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8 hours ago
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Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko said during Wednesday's Houston Coach's Night
Texas A&M's 2025 football season is getting closer by the day, as the Aggies will kick off the new campaign against UTSA in Kyle Field on Saturday, August 31. This offseason, second-year head coach Mike Elko has made the media rounds, and is currently finishing out the annual Coach's Night circuit, which continued on Wednesday night in Houston. Expectations remain high for an Aggie roster filled with talent and experience at every level, and while half of the fan base is still skeptical of the team's progress, Elko is supremely confident that his team is on the right track, as he continued to praise several offensive and defensive leaders, including starting quarterback Marcel Reed and junior linebacker Taurean York. Advertisement Littered with locker room leadership, it's the play on the field that matters most, so it's fair for the skeptics to continue shouting internally, or externally that offseason quotes are "meaningless" despite Elko's authenticity and honesty compared to former head coach Jimbo Fisher. As the countdown to the 2025 season continues to tick down, here is everything Mike Elko had to say during Wednesday's Houston Coach's Night. Mike Elko on Texas A&M's improvement on defense before taking over as the defensive play-caller. "Everybody keeps asking me that - yes, we will be better on defense." Mike Elko compared Texas A&M's 2025 O-line to the memorable 2020 offensive line. "I think that is what we have this year." Mike Elko on how freshman DE Marco Jones will balance playing football and baseball. "down-the-road conversation," but Jones participated in some of the baseball scrimmages before the season and will be "pretty much exclusively football" this fall. Mike Elko briefly reflects on his first season with the program When I look back on everything that has been done in our first year at Texas A&M, it was a foundational year. That's how I would describe it." "We felt the first thing we had to do as a staff was establish a culture. We wanted to build a program that resembles this great university." Mike Elko on how he views Texas A&M's football future "Where this program is going? It's pointed to the sky. We talk about the indicators that show success. Retention is a big part of it… We are proud of keeping all of our coaches and 16 starters." Mike Elko on the 2025 roster's veteran leadership "We have 23 kids on our roster who will play their last year of college football. We are an older roster." Mike Elko on the team's offensive strengths in the trenches "If you think back to the core of the 2020 football team, the offensive line is where it all started. We bring back all four tailbacks. That is not something you see all the time." Mike Elko provided an update that RB Le'Veon Moss "got some work in" on Monday. Mike Elko is well acquainted with new WR KC Concepcion, who he faced during his two-year coaching career at Duke. "I played against him his freshman year when I was at Duke. He has been a really mature kid. He has that captain make-up." "Mario Craver came from Mississippi State. If you ask our corners, he is the toughest one they covered last year." Mike Elko's confidence in QB Marcel Reed continued on Wednesday. "We are really excited about him. He can make plays with his arm and his feet." "I think you will see him take a really, really big step forward." Mike Elko on LB Scooby Williams playing through his meniscus tear during the entire 2024 season. "Scooby Williams tore his meniscus on the first drive of the first game last year. It was the same play Dalton Brooks got ejected. You didn't see the best of Scooby." Mike Elko on his fiery postgame comments after Texas A&M's bowl game loss to USC. "We didn't meet my or our standard for what defense should look like. Part of that is Year 1. Part of that is the Tyreek Chappell injury, so we had to play more zone. Part of it is coaching it and the players doing it." Mike Elko on if NIL has changed his coaching methods "Not at all. I made a decision when this started that I wasn't going to coach differently. We have established a standard for how you should act and behave." Mike Elko (asked by a fan in the audience) on playing Texas this year on Black Friday. "I will say this. Our team is very excited for that Friday night across the state. We will leave it at that." Mike Elko on the state of Texas A&M recruiting. "We are still very committed to bringing in a large high school class every year, around 24 to 26 guys. We still go through the recruiting process the way we always have." Mike Elko on what he believes will take Texas A&M to the "next level." "It's NFL talent. The amount of talent you have will be measured by the number of draft picks you have. The last seven to eight years, it's not comparative. For us to get where we want to go, that has to happen." Mike Elko with the quote of the night to end Wednesday's event. "I think this is really important. Our goal is to build the best program we are capable of being… When we do that, it won't matter who we play or who is in the SEC. No one will be able to stop us." Advertisement Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty. This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko said during Houston Coach's Night
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko said during Wednesday's Houston Coach's Night
Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko said during Wednesday's Houston Coach's Night Texas A&M's 2025 football season is getting closer by the day, as the Aggies will kick off the new campaign against UTSA in Kyle Field on Saturday, August 31. This offseason, second-year head coach Mike Elko has made the media rounds, and is currently finishing out the annual Coach's Night circuit, which continued on Wednesday night in Houston. Expectations remain high for an Aggie roster filled with talent and experience at every level, and while half of the fan base is still skeptical of the team's progress, Elko is supremely confident that his team is on the right track, as he continued to praise several offensive and defensive leaders, including starting quarterback Marcel Reed and junior linebacker Taurean York. Littered with locker room leadership, it's the play on the field that matters most, so it's fair for the skeptics to continue shouting internally, or externally that offseason quotes are "meaningless" despite Elko's authenticity and honesty compared to former head coach Jimbo Fisher. As the countdown to the 2025 season continues to tick down, here is everything Mike Elko had to say during Wednesday's Houston Coach's Night. Mike Elko on Texas A&M's improvement on defense before taking over as the defensive play-caller. "Everybody keeps asking me that - yes, we will be better on defense." Mike Elko compared Texas A&M's 2025 O-line to the memorable 2020 offensive line. "I think that is what we have this year." Mike Elko on how freshman DE Marco Jones will balance playing football and baseball. "down-the-road conversation," but Jones participated in some of the baseball scrimmages before the season and will be "pretty much exclusively football" this fall. Mike Elko briefly reflects on his first season with the program When I look back on everything that has been done in our first year at Texas A&M, it was a foundational year. That's how I would describe it." "We felt the first thing we had to do as a staff was establish a culture. We wanted to build a program that resembles this great university." Mike Elko on how he views Texas A&M's football future "Where this program is going? It's pointed to the sky. We talk about the indicators that show success. Retention is a big part of it… We are proud of keeping all of our coaches and 16 starters." Mike Elko on the 2025 roster's veteran leadership "We have 23 kids on our roster who will play their last year of college football. We are an older roster." Mike Elko on the team's offensive strengths in the trenches "If you think back to the core of the 2020 football team, the offensive line is where it all started. We bring back all four tailbacks. That is not something you see all the time." Mike Elko provided an update that RB Le'Veon Moss "got some work in" on Monday. Mike Elko is well acquainted with new WR KC Concepcion, who he faced during his two-year coaching career at Duke. "I played against him his freshman year when I was at Duke. He has been a really mature kid. He has that captain make-up." "Mario Craver came from Mississippi State. If you ask our corners, he is the toughest one they covered last year." Mike Elko's confidence in QB Marcel Reed continued on Wednesday. "We are really excited about him. He can make plays with his arm and his feet." "I think you will see him take a really, really big step forward." Mike Elko on LB Scooby Williams playing through his meniscus tear during the entire 2024 season. "Scooby Williams tore his meniscus on the first drive of the first game last year. It was the same play Dalton Brooks got ejected. You didn't see the best of Scooby." Mike Elko on his fiery postgame comments after Texas A&M's bowl game loss to USC. "We didn't meet my or our standard for what defense should look like. Part of that is Year 1. Part of that is the Tyreek Chappell injury, so we had to play more zone. Part of it is coaching it and the players doing it." Mike Elko on if NIL has changed his coaching methods "Not at all. I made a decision when this started that I wasn't going to coach differently. We have established a standard for how you should act and behave." Mike Elko (asked by a fan in the audience) on playing Texas this year on Black Friday. "I will say this. Our team is very excited for that Friday night across the state. We will leave it at that." Mike Elko on the state of Texas A&M recruiting. "We are still very committed to bringing in a large high school class every year, around 24 to 26 guys. We still go through the recruiting process the way we always have." Mike Elko on what he believes will take Texas A&M to the "next level." "It's NFL talent. The amount of talent you have will be measured by the number of draft picks you have. The last seven to eight years, it's not comparative. For us to get where we want to go, that has to happen." Mike Elko with the quote of the night to end Wednesday's event. "I think this is really important. Our goal is to build the best program we are capable of being… When we do that, it won't matter who we play or who is in the SEC. No one will be able to stop us." Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Everything Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko had to say at Coaches' Night on Wednesday night
Everything Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko had to say at Coaches' Night on Wednesday night During this part of the football calendar, there's not much happening beyond recruiting updates. However, coaching events offer valuable insights into the team's progress following spring training. For Texas A&M, lingering questions remain after last season's conclusion and a vanilla Spring Game. While the team is still searching for breakout stars, the Aggies boast plenty of experience on both sides of the ball. The offensive line is set to return all five starters, providing a strong foundation for the unit. With a deep running back room and a playbook tailored to quarterback Marcel Reed's skill set, the offense looks promising. While wide receiver and tight end positions are still being finalized, the talent pool remains deep. Defensively, the secondary brings valuable experience, bolstered by the addition of cornerback Julian Humphrey. However, the defensive line faces its biggest challenge after losing three key players, Shemar Turner, Shemar Stewart, and Nic Scourton, to the NFL. Seniors Cashius Howell and Albert Regis will lead the charge, with hopes that emerging talent will step up. On Wednesday, Coach Mike Elko addressed the Brazos County A&M Club at Coaches' Night, highlighting the program's transformation: Coach Elko comments on the journey to this point "It's been a long journey to get here to Texas A&M. A year ago I stood on this podium for my first Coach's Night at Texas A&M. One year later, we've had tremendous progress into building the program you want to see." The Texas A&M football program is taking the next step forward "We are building the foundation of a championship level program. One of the biggest things we had to do was change the culture of what Texas A&M football is all about." Coach Elko comments about the talent on the roster "When you look at the current roster, we project to have more NFL Draft picks on this 2025 roster than we've had in a long time. We project anywhere from 10 to 12 players to hear their name called in the 2026 draft." Coach Elko believes his defense will be better that last season "We bring back eight starters on defense. It was well documented that we need to finish seasons better. That group is really hungry to go out and play the level of defense Texas A&M fans deserve." Coach Elko comments on Marcel Reed's development "Marcel Reed's development is what I'm most excited about. His development as a leader and in the passing game is important. He was a great player last year, but you'll see a significantly better version of him this fall." Coach Elko is ready to get his team back on the field and play at a high level for the whole season "We're excited to go out there and finish... We didn't finish the way we wanted to in November. That has been our mantra this offseason." Coach Elko sees something special happening in Aggieland and everyone wants to be part of it "Success is never linear. We are on course for where we want to be. I'm proud of our retention. We didn't lose starters in the portal. We're not losing coaches. There are signs that something really special is about to happen here" Coach Elko speaks on the resilience of his roster "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." Coach Elko highlights the continuity of his roster "When you bring back 16 starters, our conversations start at a much higher level in Spring camp. We can hit the ground running at a much higher pace in year two." Coach Elko knows how last season ended and is committed no to repeat that "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." Coach Elko comments on the team's schedule "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." Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
