Texas A&M included in 'Next five' of ESPN's preseason Top 25 rankings

Texas A&M's basketball program is in good hands under coach Bucky McMillan, who is entering his second season at the helm after leading the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament last month, but after building his first roster completely from the transfer portal, losing most of his starters, including star forward Rashaun Agee, was guaranteed.

As soon as the transfer portal opened, McMillan and his staff went to work, first adding star transfer shooting guard PJ Haggerty, followed by former Samford/Radford guard Lukas Walls and Tennessee transfer forward Cade Phillips, who will serve as key depth pieces after losing most of last season's bench.

After a short pause, the Aggies hit the jackpot once more, receiving the news that star forward Mackenzie Mgbako is set to return, while landing a commitment from NBA G-League guard Bryson Warren, followed by commitments from former LSU guard Jalen Reece, McNeese transfer guard Tyshawn Archie, and, as of Sunday, LMU transfer forward Jalen Shelley. Texas A&M should be considered a preseason Top 25 team entering the summer.

However, given the blue-blood basketball programs that have reloaded, especially the Texas Longhorns, ESPN's early preseason rankings placed the Aggies as the fifth team among the "next five" programs, just outside the Top 25, behind UCLA, , BYU, and the .