Mario Craver
Mario Craver is 5-9, 165 pounds, and a nightmare for safeties. He dropped 207 yards on Notre Dame in the Playoff and became the highest-paid receiver in Texas A&M history. Small, fast, and back for more.
Buzz vs Tape
Rivals warmer than fans
The rival fanbase is unexpectedly warm on him relative to his own.
Texas A&M Aggies see true freshman Aaron Gregory electrify spring camp, raising hopes for a breakout season at wide receiver. With Ashton Bethel-Roman sidelined by injury, Matt Galatzan and Zach Dimmitt examine Gregory’s standout…
— matt galatzan, zach dimmitt
Also worth knowing:
The story
Craver's 2025 was a deep-ball highlight reel -- 59 catches for 917 yards, a 207-yard explosion against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, and a yards-per-route mark (3.25) that ranked third in the entire Power Four. At 5-9, 165, he wins the way small receivers have to: with separation speed and after-the-catch wiggle (22 forced missed tackles). Texas A&M made him the highest-paid receiver in program history to keep him. The forward stakes are a featured role in a passing game expected to throw more in 2026 -- the runway for a burner like this to go from very good to the SEC's most dangerous deep threat. For Craver, the size was always the doubt and the speed was always the answer; 2026 is where he settles it.
Career Arc
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Elko
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas A&M | 58 | 911 | 15.7 | 4 | -- |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 17 | 368 | 21.6 | 3 | -- |
| Career | 75 | 1,279 | 17.1 | 7 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas A&M | 11 | 81 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 3 | 7 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Career | 14 | 88 | -- | -- | 1 |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2025
W 41–40
at Notre Dame
7 rec · 207 yds · 1 TD
Edged out Notre Dame on the road in a shootout.
How he plays
Play style
Craver is pure juice -- a vertical and after-the-catch weapon whose tape and our data agree. The play-by-play is loud: a 94th-percentile yards-per-catch, a 93rd-percentile explosive-catch rate, and a 95th-percentile EPA per target -- the chunk-play profile of a true field-stretcher, backed by a solid (76th-percentile) catch rate that says he's more than a track guy running fly routes. The 22 forced missed tackles are the YAC element: catch a five-yard slant, make the first man miss, and it's a 40-yard touchdown. At his size he's not a contested-catch or red-zone bully -- he's the speed that bends a defense's whole structure, the receiver a safety has to honor on every snap. Give him a step, and the game changes.
Our classifier reads him the same way: beats you over the top.
2026 Outlook
Texas A&M
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Wide receiver · Texas A&M
Returning around him
- 75% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
- 10 Texas A&M players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (19 in / 21 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Texas A&M · Last season: 11-2 (AP #7) · Talent rank #8 · 2026 recruiting class #10
Perception vs tape
Craver's 2025 was a deep-ball highlight reel -- 59 catches for 917 yards, a 207-yard explosion against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, and a yards-per-route mark (3.25) that ranked third in the entire Power Four. At 5-9, 165, he wins the way small receivers have to: with separation speed and after-the-catch wiggle (22 forced missed tackles).
Read the story →DNA match
Player DNA
Deep Threat
Stretches the field vertically. Every snap is a potential big play.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Calvin Austin III’s 2021 season.
Matches Calvin on
Differs from Calvin on
Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Jalen Coker’s path through Holy Cross.
Jalen Coker
Cary Angeline
Tre Nixon
Beau Kelly
Matches Jalen on
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kalil Pimpleton's sophomore season at Central Michigan (2021).
Matches Kalil on
Differs from Kalil on
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peak #91
Peaked at #91 this season.
Development
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2024–2025+148%
Up 148% from first season to most-recent.
Background
PRIOR TO TEXAS A&M: Ranked No. 2 in the SEC with 21.6 yards per catch among players with at least 15 catches in his freshman season at Mississippi State in nine games, while making three starts ... Caught 17 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns, while averaging 40.9 yards per game ... Scored...