Aggie AM: Thursday, August 20

Howdy, 12th Man. Four Aggie football players landed on the Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team, led by Mario Craver’s first-team nod, and Terry Bussey grabbed the first badge of fall camp.

It’s Thursday, August 20 — here’s what you need to know to start your day.

The Big 3

1. The honors keep piling up: Beyond Mario Craver’s first-team spot on the SEC Coaches Preseason All-SEC team, three more Aggies made the list: center Mark Nabou Jr. on the second team, plus Terry Bussey and DJ Hicks on the third. The individual watch-list nods kept coming too, with Marcel Reed added to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm list and Craver to the Biletnikoff. Link, Link.
2. Volleyball’s title defense begins Friday: No. 8 A&M opens the season against Louisville at the AVCA First Serve in Milwaukee, then faces SMU on Sunday, with the home opener and banner-raising to follow the next week. First serve is Friday at 5 PM on ESPN2. Link
3. Kyndal’s Aggie Story: All Kyndal Stowers wanted was another chance to play volleyball. After four concussions and a forced medical retirement, she wasn’t sure that chance would ever come. At Texas A&M she found so much more, going from wondering if she would ever play again to standing beneath the confetti as a national champion. With the title defense opening Friday, it’s the story to watch today. Link
   

The Best Thing We Saw Yesterday

An Ocean Away, Still Tuned In

Gig ’em travels well. The Texas A&M Sports Network caught up with the Italy A&M Club, a group of former students who gather across the peninsula to follow Aggie football from thousands of miles away. It started with one Aggie listening to a game alone overseas, and it has grown into a whole community that proves the 12th Man shows up everywhere. Check it Out

The Rundown

SOCCER: Aggies Drop 3-2 Decision at Texas State
The road swing ended with a gut-punch. A&M led Texas State 2-1 into the final 12 minutes Wednesday, behind Trinity Buchanan’s goal 40 seconds in (the fifth-fastest in program history) and Ireland Churchill’s first career goal, but the Bobcats struck twice late to win 3-2. The Aggies outshot Texas State 17-11 and head home at 1-2 for Saturday’s home opener against Sam Houston. Link

FOOTBALL: Bussey Bags the First Camp Badge
The team rolled out badges this week, with players vying to collect them across six different superlatives. Terry Bussey’s one-handed grab earned him the Playmaker Badge, the first one of fall camp. Link

FOOTBALL: Valade Joins the Aggies After Reclassifying
The roster added a versatile piece Wednesday. Defensive back Loia Valade, a consensus three-star from Boca Raton, reclassified to join A&M effective immediately. The two-way standout piled up 43 catches for 664 yards and seven scores on offense to go with two interceptions on defense at McCallie School, helping the Chattanooga prep power to a 2024 state title. Link

SOFTBALL: Harger a National Assistant Coach of the Year Finalist
Associate head coach Jeff Harger is a finalist for D1 Softball’s 2026 National Assistant Coach of the Year. In his fifth season running the Aggie offense and infield, Harger has the bats rewriting the record book, including a .574 team slugging percentage last spring and top-25 national finishes in on-base percentage, batting average and home runs. Link

BASEBALL: Aggie Bats Making Noise in the Pros
Aggie baseball’s pros are making their mark. Braden Montgomery is doing B-Mont things with the White Sox, Jace Laviolette notched his first Double-A home run, and Jake Duer picked up his first hit as a pro. Link, Link, Link