Texas A&M unable to play in 2021 Gator Bowl due to COVID-19 issues

No. 25 Texas A&M’s 2021 Taxslayer Gator Bowl matchup with No. 17 Wake Forest has been canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the A&M program. The Aggies will officially conclude the 2021 season with an 8-4 record.

The Gator Bowl is currently searching for a replacement and is officially the first bowl of the 2021-2022 bowl season to be affected by this wave of COVID-19. Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger was the first to report the news.

It is unclear exactly how many Aggies have been put into COVID-19 protocols, but combined with opt-outs and other injuries, the Maroon & White have apparently fallen below the threshold required to travel and participate in a bowl game.

The cancelation is a disappointing end to what was a somewhat disappointing 2021 campaign. Aside from an upset of No. 1 Alabama on October 9, the Aggies largely underachieved coming off a 9-1 season in 2020, a year that also featured a cancelation due to COVID-19. Texas A&M entered the season with national championship aspirations, but an injury to starting quarterback Haynes King and subsequent losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State derailed those hopes. Still, the Aggies appeared to be positioned for a second-consecutive New Year’s Six Bowl berth as late as November, but losses to Ole Miss and LSU ruined those chances.

The Aggies still were awarded a trip to a Florida bowl game, the program’s third in four years, with the opportunity to face ACC runner-up Wake Forest in Jacksonville on New Year’s Eve. However, that will no longer happen.

Since the conclusion of the regular season, quarterback Zach Calzada (who started A&M’s final 10 games) entered the transfer portal. Defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal, a projected first-round pick, declared for the NFL Draft. Tight end Jalen Wydermyer, running back Isaiah Spiller, defensive lineman Jayden Peevy, safety Leon O’Neal Jr. and tackle Kenyon Green have also followed suit and were expected to skip the postseason contest.

With the cancelation, the Aggies will not play in a bowl game for the first time since 2008 when they went 4-8 in Mike Sherman’s first year at the helm.