3 months ago
Texas A&M's 14th preseason practice was the final time those of us in the media were allowed to watch the Aggies in a live setting before the 2026 season opener, which is less than two weeks away, as third-year coach Mike Elko and his staff are close to solidifying the final depth chart before hosting Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 5.
While the Aggies' secondary and wide receiver rotation are by far the deepest units on the roster, Texas A&M's tight end room, which, on paper, is led by senior Micah Riley, one of the program's five team captains, replacing Nate Boerkircher, who led the room in receiving yards and touchdowns last season, will be tough to replace as a blocker and receiver.
Still, Riley is highly dependable as a blocker and should take a step as a receiver in the short and intermediate passing game, but given the depth and NFL talent at wide receiver, the 2026 tight end doesn't need to light up the scoreboard, but outside of Micah Riley, redshirt freshman TE Kiotti Armstrong continues to be a name to watch given his 6'5", 285-pound frame and improved receiving skills.
During Saturday's 14th practice, Texas A&M's media team released several videos from the scrimmage, including Kiotti Armstrong's impressive catch in traffic, off a perfectly thrown deep ball from starting quarterback Marcel Reed. Again, this, like most clips, is a small sample size, but intriguing nonetheless.
Similar to LSU tight end Trey'Dez Green, if Armstrong can become a serviceable receiver and improve as an inline blocker, Texas A&M's 2026 passing attack will be nearly impossible to slow down, especially if new OC Holmon Wiggins utilizes Marcel Reed's dual-threat skill set, combined with the new offensive line gelling early in the year.
#riley #micah #kiotti #armstrong
While the Aggies' secondary and wide receiver rotation are by far the deepest units on the roster, Texas A&M's tight end room, which, on paper, is led by senior Micah Riley, one of the program's five team captains, replacing Nate Boerkircher, who led the room in receiving yards and touchdowns last season, will be tough to replace as a blocker and receiver.
Still, Riley is highly dependable as a blocker and should take a step as a receiver in the short and intermediate passing game, but given the depth and NFL talent at wide receiver, the 2026 tight end doesn't need to light up the scoreboard, but outside of Micah Riley, redshirt freshman TE Kiotti Armstrong continues to be a name to watch given his 6'5", 285-pound frame and improved receiving skills.
During Saturday's 14th practice, Texas A&M's media team released several videos from the scrimmage, including Kiotti Armstrong's impressive catch in traffic, off a perfectly thrown deep ball from starting quarterback Marcel Reed. Again, this, like most clips, is a small sample size, but intriguing nonetheless.
Similar to LSU tight end Trey'Dez Green, if Armstrong can become a serviceable receiver and improve as an inline blocker, Texas A&M's 2026 passing attack will be nearly impossible to slow down, especially if new OC Holmon Wiggins utilizes Marcel Reed's dual-threat skill set, combined with the new offensive line gelling early in the year.
#riley #micah #kiotti #armstrong
3 months ago
Texas A&M's 2026 tight end room will be led by senior Micah Riley, who is one of five team captains entering the new campaign, while redshirt freshman Kiotti Armstrong and transfer portal additions Houston Thomas and Richie Anderson fill out the rest of the revamped room after Nate Boerkircher, who was selected in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, led all A&M tight ends in receiving and touchdowns last season.
Losing Boerkircher's skill set as an inline blocker and reliable receiver places pressure on Micah Riley to step up as the full-time starter in most 11-personnel looks next season, but under new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, the expectation is that Houston Thomas and Richie Anderson will be heavily utilized in pass sets, while Armstrong, depending on his development over the next three weeks, remains the outlier.
Houston Thomas is a College Station native, and while A&M did not offer him out of high school, he has a close relationship with third-year coach Mike Elko going back to his high school playing days, and, during his final season at UTSA, Thomas reeled in 34 receptions for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns, and enters his final collegiate season with the 5th most receiving yards from a tight end in career (916).
During the first two practices, Thomas has reportedly looked the part as a receiver, thriving in the seam given his size advantage and sure hands, which was captured by Texas A&M's media team this week. Similar to Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton, Thomas's large catch radius and experience as one of UTSA's No. 1 receiving targets should make him one of starting quarterback Marcel Reed's top targets this fall.
Contact/Follow us AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: CameronOhnysty.
#follow #micah #riley
Losing Boerkircher's skill set as an inline blocker and reliable receiver places pressure on Micah Riley to step up as the full-time starter in most 11-personnel looks next season, but under new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, the expectation is that Houston Thomas and Richie Anderson will be heavily utilized in pass sets, while Armstrong, depending on his development over the next three weeks, remains the outlier.
Houston Thomas is a College Station native, and while A&M did not offer him out of high school, he has a close relationship with third-year coach Mike Elko going back to his high school playing days, and, during his final season at UTSA, Thomas reeled in 34 receptions for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns, and enters his final collegiate season with the 5th most receiving yards from a tight end in career (916).
During the first two practices, Thomas has reportedly looked the part as a receiver, thriving in the seam given his size advantage and sure hands, which was captured by Texas A&M's media team this week. Similar to Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton, Thomas's large catch radius and experience as one of UTSA's No. 1 receiving targets should make him one of starting quarterback Marcel Reed's top targets this fall.
Contact/Follow us AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: CameronOhnysty.
#follow #micah #riley
