The 2025-26 campaign presents a crucial fork in the road for Texas A&M women’s basketball. The program seeks to reshape expectations and restore its competitive standing in the Southeastern Conference after a difficult 2024-25 season, which concluded in a 10-19 overall record and a 3-13 finish in conference play. Olympic gold medalist coach Joni Taylor returns for her fourth season at the helm, still looking for a breakthrough after multiple disappointing seasons.
The new squad will open at home in Reed Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 5, against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders — a matchup that offers A&M a chance to set the tone early and start the pressure-filled rebuild off on the right foot. After last season’s results, the Aggies intend to lean into improved health and leadership to reshape their narrative. The season ahead will be framed by the program internally, and from the 12th Man as a “prove-it year” — one in which the Aggies must show real improvement or risk further decline.
However, there is optimism for this upcoming season, which stems from a full and more stable roster, something the Aggies have lacked in recent years due to injuries and significant player turnover.
This year the Maroon and White will hope that a full complement of 15 healthy players at the outset gives the team a better foundation from which to build. The presence of veterans like graduate student forward Lauren Ware offer experience, while younger and newly arrived players hope to fill out missing roles to elevate the team’s standard.
A notable influx of international talent — headlined by London-native junior forward Fatmata Janneh — underscores the Aggies’ new direction in recruiting. As Taylor pointed out at SEC Media Days, the program features five international players this season, an indication of the global reach to create a stable and competitive team. That stability will come with uncertainty, as 12 new Aggies will debut in front of the 12th Man this season.
Even with a healthier, more talented roster, a return to success won’t be guaranteed. The SEC remains one of the toughest leagues in women’s college basketball, and A&M must not only stay healthy, but also rebuild while facing some of the most aggressive teams in the nation. Taylor’s 11-37 record in SEC play underscores how difficult her tenure in College Station has been, but with a new and healthy roster, the Aggies hope to lay a strong foundation for the future.
The Aggies’ season hit rock bottom when the Maroon and White committed 32 turnovers in a 77-37 SEC Tournament loss to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers — a microcosm of A&M’s season once star guard Aicha Coulibaly went down with a knee injury in her final collegiate season. In a post-Coulibaly world, Janneh is poised to carry the offense given her 18.2 points and 2.4 assists per game last season for Saint Peter’s.
Supplying Janneh from the backcourt, junior G Janae Kent figures to shoulder more of an offensive load in her second season in Aggieland. The former LSU transfer scored double figures eight times while playing the second-most minutes on the team in 2024, often using her physicality to slash her way into the paint.
Taylor brings both national experience and ambition; she was the recipient of the 2025 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award, and an Olympic gold medalist — highlighting her success as both a coach and athlete in the sport.
As College Station braces for tip-off and the first whistles of the season, expectations among fans may be modest but hopeful. But only time will tell as the 2025-26 season presents a true opportunity, one that will be tracked, judged and remembered by those in Maroon and White.
