TRANSFER: Victor Kibiego to Join Texas A&M

Earlier today, Texas A&M announced that Victor Kibiego, a transfer from UTEP who has been deemed as one of the most valuable transfer targets in the entire NCAA, will be joining the Aggies. The expectation is that the now-former Miner will venture to College Station this winter, although that is not yet confirmed by TSR.

According to TFRRS, Kibiego currently has three seasons of outdoor track eligibility remaining, potentially two seasons of indoor track eligibility remaining (which could be variable) and two seasons of cross country eligibility remaining.

Given his outstanding steeplechase prowess, his remaining eligibility and his potential to be a cross country All-American, Kibiego brings a ton of value to Texas A&M.

Last spring, the former UTEP runner ran a fantastic mark of 8:26 in the steeplechase. That PR helped the then-redshirt freshman qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships where he placed a narrow 3rd place to Duncan Hamilton (and Kenneth Rooks who was further ahead).

On the grass, Kibiego finished 44th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships last month after a fall campaign where he won both the Arturo Barrios Invite and the individual title at the Conference USA XC Championships. He ended his season inside The Stride Report's individual top-50 rankings.

It should be noted that Kibiego's former coach at UTEP, Paul Ereng, was hired by Texas A&M earlier in the summer. However, Coach Wendel McRaven is expected to continue overseeing the cross country and long distance aspect of the Aggies' roster.

By adding Kibiego to their roster, the Aggies may have a future national title winner on their hands, potentially as soon as this upcoming spring if Kenneth Rooks goes pro before then. For a top-flight SEC program that is looking to reenter the podium and national title conversation, signing a top distance star, despite being a traditionally sprints and middle distance-heavy program, is massive.

More so, Kibiego has the chance to be a major point scorer for Texas A&M on the outdoor oval at the SEC Championships. The SEC has lacked top men's steeplechasers as of late, failing to send an individual to the national meet in that event (for the men) last spring. In turn, landing a name like Kibiego will now give the Aggies multiple years where they can feel comfortable about scoring at least 10 points at the conference level during the spring months.

However, it's also important not to overlook the cross country aspect of Kibiego's resume.

The standout transfer is a clear low-stick talent on the grass who will be an ideal replacement for veteran, Eric Casarez. And while the Aggies aren't expected to advance to the national meet as a team in 2024, the potential for them to build upon a quietly respectable 2023 fall campaign is very much there.

With Kibiego essentially replacing the low-stick presence of Casarez and everyone else in a somewhat young varsity lineup set to return, Texas A&M's cross country squad may end up being a touch better than some people realize 10 to 11 months from now.