went right by him. It should have been a 30-yard play, but two Irish defenders got flung aside when Craver spun, allowing him to break free for a score that A&M needed for their own confidence. After that, the Aggies knew they could move the ball on the Fighting Irish and anyone else.

9. Opposing stadium clearout of the year: Tie — Tiger Stadium and Faurot Field.

10. Aggies with real All-SEC chances: Reed, Craver, Concepcion, the entire offensive line (but Chase Bisontis especially), Howell, Onyedim