Latest news with #MikeElko
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Against all odds: What are Texas A&M's chances to reach the 2025 SEC Championship?
Against all odds: What are Texas A&M's chances to reach the 2025 SEC Championship? After finishing last year's campaign 8-5 (5-3 SEC), the Texas A&M football program is eyeing another opportunity to reach the Southeastern Conference Championship in 2025. It will be easier said than done, however. The conference is in no short supply of depth and talent, as 12 teams have odds of 5000 or better to make an appearance in the championship game this season. The question is, what are the odds the Aggies reach the SEC Championship for the first time in program history? According to BetMGM, here are the current odds for each SEC program to participate in this year's conference championship. Texas A&M was within striking distance of reaching the championship game last season, before the Aggies dropped three of four contests to close out the regular season. Heading into the second year under head coach Mike Elko, the Aggies fanbase is clamoring for more. With the talent on this year's squad, reaching the big game is a realistic goal for the Aggies. Sophomore dual-threat quarterback Marcel Reed returns after finishing last season by throwing for 1,864 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Aggies also brought in multiple outstanding transfers during the offseason, including former NC State standout wide receiver KC Concepcion and Mississippi State's Mario Craver. Not to mention, running back Le'Veon Moss returns after showcasing his ability to lead the Aggies on the ground last season. This year's schedule is daunting, however. Texas A&M has to go on the road at Notre Dame, LSU, and Texas this season. According to On3 Sports, the Aggies' schedule is the ninth-toughest in the country in 2025. The program's strength of schedule is 0.807, and its projected win total currently stands at 8.1. Out of On3's top 10 most difficult schedules this season, nine programs are from the SEC. With everyone facing a new challenge on the road to reaching the apex of the conference, it will be intriguing to see how the Texas A&M Aggies handle the adversity that will eventually arise throughout this year's campaign. 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 Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
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
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Texas A&M football coaches will be included in College Football 26
Texas A&M football coaches will be included in College Football 26 After 11 years, the massive fan base of the former NCAA Football video game franchise disappeared due to various issues related to what we now call Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). However, during the summer of 2025, EA Sports released its first installment since 2013, renamed College Football 25. Selling millions of copies since its July release, the franchise is back in complete form, as College Football 26 looks to improve in several areas and will now include the likenesses of several high-profile coaches, including Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko, offensive coordinator Collin Klein, and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman. This is no surprise given the importance of the 2025 season for the Maroon & White. Thanks to GigEm247's Carter Karels, here's how EA Sports is incorporating the likenesses of over 300 coaches to enhance the game plan from a realistic standpoint. "EA Sports released its official reveal trailer for the game Thursday and announced more than 300 current college football coaches – including assistants – agreed to have their likeness featured in addition to various players. It will mark the first time the game has ever incorporated real-life coaches in that way." Within the game, coaches who agreed to participate will be seen on the sideline with playbooks highly similar to the scheme for each team, and in Dynasty mode, coaches can be selected to lead a specific program, which is another exciting feature that will breed plenty of creativity for longtime users of the game. College Football 26 will be released worldwide on Thursday, July 10. 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
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Times, channel information announced for Texas A&M's first three games of the 2025 season
Times, channel information announced for Texas A&M's first three games of the 2025 season Texas A&M will kick off the 2025 college football season against UTSA inside Kyle Field on Aug. 30 before hosting Utah State in Week 2, followed by the first significant test of the season against Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday, Sept. 13. Coach Mike Elko's second season is critical for building a winning culture during his tenure, and starting 2-0 in Kyle Field before facing the Irish, who were just a couple of plays away from winning the 2025 National Championship against Ohio state, could end up become the catalyst for an Aggie team needing to prove their worth as early contenders for the College Football Playoff. On Thursday, Texas A&M's first three games have received start times and broadcasting information, as Aggie fans can now make their plans for the start of the 2025 season, which will include an early start during the hottest month of the year against Utah State. Here are is all the information for Texas A&M's matchups vs. UTSA, Utah State and Notre Dame. Texas A&M vs. UTSA (season opener) Date: Saturday, Aug. 30 Time: 6:00 p.m. CT. Channel: ESPN Texas A&M vs. Utah State Date: Saturday, Sept. 6 Time: 11:45 a.m. CT. Channel: SEC Network Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame (South Bend) Date: Saturday, Sept. 13 Time: 6:30 p.m. CT. Channel: NBC 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.
