Latest news with #Elko
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2026 4-star WR and Texas A&M commit took an OV to Washington
2026 4-star WR and Texas A&M commit took an OV to Washington Under head coach Mike Elko, Texas A&M's rosters have stayed intact, as nearly every starter outside of defensive linemen Shemar Stewart, Nic Scourton, and Shemar Turner, who were selected in the 2025 NFL draft, is back for the 2025 season. Still, in the age of the transfer portal and NIL opportunities, it is crucial to keep recruits committed, which becomes tougher once the summer hits. In Texas A&M's 2026 recruiting class, Elko and his staff have landed three wide receiver commitments, including four-star Madden Williams from the prestigious St. John Bosco, who has been rising in the recruiting rankings ever since his impressive offseason performance at various 7v7 events. While Williams continues to tout the Aggies as his top option, USC and, now, the Washington Huskies are squarely in the mix. This weekend, Williams reportedly took an official visit to Washington, where head coach Jedd Fisch has continued to make progress with the talented route runner. Given the program's success in recruiting top talent from the California landscape, it's hard to ignore the Huskies' momentum moving forward. According to Aggie insider Jaxson Callaway, Williams is the only Texas A&M commit who took a visit elsewhere this weekend. In contrast, Williams will take his official visit to College Station on June 20, following his official visit to USC on June 13. Like fellow Texas A&M WR commit Aaron Gregory, Elko understands that both receivers will continue to look at their options before signing. Still, as we've seen in the past, Texas A&M needs to perform well during the 2025 season to impress both prospects. 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 Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Pro Football Focus ranks Texas A&M's 2025 O-line as one of the best in the country
Pro Football Focus ranks Texas A&M's 2025 O-line as one of the best in the country Texas A&M will enter the 2025 season with one of the top offensive lines in the country, based on experience and recruiting talent, as all five starters from the beginning of the 2024 season return to the lineup, paired with six freshman O-linemen from the 2025 signing class, led by five-star tackle Lamont Rogers, who could see the field sooner than later. Throughout the offseason, head coach Mike Elko has consistently praised his offensive line, recognizing that for the Aggie offense to improve, starting quarterback Marcel Reed truly requires consistent pass protection. Meanwhile, A&M's deep running back room should thrive if guards Chase Bisontis and Ar'maj Reed-Adams continue where they left off last season. This week, Elko continued to praise the O-line during the annual Austin Coach's' Night, knowing that any success starts and ends in the offensive trenches. "Any time you're building a team and talking about possible success, when you bring back your top six starting offensive linemen, that's a really strong starting point." When the blocking up front is effective, most offenses thrive, especially OC Collin Klein's run-centric scheme, which also relies on setting up play-action. However, it requires the quarterback to make quick, decisive reads, especially when the run game isn't working. Elko isn't the only one praising Texas A&M's offensive line, as Pro Football Focus ranked the 2025 blockers of Texas A&M as the third-ranked O-line, behind Alabama and Utah, while Florida and Oregon came in fourth and fifth, respectively. While this is simply a preseason ranking, PFF's Max Chadwick isn't one of the more trusted, research-based football journalists who don't just throw names out for clicks. Instead, he studies the film, showing that Texas A&M's size, strength, and athleticism at tackle and guard should have the Aggies in good shape in the trenches heading into fall camp. 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
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
'I tried to go up to the press box' HC Mike Elko is ready to call defensive plays
'I tried to go up to the press box' HC Mike Elko is ready to call defensive plays One of the primary reasons for Texas A&M's poor play during the final weeks of the 2024 season was the defense, mainly the lack of pass rush, while the secondary allowed too many big plays that resulted in the 1-4 finish, including consecutive losses to Texas and USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. This immediately led to most of the Aggie fan base calling for a change at defensive coordinator, as Jay Bateman became a popular name to be let go. Still, head coach Mike Elko had other plans after deciding to keep Bateman on the 2025 staff and add James Madison DC Lyle Hemphill to the staff, who served under Elko during his two-year head coaching stint at Duke. However, Elko's early lack of clarity regarding the future of defensive playcalling was finally addressed before the start of the spring football season, stating that he would become the primary play-caller in 2025 but would still rely on Bateman and now Hemphill for pre-game preparation and in-game strategy. On Wednesday, during the annual Austin Coaches' Night, Elko once again discussed his transition as the full-time playcaller, as his quote from the night provided a perfect illustration of why the veteran playcaller needs to get back in the saddle. "I tried to go up into the press box, but they wouldn't let me." "I've called plays from the sideline at different times in my career. I've done it as a head coach. … It's not something that's new or that I'm worried about. It'll be a collaborative effort." This is potentially great news for a defense that never lived up to its potential, given the talent it had last year. With 14 new additions from the transfer portal, including five players on the defensive line, I fully expect the defense to resemble Texas A&M's 2021 season performance during Elko's last year as the program's defensive coordinator. 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
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
'We have to finish' Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during Austin Coach's night
'We have to finish' Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks during Austin Coach's night It's officially "talk'n season" ahead of the 2025 college football season, and Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has been making the rounds, starting with the Brazos Country Coach's night last week, followed by the SEC Spring Meetings on Thursday, while Wednesday night's Austin Coach's night saw the second-year head coach sounding as confident in his 2025 roster as you'll likely hear all offseason. Ever since the Aggies' game-losing drive against USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, Elko has made significant changes to the coaching staff and 2025 roster, starting with hiring James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill to the defensive staff to fix the remaining issue in the secondary, which will (hopefully) prevent the blown coverage's that cost the Aggie's several games last season. From starting quarterback Marcel Reed's improvement to edge rusher Cashius Howell's likely breakout season, Elko provided several player updates that will both excite and, yes, shock the Aggie fan base as the countdown to the 2025 campaign continues. Talking for over an hour in front of Texas A&M donors and media members, here is every key detail Mike Elko provided on Wednesday night. Mike Elko on Texas A&M's bright future "We you look at some of the things in and around the program and some of the indicators of where the program is going, we're very proud of the foundation we have laid." Elko on the fan buy-in during his first season at the helm "For the second straight year, we had 100 percent attendance in the Big Event in College Station. We've been way more active in the community service aspect of our program." "We've been able to reconnect with our community so that our kids are not just viewed as athletes, but they're also viewed as Aggies." Elko on hosting several big name 2026 prospects in June "We've got a big month coming up in June. For those of you who still follow recruiting, it looks to be a big 2026 class. We'll have about 50 kids on campus in the next week and a half." Elko on Texas A&M's entire offensive line returning next season "Any time you're building a team and talking about possible success, when you bring back your top six starting offensive linemen, that's a really strong starting point." Elko on Texas A&M's deep running back room with the return of senior Le'Veon Moss "We bring back every running back that carried the football for us last year." "Watching Le'Veon Moss work this offseason and the commitment he has shown to getting back on the field has been nothing short of amazing. … We expect to have him fully ready by the start of training camp." Elko on Texas A&M's deep and improved wide receiver corps "It's a revamped group. It was an area where we had to figure out how to get playmakers to be honest, and we had to go to the transfer portal to find them." "We're really happy with our young group. Our young group took a really, really big step forward." Elko's sounds confident that the 2025 tight end has more juice "The tight end room, we felt we had to get a little more stout, a little more physical." Elko on QB Marcel Reed's mental advantage after taking over as the starter last season We're excited about Marcel (Reed). He got thrust into some situations last year that he wasn't maybe ready for, and you saw him take really big steps forward." Elko on QB Marcel Reed's improvement this offseason "He's an electric playmaker. He has really, really quick-twitch athleticism, and he's taking some major strides in his ability to deliver the football." Elko on backup QB Miles O'Neill's future with the program Miles O'Neill is a really young quarterback in our program that I think is going to be really, really good." "He brings some different ability in the throw game and his ability to push the ball downfield … We're excited about him and his development." Elko on Texas A&M's secondary, highlighting the return of senior CB Tyreek Chappell "We brought back every kid that played in the backend of our secondary last year…or kids that should have played." "Tyreek Chappell was probably our best DB last year, and losing him early was a big loss… He'll be back (this year)." Elko reveals that Texas A&M LB Scooby Williams played through a torn meniscus throughout the season "One of the things that we didn't tell anybody about Scooby (Williams) because you can't tell this story is that on the first drive of the Notre Dame game, he tore his meniscus." "Him and Taurean (York) make a really strong pair." Elko's confident senior Edge Cashius Howell is set to break out in 2025 "Cashius Howell coming back was really, really big. I don't think people understand how high of an NFL Draft prospect he really is." "I think he has unbelievable potential to have a really strong year." Like Cashius Howell, junior Edge Rylan Kennedy is poised to become reliable pass rusher "Rylan Kennedy showed out last year and made a lot of plays, and for anybody who paid attention to the spring game, Marco Jones might have had one of the best freshman spring games out of anybody we've ever had." Elko on Texas A&M's "experienced" offensive and defensive line "We have an older, experienced group, and we have that on both sides of the line." "We're excited about where we're going. We're excited about the direction we're heading." Elko on the Texas A&M's culture, and the resilence and passion seen throughout the roster "We're here to build a championship program. It starts with laying the foundation and building the culture." "This program is resilient. These kids are resilient. They believe in this program, and they believe in where we're going." Elko on Texas A&M's veteran specialist group, led by senior kicker Randy Bond "They're all back. One of the things as a head coach is that when the specialists go to the back of your mind, it's a good place to be because you don't worry about them." "Every kid who kicked the ball or snapped the ball on special teams last year returns. That group is in really good shape." Elko on calling a majority of the defensive plays in 2025 "I tried to go up into the press box, but they wouldn't let me." "I've called plays from the sideline at different times in my career. I've done it as a head coach. … It's not something that's new or that I'm worried about. It'll be a collaborative effort." Elko on his his roster has handled NIL opportunities "Given the rules and circumstances, our kids do a really good job of handling NIL." "We don't have a lot of horror stories. … We don't have kids demanding this or demanding that. … I credit our kids for handling the situation really well. Kids these days get a really bad rap for a situation that adults have handled really poorly." Elko on keeping the same coaching staff heading into Year 2 "When you have consistency of staff, you have consistency of messaging. That's really important for young people." "I'm thankful for the staff we have because we have a phenomenal staff." Texas A&M's offense line will likely determine the Aggies' success in 2025 "We're really excited about the offensive line. When I stood on this podium last year, that was question mark No. 1." "You've established that offensive line group, who those guys are and what they're all about." Elko ended the night with a quote that will define the Aggies through every win and loss in 2025 "We did move forward in our win total from where we were last year. I know that's now our expectation and what's acceptable, but we are moving forward." "We learned valuable lessons down the stretch last year. I did. Our team did. Our staff did. … We'll be confident when the season starts. We'll be confident through every win. We'll be confident through every lost. We'll be confident throughout the entire season until they tell us we can't play anymore." 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
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M HC Mike Elko reveals shocking news regarding his senior linebacker
Texas A&M HC Mike Elko reveals shocking news regarding his senior linebacker There's never a dull moment during the 2025 college football offseason, mainly due to what the media calls "talk'n season," when head coaches make the rounds to various fundraising/SEC media events during the early parts of the summer. This week, following his trip to Destin, Florida, for the annual SEC Spring Meetings, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko has continued to preview his 2025 roster and the upcoming critical season. On Wednesday night, Elko once again took the podium, this time at the annual Capital City A&M Club in Austin, also referred to as Austin Coach's night. While this was the third time in three weeks that Elko discussed Texas A&M's 2025 roster, led by starting quarterback Marcel Reed's progress, and the Aggies' veteran offensive line, the second-year head coach revealed a shocking fact regarding senior linebacker Scooby Williams, who reportedly played through a torn meniscus which occured during the season-opening loss to Notre Dame. "One of the things that we didn't tell anybody about Scooby (Williams) because you can't tell this story is that on the first drive of the Notre Dame game, he tore his meniscus." "Him and Taurean (York) make a really strong pair." This is simply incredible, looking back at his performance as one of the Aggies' best defenders after recording 43 tackles, a forced fumble, and his first career interception. Texas A&M's 2025 linebacker rotation is much deeper than some expect, while junior Taurean York and Williams look like the best tandem in the SEC outside of Alabama, LSU, and Texas. 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.
