Where I Am As a Fan:

It only makes sense to begin this blog from where I stand as an Aggie football fan.

I’m tired of being the same old mediocre football program we’ve been for the last quarter of a century.

I’m tired of spending the off-season believing things will be different. I’m tired of people affiliated with Texas A&M telling me it will be different. I’m tired of talking heads telling me how things will be different this season.

I’ll freely admit I have a LOT of trauma when it comes to Aggie football. However, I don’t believe it’s trauma I’ve created. I firmly believe it’s trauma that’s been created by those in charge of Aggie football for the last 25-plus years.

I’m over pretending Aggie football is more than an 8-4 program. The last 25 years have proven that, despite what some people might say, Aggie football is nothing more than an 8-4 program.

As Bill Parcells used to say – You are who your record says you are.

We’re an 8-4 program.

What I Want as a Fan:

I want more than anything to win a National Championship in football. Even if it’s a blip, that’s what I want more than anything. For the Fightin’ Texas Aggies to hoist that National Championship trophy.

Beyond that, I’d like Aggie Football to have sustained success as a top-tier football program in college football. For me, that’s perennial 10-win seasons and Top 10 finishes. I get that nobody is ever replicating what Nick Saban had at Alabama. I don’t expect national championships every other year. However, with all of its resources, I’d like to think the leadership at Texas A&M could turn Aggie Football into a top-tier football program.

Not just talk about it and pretend it’s going to happen.

Doing it.

Actual results are more than words.

That’s what I want as an Aggie Football fan.

Looking at the 2025 Season:

Executive Summary:

Before you read anything else, read this – NOBODY KNOWS WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN FOR THE 2025 SEASON. IT’S ALL SPECULATION.

That statement doesn’t offer much hope for 2025, but it’s true.

Nobody has any real clue what will happen in 2025 for the Aggies. It’s all guessing.

This Texas A&M team will go anywhere between 6-6 and 10-2.

My thought is 8-4.

Not because of the last 25 years.

I don’t see this team as being that much better than last season, and I believe this year’s schedule is more challenging.

Some elements of the team will be better than last year, but some are likely to be even, and one unit might be worse.

As you read this, just know that I’m speculating like everyone else. I hope I’m being more realistic and objective about where things stand and likely are headed.

Let’s get to my concerns and hopes for the 2025 Aggies.

I Don’t Know if Mike Elko is Great:

My last post was in December, after the Texas loss and before the USC bowl game. I expressed many concerns about Mike Elko as head coach.

The results of the bowl game don’t make me feel any better. He got beat by Lincoln Riley and a depleted USC team.

I get that bowl games don’t seem to matter much outside of the CFP, but Mike Elko was coaching with the majority of his 2025 football team. Lincoln Riley was coaching with a cobbled-together team. Somehow, the Aggie defense that is supposed to be Mike Elko’s calling card choked.

Mike Elko’s vaunted defense gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter, including USC’s final drive, when a defensive hold would have won it for the Aggies.

It was reminiscent of the Auburn game last season, when the Aggie defense needed one final hold on the opponent’s final drive but couldn’t.

For a guy who is supposed to be a defensive guru, his defense either got pushed around or was unable to make a key stop when it mattered most in the final four games of the season.

New Mexico State doesn’t count as a game.

Let’s not forget his defense spotted Auburn 21 points in the first quarter.

With all of his defense’s issues down the stretch, Elko made no changes to his defensive staff other than hiring Lyle Hemphill from James Madison. James Madison had an excellent defense in 2024. I’m not sure what Hemphill’s role is in the 2025 defense other than helping with the secondary.

He previously coached with Elko at Duke, so there’s some familiarity with Elko’s system.

I just don’t have much faith that there will be many changes on the field from a defense that either choked or got pushed around in their final four games. This is why we hired Elko: to firm up a defense that struggled under Jimbo and get back to what we think A&M’s calling card should be: a Wrecking Crew-style defense.

I also don’t have much faith in Elko’s hiring of Collin Klein as Offensive Coordinator, which I’ll cover more of a little later.

I can ramble on about how Terry Bussey should be playing corner and not receiver due to our massive issues at corner, but I won’t bore you with that just yet.

I could also ramble on about how the departures of Conner Weigman and Noah Thomas give me some pause about whether it’s a player issue or a coaching issue from an offensive standpoint.  However, I’ll wait to see what 2025 holds for both sides regarding this question.

I could go back to the calls on 4th and short last season, including the vaunted 4th and Dumb against Texas. That play is still mind-blowingly dumb when it’s broken down and analyzed. It was just a monumental brain-dead decision in that moment.

Building on the 4th and Dumb call against Texas, I can go on about how I don’t think Elko understands what’s happening during the actual game to guide his staff and players. For example, his best three games last year involved playing a quarterback for which the opposing defense was unprepared.

It wasn’t some super game plan. It was catching the opponent with their pants down because they weren’t prepared for the quarterback under center. I chalk that up to more luck than great coaching.

I could go into detail about how Mike Elko’s direct head coaching influences are Dave Clawson, Brian Kelly, and Jimbo Fisher. I fear he’s more like the last two than we really want to admit.

I could talk about Mike Elko’s record as a head coach, which is this:

2022 Duke: 9-4
2023 Duke: 7-5
2024 Texas A&M: 8-5

Many will point out that the first two years are at Duke. I’ll point out Manny Diaz went 9-3 last year at Duke with a much worse quarterback than Elko had.

Nothing in Mike Elko’s head coaching record in three seasons says he’s a great head coach. Sure, everyone says, “He knows ball”. That’s the biggest generic statement people throw around, needing to fill airtime. It’s a generic and hollow statement.

I want people to point to specific examples from his three seasons as head coach that show he’s a great coach. If you’re being objective, those examples don’t exist.

It doesn’t mean he can’t be great. I just mean Mike Elko’s current trajectory is not a path to greatness. The data as a head coach is not there. Sure, the hope can be there, but the data for three seasons is not there.

Let me be clear – I don’t want Mike Elko fired. I’m not advocating for that at all. I want Mike Elko to be great. I want a statue of Mike Elko outside of Kyle Field.

I want Aggie leadership to remove their maroon glasses and analyze what actually happens in games. It’s the only thing that matters.

Mike Elko may have some shortcomings as a head coach. If so, be prepared to deal with them however we should.

One final thing about Mike Elko: How would people feel about the hire if he hadn’t spent time at A&M under Jimbo? How would people feel if Clark Lea and not Mike Elko got the head job when Jimbo was fired?

Aggies have a bad habit of wanting a familiar face to be their head coach.

I get it.

It’s just that it doesn’t mean the results will be great.

Look at the past 25 years.

What I Need to See from Mike Elko This Season:

To be fair to Elko, I don’t need to see a massive leap from last season, but I do need to see improvement.

Because I don’t think the 2025 Aggie team can win the national championship or even the SEC Championship, I’d be ECSTATIC if Elko went 10-2 this season.

That would likely put him in Atlanta for the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff. That would be a fantastic achievement for the 2025 season.

I don’t need him to win the SEC Championship or a CFP game. Getting to those two things would be a massive achievement and show real progress.

I’d even be content with a 9-3 record. I’m unsure if we’d make the CFP, but that would be a nice season.

Going 9-3 means that, at worst, we only lost to Notre Dame, LSU, and Texas on the road. While I want to win one or two of those games, those are the three toughest games on our schedule.

I’m okay if we lose those three games and win the other nine. I’m not ecstatic, but it at least shows some real improvement as a program and staff.

I’d take it if we trade a loss at Kyle to Florida, Auburn, or South Carolina for one of those road wins.

Hell, I’d trade a loss at Arkansas or Missouri for a win at one or two of those challenging road games.

9-3 would be a massive step and show improvement from the 2024 season.

I don’t care how 9-3 happens. It needs to happen so Elko can show some progress from the perennial 8-4 or worse record the Aggies have had over the last 25 years.

I’ll paint 8-4 or anything worse as a disappointment. It’ll show stagnation or even worse, a decline in Elko’s second season.

That won’t be good for the long-term health of Aggie Football under Elko.

The 2025 Schedule:

Let’s look at the 2025 schedule to see how tough 9-3 can be.

There are three gimme games I’m not even going to discuss. We have significant issues if Elko can’t win all three of those. I can’t stand those games; they’re just money makers for the athletic departments. They do nothing for the fans of college football.

I’m not making any game predictions; I’m just discussing my thoughts on A&M’s chances of winning.

@Notre Dame – I consider this the third toughest of the three big road games. This matchup is pretty good for A&M. While Notre Dame is a historic place to play, I don’t think it’s any tougher than what the Aggies face in an SEC road game. Beyond the environment, we match up pretty well with Notre Dame. Both teams will want to establish the run game and not give up the big play. A&M can win this game, but they’ll have to win in the trenches, unlike what they did at Kyle against Notre Dame last year.

Auburn – This will be a much more challenging game than I think most people realize. Auburn is going to test our secondary just like they did last season. Our secondary won’t have been tested until this game, so they better be prepared. This could be a Shock and Awe game from Auburn. If Auburn jumps out in front, I’m not sure the Aggies can catch up. The key will be how many interceptions Jackson Arnold throws. I think Elko and crew can bait him enough where Auburn has too many turnovers. But if the A&M secondary isn’t improved, the Aggies will be on their way to a long and disappointing season. It won’t be easy, but a win is very probable here.

The good news is that after Notre Dame and Auburn, we’ll have a much better feel for the 2025 Aggie team as we’ll be tested on the ground and through the air.

Mississippi State – From an SEC game standpoint, this had better be a win as easily as possible. If not, the Aggies will struggle to make a bowl game.

Florida – This will hopefully be the biggest game at Kyle Field this season. That will mean the Aggies got past Notre Dame and Auburn, setting up a massive showdown at Kyle. Florida will be coming off playing LSU in Baton Rouge, Miami in Miami, and Texas at The Swamp. They’ll either be riding high or hungry for a win. If the Aggies are undefeated, it will be a massive game regardless of Florida’s record. The outcome of this game will depend on D.J. Lagway’s health. If Lagway is healthy, then it’s a coin flip. If Lagway isn’t healthy, then A&M better capitalize and win. I want a healthy Lagway and an Aggie win, but it won’t be easy.

@Arkansas—If there’s a trap game on the schedule, this is it. I know we’ve had our way with Arkansas, but they’ll be thirsty for a win in this game at Fayetteville. While we’ve successfully beaten Arkansas since coming into the SEC, we’ve struggled in those games, so winning is not a gimme. While Arkansas isn’t as talented as most teams in the SEC, they’re certainly capable of sneaking up on someone, especially in Fayetteville. Just ask Tennessee.

@LSU – In six tries, we have yet to win a game in Baton Rouge. Short of Ed Orgeron’s last season, when he was already fired, we have yet to be competitive in Baton Rouge. I don’t believe this game will be any different, but this would be a MASSIVE win for Mike Elko. I don’t see it happening.

Bye Week – BTHO Bye

@Mizzou—I don’t think this will be as big a trap game as Arkansas, but I think it will be much more challenging than people expect. Did you know Mizzou went 10-3 last season? Sure, they didn’t have that tough of a schedule, but they only lost to A&M, Bama, and South Carolina. That’s a pretty respectable season. A&M needs to win this game in Elko’s second season, but it won’t be easy.

South Carolina – I can’t tell you how much I love all of the hype that South Carolina is getting going into the season. They have some real superstars, but their talent is a little deceiving. I don’t think they’re a truly great team top to bottom. They certainly exposed our defensive deficiencies last season in the run game. However, after playing us, they almost lost to Mizzou and Clemson. They won thanks to last-minute drives by LaNorris Sellers. They easily could have lost those games. They ended the season by losing to Illinois in their bowl game. I have this as a coin flip game because I think South Carolina won’t be as good as they’re being predicted. They’ll be a tough team, but I like this game more than Florida for the Aggies.

@Texas – Who knows what this game will bring? Texas could be undefeated with Arch Manning, or they could have imploded. Similarly, A&M could have some impressive wins and look like a legit player for the SEC Championship and CFP. Or, A&M could march into Austin, licking its wounds from yet another disappointing season. I know both teams will be up for this game, and this will be our second most challenging game on the schedule behind LSU.

Like I mentioned, this feels like another 8-4 season. Without a doubt, I think we lose to LSU. I think the Aggies lose one of the Notre Dame or Texas games. Then I think we lose two games against Auburn, Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, or South Carolina.

We’ll be stuck in Aggie Football Purgatory for yet another season. It’s the Aggie way.

We’ll blame being cursed or wait until next year, just like always.

We won’t look in the mirror and take some blame for being the mediocre football program that we are.

My Team Concerns for the 2025 Season:

So what concerns me for the 2025 season?

Lots of things, so I’ll just hit some bullet points:

• This is still mostly the team that faltered down the stretch last season. Coaching staff is pretty much all the same except for one addition, and the team’s nucleus is the same except for the next bullet point.

• We lost some key defensive talent in Shermar Stewart, Shemar Turner, and Nic Scourton. I have some serious concerns about our defensive line heading into this season. Their lack of production can explain some defensive struggles from last year, but those guys have legit NFL talent. Their draft status proves that, compared to their college production. Is that a knock on our coaching staff or the player’s will? Their production last season and draft status in the first two rounds indicate some disconnect. Our defensive line could take a serious step back in 2025 if it’s more coaching than players’ will.

• Just like last season, I question how talented this team is compared to the rest of the SEC. Stewart and Scourton were the only two underclassmen to declare. The other underclassmen didn’t declare because their draft grades weren’t great. They returned to A&M because their NIL package was better than their projected NFL contract. That’s not ideal. Some guys will improve their status from last season, but I don’t see anyone on this roster who will be selected in the first two rounds of next year’s draft. Certainly not the first round. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see any top-tier talent on this roster right now.

• Related to the above, our secondary scares the daylights out of me. Everyone loves Will Lee, and he’s a good college corner. He returned because the NFL didn’t value him as much as we did from an NIL standpoint. He’s got some improvement in him, but I’m not sure he has a leap. He’ll get drafted next year, but it could be anywhere from the second to the fifth round. I certainly don’t see him going in the first round. Dez Ricks needs to take a massive leap, as he got burned repeatedly last season. Especially against USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. While Julian Humphrey played at Georgia, he left Georgia because he was likely getting passed up on the depth chart by more talented corners on the Georgia roster. Sure, he’s more talented than anyone else A&M has on the roster not named Will Lee, but he might not be an elite SEC talent like A&M needs to take that next step. Tyreek Chappell will be a welcome addition, but he has his ceiling. We’ll find out against Auburn if my fears are valid or I’m just an idiot. I hope I’m an idiot.

• We have no clue what to make of our receiving corps. Our most productive receiver took off to Georgia. He wasn’t that productive from a college football standpoint, but SUPER productive from an Aggie receiver standpoint. Once again, was that coaching or player? I know everyone loves the additions of Concepcion and Craver, but they weren’t super productive last season. I know Concepcion was two years ago, but he completely disappeared last year. I’m good with the addition, but maybe teams learned to defend Concepcion last season, and that continues. There’s a lot of hope at receiver, but I’m concerned.

• I mentioned earlier, I believe Terry Bussey should be playing corner. In 2024, he caught 17 balls for 216 yards and no touchdowns. I love Terry Bussey and think he’s super talented, but is playing receiver in this offense the best use of his talent? I’m all about talent, but I also care about production. It was murmured that he wasn’t 100% last season. That might be true, and if so, what was he doing playing? Wouldn’t Bussey and the team have been better off taking time off to heal? We didn’t have anyone else who could catch 17 balls for 216 yards? He did have 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns, but that’s in 13 games. So I go back to a big question for this Aggie team – Was last season a product of coaching or lack of talent/player will? Especially as it relates to the passing game. Our passing game was hot garbage last year. Even in our most impressive passing game against Missouri, Weigman threw for less than 300 yards. So we add Concepcion, Craver, and a healthy Bussey, and we will turn into 2019 LSU or 2020 Bama?

• Related to the last two points, I don’t trust Collin Klein as an offensive coordinator. The dude reminds me of Jimbo. He only called plays for two seasons at KSU before we hired him. So it’s not like he has some prolific background of calling plays for an elite offense. He’s a Bill Snyder disciple, which I get, but that doesn’t always work in the SEC. It works in the Big 12 with average talent. Nobody will ever confuse Bill Snyder for an offensive mastermind. Klein isn’t terrible and has some solid concepts, but he showed a real lack of creativity other than a few times last season. He sometimes doesn’t appear to have a strong feel for the game and opponent. Maybe some of that is coming from Elko, but I think a lot is coming from Klein. Elko seems pretty clueless regarding what’s happening on the offensive side of the ball. Like I mentioned earlier, our three most impressive games came when the opposing defense wasn’t prepared for which quarterback we played. I hope I’m proven wrong, but I think Klein was a bad hire by Elko. He’s basically a young Jimbo.

• Can Klein get away from his love for tight ends if they’re not producing? As bad as our receiving corps was last season, the tight ends were worse. Some flashed at times, but they were wildly inconsistent in catching and blocking. I know we’ve brought in some new tight ends, but if they struggle, can we please stop forcing tight ends to be an integral part of this offense?

• I’m worried about the offensive line’s talent level. I do hope they can make a massive leap this season. However, if we’re judging based on actual performance and talent, it’s a concern. Just go back to the Texas game, where they did nothing. Reed-Adams graded out well last season and looks like he could be the first guy drafted, but this line isn’t full of guys who will play in the NFL.

My Hopes/Positives for the 2025 Season:

• My biggest hope for the 2025 season is that my last concern about the offensive line is invalid. I hope this offensive line takes a massive leap like the 2020 offensive line. I believe it’s entirely possible, as there is enough talent to be better even if it’s not loaded with NFL talent. In addition, offensive lines tend to improve as they get experience together. If this unit is stagnant or declines, the hopes of improvement for the 2025 Aggie season are dead in the water. Like most great teams, the offensive line will make or break a team looking for greatness. This unit won’t be the 2012 offensive line, but I’ll be more than happy with duplicating the 2020 offensive line. This unit has minimal depth, so maybe my biggest hope is they stay healthy all season.

• It goes without saying, but I love our running back room. We’re loaded for bear this season. If the offensive line leaps, we could pound our way to 9 wins.

• I love our linebacking corps. We don’t have an Edge Cooper, but we have enough talent and depth where this isn’t the massive liability it’s been in the past. This unit will be great if we get some help from our edge rushers applying pressure and our safeties in deeper coverage.  We don’t need these guys having to do more than just patrol the middle of the field.

• I’m hopeful D.J. Hicks takes a massive leap and pairs well with Albert Regis. I love Regis, but he’s a supporting defensive tackle. He’s not a guy who’s going to destroy offensive lines all game long. Hicks has that talent, but he’s struggled to show it in his first two seasons on campus. Next to the offensive line, I think Hicks is the biggest key to being a great team. If Hicks turns out to be the dominant defensive tackle he can be, this defense will improve from last season.

• I think there’s some good young talent along the defensive line. I don’t think they’re ready for the SEC season’s grind, but I believe they can sometimes provide some depth.

• I hope Cashius Howell can handle being an every-down defensive end targeted by offensive coordinators. There’s a lot of hope for Howell coming into this season, but offensive coordinators will also target him. I hope he’s ready and can handle it. If not, we’ll wonder if it’s the coach or the player.

• I think Marcel Reed can be a very serviceable quarterback. I hope he has a Jayden Daniels leap, but that’s not there yet. Maybe that can happen in 2026. For 2025, I think he can be a 2020 Kellen Mond or 2016 Trevor Knight. That’s not a bad thing, as those guys did a great job leading the offense in those respective seasons.

Summarizing my Jibberish:

I’m not sold on Elko and his coaching staff. It doesn’t mean I can’t be proven wrong. However, when I look across the SEC landscape, I see a head coach and his staff who haven’t shown they’re part of the SEC elite.

They have more runway, but I’d put Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin, and Steve Sarkisian well above Elko. I know Aggie fans hate Kiffin and Sark, but the dudes have done well at Ole Miss and Texas. I’d love for Elko to have their level of production.

Maybe he’ll get there, but I need to see it first.

Beyond the coaching, I have concerns for the talent level compared to the rest of the SEC. We’re not devoid of talent, but we’re missing some true dominant players that great teams have.

Finally, I think the schedule is sneaky challenging—three tough road games coupled with three home games that will be tougher than most people think. Throw in road games to Mizzou and Arkansas; this team could struggle at times.

I mostly believe this team is an 8-4 due to coaching, talent, and schedule. We’re just not ready to be an elite SEC team.

Maybe 2026…

My Concerns for the Athletic Department and Aggie Leadership:

This is all bonus content and has nothing to do with the 2025 Aggie Football season.

This is just something I’ve been thinking about a lot and want to get out there.

Before I do, like I stated relative to the 2025 Aggie Football season, I don’t want anyone fired or anything burned to the ground. I want those people who have some direct influence on Aggie Athletics to do an honest assessment of our past and our future.

We say we have Tier 1 resources and can compete with any athletic department in the country. I believe that to be true. However, the teams’ performance is woefully underperforming relative to the resources.

We say we’re cursed, which is nothing more than deflecting blame and taking the easy way out. I think there’s more to it. I think there’s a certain way Aggie leadership and influencers want to do things, and it’s not working.

I believe we lack holding anyone accountable. We get in a cycle of hiring similar coaches and ADs who won’t upset the power structure at A&M. Those in power don’t want their methods or decisions questioned. They want to slap backs and have access.

They say they want to win but don’t mean it regarding decisions and accountability.

I need to clarify that I only really care about three sports at A&M: Football, men’s basketball, and baseball. Those are the three sports that move the needle when it comes to fans.

I don’t mean to offend any of the other sports, but those are the only three sports in which someone can become a professional and earn generational-changing wealth.

Those three sports move the needle with fans.

I want A&M to be competitive in all sports, but those three sports matter infinitely more. A&M has struggled big time in those sports.

To prove my point, I want to frame two things:

Recent Success of the other SEC programs in those three sports:

The following are national championships won in those three sports.

Alabama – Six football titles since 2009
Arkansas – Basketball in 1994
Auburn – Football in 2010
Florida – Football in 2008, Basketball in 2007 and 2025, Baseball in 2017
Georgia – Football in 2021 and 2022
Kentucky – Basketball in 2012
LSU – Football in 2019, 2007, and 2003, Baseball in 2023 and 2025.
Mississippi State – Baseball in 2021
Missouri – Never ever
Oklahoma – Football in 2000, Baseball in 1994
Ole Miss – Baseball in 2022
South Carolina – Baseball in 2011
Tennessee – Football in 1998, Baseball in 2024
Texas – Football in 2005, Baseball in 2005
Texas A&M – Football in 1939 (giggle)
Vanderbilt – Baseball in 2019

As you can see from this list, Texas A&M is severely lacking in achievements in these three sports compared to the other schools in the SEC.

I get that winning a national championship is hard. However, every school in the SEC has won one in this century except for Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas A&M. Arkansas won a basketball title in 1994, so they have some recent success regarding a national championship.

We’re only slightly better than Missouri, which has never won a national championship in any of these three sports. I say only slightly better because 1939 was a long time ago.

I know we played for the baseball championship just last season, but before Jim Schlossnagle came to A&M, we’d never won a game in Omaha. Aggie baseball has been pretty futile compared to everyone else in the SEC, except when Schloss was here.

FREAKING VANDERBILT HAS A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN BASEBALL IN 2019!!!!!

I hate to bash on A&M, but looking at that list is sobering from an achievement standpoint.

Why is it that 14 teams in the SEC have a national championship in the recent past, and Aggie fans have to look at 1939?

I suppose we can rationalize that at least we’re not Missouri.

Recent Coaching and Administrative Items Related to Aggie Athletics:

I will list 12 things that occurred in the last two years.

I understand every defensive Aggie will “Yeah, but” every bullet point I’m about to post.

I get these statements can’t live in a vacuum.

However, if you look at the entire list and don’t come away with some questions of why we’re failing, I think that’s part of the problem.

It’s like a drunk staring in the mirror after yet another memory-erasing bender and accepting no blame.

Let’s see what’s happened in the last two years of Aggie Athletics:

• We fired Jimbo Fisher with no clear replacement in place.
• It was done by our Athletic Director whose contract expired in less than 12 months.
• We paid the highest buyout to any coach by a LARGE amount.
• After a supposed exhaustive national search, our two most viable candidates were Mark Stoops and Mike Elko.
• Jim Schlossnagle, our most successful coach in any of these sports, felt Texas offered him a better professional opportunity. (The “Yeah, but” will be strong with this one, but just read it in a vacuum.)
• After a supposed exhaustive national search, we hired Mike Earley as the baseball head coach, who had no experience as a head coach.
• After probably the most disappointing season ever for any of these three sports, Mike Earley was retained as head coach a week after the season.
• Buzz Williams felt that Maryland offered him a better professional opportunity.
• Chris Beard felt Ole Miss offered him a better professional opportunity than Texas A&M.
• Bucky McMillian was hired as head basketball coach to replace Buzz Williams.
• Scott Woodward has won two national championships in baseball since leaving Texas A&M.
• Ross Bjork has won a national championship in football since leaving Texas A&M.

That’s all in the last two years.

Go ahead and let your “Yeah, but” fly.

Sure, each of those statements can be explained away to some degree. If you truly read each of those in a vacuum and look at them collectively, it’s not a good look for whoever has the strings to the Aggie Athletic Department, if anyone has any strings.

We don’t appear to have much appeal for elite-level coaches in those three sports right now. I get it’s hard to lure elite-level coaches, but other schools have done it. Take away Elko’s previous tie to A&M, and our last three hires in those three sports are pretty underwhelming.

Remember, less than two years ago, we had Jimbo Fisher, Buzz Williams, and Jim Schlossnagle as our head coaches in these three sports. Objectively, they’re the collection of the three most successful coaches we’ve ever had in these three sports at any given time. I’m not talking individually but collectively.

There’s never been another time when we had three coaches in those three sports with their skins on the wall from a success standpoint. Even better, we had an Orange Bowl victory and two trips to Omaha with a CWS Finals appearance while they were at A&M.

Maybe decisions related to Aggie Athletics are just hot potatoes that get passed around, so there’s no accountability.

Whatever it is, something needs to change regarding the leadership of Texas A&M Athletics.

We may have Tier 1 resources, but we’re not even close to being Tier 1 in any sport that matters. Results are all that matter, and I’m tired of the spin that it’s just a matter of time.

Or even better, hearing we’re cursed.

We’re not cursed. We need to take some accountability for the decisions that keep getting made. 25 years of the same thing is not a curse.

If we don’t break the cycle we’re in, we’ll never achieve what we think we’re capable of. Someone, somewhere, has to break this cycle we’re in.

Maybe Elko, Bucky, or Earley can do it. However, early returns suggest we’ll be stuck in the same old cycle.

I’m willing to give it a couple of years. If this current group of coaches doesn’t produce serious results, I hope those with the strings do something different than what we’ve done in the past.

We’re not the program that we think we are.

BTHO UTSA.

A Word from Our Sponsors:

They’re not really sponsors as they’re just friends or family. But they’re still great people and worth your support.

Nice Ash:

For you stogie smokers, Nice Ash is selling the official line of Aggie cigars this season.

Click on this link to learn more:
https://www.niceashtx.com/texas-am-cigars-bocock?utm_source=sqmktg_email

Old Smokey Grills:

I’m sure you’ve seen an Old Smokey grill in your lifetime. Did you know that every Old Smokey grill has been made at the same facility just north of Downtown Houston? Always family-owned and always made in Houston. For 75 years.

If you need a good, affordable grill to get you through this tailgating season, it’s hard to beat an Old Smokey.

Click on the link to buy direct from the factory, and you’ll have it in 2-3 business days. You can also purchase them at most Wal-Mart and Academy stores.
https://www.oldsmokey.com/collections/grills-smokers