10 Things for Tuesday

Here’s your latest dose of 10 Things for Tuesday, sponsored by Brent Campbell:

1. I haven’t said anything about this, but the situation involving Alabama and the suddenly re-eligible Charles Bediako. Bediako, as most of you know, has signed multiple NBA contracts but has yet to play in a pro game. He was, however, a member of the NBA’s G-League, so he was not only a professional, but was playing in basketball’s version of AAA. Or AA. Whatever. The point is he was a professional, in the United States, for multiple years. And poof! Suddenly he’s eligible to play college basketball again. 

And why is he eligible again? Because — predictably — Alabama found a judge who is an alum and major donor to athletics to make him eligible (or, at least, provide an injunction that will almost surely last through the season).

It’s dirty, it’s pathetic and it makes Alabama basketball — which is already known as a sleazy operation — look even sleazier. I can’t remember who posted this, but someone on X (Twitter) said that the two players who had the least business being eligible to play college basketball (the other being Brandon Miller) both played for Nate Oats.

It’s not like Alabama athletics has ever been known for playing by the rules — they may be a poster child for the opposite — but this is weak even for them. But it’s even weaker by the NCAA, who should be slamming the door hard on this arbitrarily. They should be proactive, not reactive, but that would be totally out of character for an organization that is softer than ice cream on a warm summer’s day. 

The NCAA should have said no, banned Bediako outright and said, “if you don’t like it, sue us.” Instead, they were caught flat-footed and are now having to be the one filing suit. 

In the span of 15 years, the NCAA has gone from “because we said so” to saying nothing, unless it’s a harshly worded statement. They fought against things where they should have looked for common ground — NIL — and now, since they lost in court, they’ve essentially stopped trying to enforce anything. It’s their version of, “Fine. So there.”

And now nobody respects or fears them. They haven’t shown much of a spine in quite some time, so why should they be respected or feared? 

Insanity is at a fever pitch in college sports, in large part due to a lack of leadership. If the NCAA is going to provide direction, then big time colleges need to develop an alternative — even if it hurts them in the short term. They may be laughing about screwing someone over now, but the time will come sooner as opposed to later that they get screwed over.

2. The final On3/Rivals rankings for 2026 came out this morning and Texas A&M ended up seventh nationally (third in the SEC). That comes after the Aggies finished seventh last year, and they’re certainly en route to a class that will be in the top five if not first when it’s all said and done for 2027.

In the two full classes under Mike Elko, the Aggies have started to stack talent from their recruiting classes. They’ve also done an excellent job using the transfer portal to fill in remaining needs and to buy time for players at positions where players could use it — as in both lines. With the transfer portal additions, Texas A&M can avoid situations like the the Sumlin era, where totally unprepared true freshmen were playing a lot because there was no one else to put out there. Now, true freshmen aren’t going to play unless they earn it or there’s a total disaster. 

The Aggies avoided disasters last year, so that’s why just a handful of players — Marco Jones, TK Norman, Jamarion Morrow, Landon Rink, Noah Mikhail — will be sophomores next year. The rest will be redshirt freshmen with a full year of development under their belts.

3. Which players from the 2026 class could end up burning their redshirts? It’s all speculation, of course, but a few certainly stand out. That list starts with RB KJ Edwards and CB Brandon Arrington. Both may be too talented to keep on the sideline. I’m not as sure on DE Bryce Perry-Wright, but he could contribute on a line that’s a bit undersized at end. I think at least one of the trio of Aaron Gregory, Madden Williams and Jayden Warren will play. But those are the only ones that come to mind quickly, meaning that this could be a very experienced team in 2026.

I’d just like to remind the world that the Texas A&M men’s basketball team is 16-4, 6-1 in the SEC and in sole possession of first place in the conference. They’re also unranked, which is borderline insanity at this point. Since losing two games in a row in mid-November, A&M is 14-2 with both losses in overtime. Are they going to run the table? Highly unlikely. Will they win the SEC regular season title? Don’t count on it. Are they a tournament team that should be in the top 25? You’d better believe it.

4. Something to watch: the Texas A&M record for the most double-doubles in a season belongs to Robert Williams, who had 11 during his freshman season. Rashaun Agee already has nine with 11 games left in the regular season.

5. Another stat, which is both amusing and sickening: the Aggies have made 229 3-pointers so far this season. They made 237 in all of 2024-25. I don’t know if there’s a more telling difference between the two teams than that one. Last year’s team made 30.7% of its threes; this year’s team is hitting 37.3% percent. 

6. I saw NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 draft prospects today, and three Texas A&M players were on it: Cashius Howell (17), KC Concepcion (32) and Chase Bisontis (49). That’s a pretty good showing, and Elko and his coaches deserve nearly all the credit. They brought in Howell and Concepcion, improved their level of play and moved Bisontis to a position where he could thrive (and a good position coach, to boot). It’ll be interesting to see how many make the top 50 next season — or, for that matter, after the all-star games and the combine.

7. There’s been discussion about whether Marcel Reed will go pro after next season, and my gut reaction was “yes, he’ll have been in college for four years.” A little research has me slowing my roll on that idea, and now it’s “he’d better have a really good year”. Next year’s draft will be very strong as far as quarterbacks go. Obviously, Arch Manning gets all the hype, but Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers (your mileage may vary on him), Julian Sayin, John Mateer, Sam Leavitt, Darian Mensah, Gunner Stockton, Brendan Sorsby and Trinidad Chambliss are just a few. 2028 looks to be a good bit weaker, and that may mean a higher draft slot and more guaranteed money in his rookie contract. Just a thought.

8. Preseason All-American lists are already starting to make the rounds, and the ones that I have seen do not have any Texas A&M players on them. Then again, they didn’t have many, if any, at this time last year either. So which Aggies have the best (or easiest) shot at an All-American nod? Reed is obviously a candidate, though it won’t be easy. Mario Craver has to be getting some looks as the season nears, and, if he produces like last year, he will very likely be an All-American. Another guy I’ll throw into the mix is DJ Hicks. Even though he was normally guy number three in a three-man rotation, Hicks was the most disruptive in terms of forcing a negative play per snap. Now that he’s going to start, he could put up big numbers if he continues to play at that level. Dezz Ricks has a shot at being an All-American if he picks off a few passes. And, for some reason, I just get this hunch Dalton Brooks will be in the mix for something.

Now, watch it be someone not even mentioned.

9. The next few days are big ones for a number of Texas A&M football players who are eligible for the 2026 draft. Five of them took part in East-West Shrine Game practices (but aren’t playing tonight) and Senior Bowl practices began today. Linebacker Taurean York and defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim apparently impressed at the Shrine Game practices, and right tackle Dametrious Crownover stood out during the first day of Senior Bowl practices, bullying big name defensive ends in one-on-ones. Outside of the NFL Combine these are the biggest money-making opportunities players entering the draft have.

10. On a very non-Texas A&M matter — can anybody give me a good reason Bill Belichick isn’t a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer? Yes, I know he’s a schmuck, he’s weird and his staff got busted for cheating. He also won six Super Bowls as a head coach and two as a defensive coordinator, and he wasn’t cheating for all of them. His record stands alone and, whether you like him or not, he deserves to be in Canton. Reporters being vindictive and petty when it comes to electing people to the hall of fame (baseball or football, primarily), makes me embarrassed for my profession. You guys know there are certain coaches I didn’t like, and there are some players I’m not fond of. But you’ve got to check your ego at the door and go off the resume. It’s shameful some people don’t get that and try to put the spotlight on themselves and some imagined crusade.

Our sponsor

Sponsored by Brent Campbell, Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 1998. Brent is a Commercial Real Estate Broker, serving all of Central Texas and specializing in sales, leasing & development. He leads a retail acquisition and sales team and was recognized by the Austin Business Journal as a Commercial Real Estate Heavy Hitter in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 & 2023.

In the last 22 years, he has closed deals with a total transactional value of over $375 million and has leased more than 4.5 million square feet. Brent currently serves as the president of the board of directors for Habitat Homes, Inc. and Pathways Youth and Family Services. He is a former president of the Heart of Round Rock Neighborhood Association and a former member of the Round Rock Zoning Advisory Committee, the Round Rock Business and Retention Committee, and the City of Round Rock Ethics Commission, which has led him to begin developing in Williamson and Travis County.

An Austin native, Brent lives in Round Rock where he and his wife have raised four boys. Brent works for Don Quick and Associates, Inc. in Round Rock, TX and can be reached at [email protected].