Mario Craver's evolution helps elevate Texas A&M to new heights as Aggies enter critical stretch run

Mario Craver didn't ease his way into the national conversation. No, he exploded early, defenses adjusted and he's evolving again heading into one of the biggest stretches in Texas A&M football history.

The superstar transfer has helped put No. 3 Texas A&M on the map as a national title contender, torching defenders for 443 yards and four touchdowns in his first three games, including a 207-yard eruption in a 41-40 win at Notre Dame that jolted the sport. His name zipped across highlight shows, and big brands like C4 Energy and Panini America called. Overnight, his face became as recognizable as his foot speed.

"Obviously," said Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, "as he's become more of a known commodity, people have paid a lot more attention to him."

And that's the rub: notoriety has its advantages and disadvantages.

Defenses seemingly couldn't keep up with the 5-foot-9 speedster at the beginning of the season, so they stopped pretending they could run with him and made adjustments. They bracketed him on coverages, boxing his snake-like moves to prevent the home-run ball. He's still averaging 54.6 yards per game on receptions over the last five contests, but he hasn't scored.

"They're basically not letting the big play happen," Craver said. "They keep me in front and come up to make tackles."

The Aggies have countered the new defensive alignments by spreading the production to more weapons, particularly in the last two games. Freshman Ashton Bethel-Roman has emerged with 130 combined yards, Reuben Owens II has 113 yards and two touchdowns and NC State transfer KC Concepcion has piled up 98 yards and a pair of scores on eight catches in that stretch.

Even as defenses tilt toward him, Elko insists Craver's fingerprints remain on the game.

"I still think as you go through each game we've played, he's found a way to have a major impact in each game that we've had," Elko said.

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Indeed, that's Craver's modus operandi. He's fast and elusive, as evidenced by his peaking at 21.8 mph on a 72-yard touchdown catch in Week 2. He also ranks as the nation's sixth-fastest receiver in separation, according to Teamworks. The production has slowed, but defenses haven't slowed his influence on the Aggies.

Craver's adaptability popped up on recruiting radars in 2023, when schools like Alabama and Auburn came calling as he helped guide a loaded Clay-Chalkville team to a Class 6A state title in Alabama. His title-game duel against Saraland star Ryan Williams, now a superstar at Alabama, was a preview of Saturdays in the SEC. 

"I remember a lot of explosive plays, a lot of fireworks in that game. It was basically what you get in the SEC, comp on comp," Craver said. "I tell people all the time that is one of the craziest games I've ever played in."

That championship game against Saraland was a classic, loaded with stars -- 10 future Power Four players were on the rosters, including half a dozen blue chips. 

Williams put up 343 total yards and four touchdowns, breaking the title-game record with 232 receiving yards. Craver, who caught six passes for 142 yards and two scores, had the last laugh. Clay-Chalkville ended Saraland's 20-game winning streak by stopping Williams' crew at the 2-yard line as time expired on a 31-28 victory.

Williams, not Craver, was named the state's Mr. Football for a second straight year.

"He's just as good (as Williams)," Clay-Chalkville coach Stuart Floyd said. 

Two years later, that debate has spilled into the SEC. Williams arrived with the bigger recruiting rating. Craver has been the more productive receiver this fall: 716 yards to Williams' 495.

Interestingly, both players moved from outside spots to slot receiver positions this fall with varying levels of success.

"The one difference is you've been able to see this year is that they've moved Ryan inside a lot more and he just doesn't look as comfortable playing inside as he did outside," Floyd said. "Mario is one that you can really put anywhere. He understands the linebacker movement and is able to find windows and run option routes. That's his game. He's a better fit for that."

Craver mostly played as an outside receiver at Mississippi State in 2024, where he missed three games with an injury but still managed 17 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns. He entered the portal after the season and transferred to Texas A&M to "be the guy in the room somewhere that wasn't close to home. I wanted to start my own thing." 

The move inside has been a challenge, especially as defenses squeeze him after his explosive start to the season. Backet coverage has provided hurdles.

"It's definitely making me add a little more to my game and do something when I get the ball in my hands instead of going downfield and getting passes," Craver said.

Elko knows he's still learning, too.

"People forget it's just his second year of college football," said Elko. "He's been really, really impressive."

Floyd calls him "slithery" on the field, a player who sees coverages before they unfold. In high school, Craver would literally move teammates around before snaps to get himself into the best possible space.

"It would drive me crazy," Floyd said. "He would try to pre-position himself where he thought the ball might be going. He'd play Z, our outside receiver to the right, the play call would come in, and he'd move people around because of where he thought the ball may go."

When he got irritated in practice, he'd jump to the scout team and challenge the starters.

"He's a highly, highly competitive person," Floyd said.

Craver was a four-star prospect and the No. 42 receiver nationally in 2024 after winning two state titles, according to 247Sports. He was rated the 24th best player in the state of Alabama. 

He never cared about the rankings.

"I knew since high school that ratings didn't mean anything. I knew guys that were rated higher than me that I went against and I thought I was better than them," Craver said. 

Now with the Aggies, the program heads into a top 25 showdown at Missouri with an 8-0 record for the first time since 1992. They're averaging 45 points in road games, the most in the FBS. Quarterback Marcel Reed is in the mix as a Heisman Trophy contender. 

And yet it still seems the Aggies are being overlooked as a title contender because of their decades-long reputation as a late-season fader. They've lost seven straight SEC road games in the month of November.

That sentiment is fine with the Aggies, Craver said.

"If you've never won anything, they can't really say anything about you until you win something," he said. "So we have to go win something."