9. Wade Taylor IV
It’s been an impressive journey already for Taylor, who has become the backbone at Texas A&M across his last three seasons in College Station. He originally came board as a freshman in 2021 and played a major role, mostly off the bench, in a season where the Aggies marched all the way to the NIT title game. After a massive step forward as a sophomore, Taylor’s production only continued to grow last season in year three with this program, becoming one of the best guards in the SEC.
Taylor’s junior year saw him average 19.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, winning First Team All-SEC honors for a second year in a row. Taylor finished 3rd in the SE in both points and steals, with decent shooting numbers and consistency from the charity stripe. He was the total package for a Texas A&M team that won 21 games and was back in the NCAA Tournament, pushing top-seed Houston to the brink in the second round.
Similar if not greater expectations exist for Texas A&M this season and even more of the load will fall on Taylor’s shoulders. Tyrece Radford is gone, removing the only other double-digit scorers from last season’s unit. There’s significant returning talent in the frontcourt, but the Aggies will be leaning heavily on Taylor not just running the show but playing strong ball on both sides of the court. If he continues his growth, he should be one of the SEC’s best backcourt presences this year.