'They believe in what we're building here' Mike Elko is bullish on Texas A&M's 2025 season
Wednesday night's Brazos Country Coach's Night saw Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko, ahead his second season at the helm, preview what fans and media should expect from the Aggies after the small sample size presented during the Maroon & White spring game.
Starting off the night with a bang, Elko revealed that star senior running back Le'Veon Moss, whose season ending knee injury led to the Aggies' poor play down the stretch last season, is 100% healthy after spending the latter half of the 2024 campaign recovering, while his rehab this spring was faster than expected.
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Overall, Elko is very bullish regarding the offense and defense improving next season, mainly due to roster retention and key leaders returning on both sides.
"The core of our roster has battled through a lot of adversity here. They're here because they believe in Texas A&M. They believe in what we're building here. I believe we have kids who are truly committed to Texas A&M and what it stands for."
On defense, Elko brought in James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill to help fix the technical issues in the secondary, which included three horrific performances against Auburn, Texas, and USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, all resulting in losses.
"We all understand how we finished the year. We played three bad games of defense to finish the year. We're all aware of that. That's not how we play defense at Texas A&M. We have to have a better commitment for getting the job done at a higher level."
Again, "show, don't tell" is the theme for most of the Aggie fan base, but trusting Elko's defensive mindset is key, knowing that he is taking a bigger hand in the playcalling and overall structure compared to Jay Bateman's full control last season.
Texas A&M's defense is relatively deep at nearly every position, and trusting Elko and his staff fix the remaining issues is all anyone can do, knowing that they at least have film to go off of compared to entering the 2024 season without anything to go off of.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M HC Mike Elko knows he can win with his battle tested roster
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