Mike Elko

2025 Aggie Football Ramblings

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.

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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

Thoughts From the LSU Game

This Game Was Different Than It Used To Be:

My theme for much of this season is waiting and wanting to see things differently than they’ve been in the past. Jimbo uttered the phrase, “It ain’t gonna be like it used to be,” and everyone ate it up. The problem was that Jimbo never backed it up. In the end, Jimbo’s tenure wasn’t much different than those before him.

I’ve been hesitant about Elko because I didn’t want to buy into a head coach until something happened that made me realize that it wasn’t like it used to be.

That happened on Saturday night at Kyle.

It’s not what you’re thinking, though.

It wasn’t the Aggies winning a big night game at Kyle Field. That’s happened.

It wasn’t the Aggies appearing to take a step they hadn’t taken in the past. By that, I mean this LSU game was more than just a Top 10 team coming into Kyle at night. It’s been downplayed, but this game was for first place in the SEC. The Aggies would have stumbled at that moment in the past.

Taking that step was a MASSIVE step, but it’s still not what I see as so different from the past. It was certainly a bigger step than we’ve seen in a long time.

For me, it was how this Aggie team took that step. Since we joined the SEC, we’ve never seen an Aggie team win a big game like they did on Saturday night.

Here are the biggest wins for the Aggies in the SEC era:

2012 Alabama
2014 Auburn
2018 LSU
2020 Florida
2020 Orange Bowl
2021 Alabama
2022 LSU

A couple of others could go on the list, but I’ll stick with this list.

There has not been a game in the SEC era where we were down by 10 at the half against a Top 10 team and came back to win it—not only win it but basically put it away in the fourth quarter.

With about 6 minutes left in the game, it was pretty obvious the Aggies would win. Down by 10 at half, they scored 21 unanswered points to take the lead. Then, they kept pounding to cruise to victory.

No nail biting.

In many of the games I listed above, the Aggies came out and took an early lead. Then, it was just holding on for deal life, hoping we didn’t blow the lead.

This game was indeed different than it used to be. We overcame a pretty solid deficit against a top team in college football. From a talent standpoint, LSU is a top-10 team based on talent alone.

I’m happy to take the step with the SEC lead on the line.

I’m happier with how this team did it. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather have the Aggies take control from the start and never waver, but what this Aggie team did on Saturday night was remarkable.

This team had the confidence and belief that even down 10 at the half, they weren’t done fighting.

We’ll discuss Elko’s decision to bring in Marcel Reed but don’t forget that this team came out of half ready for another half of fighting against a top-tier opponent.

I’d wager 90% of Aggie fans at halftime didn’t have much faith we’d win. I’m in that 90%.

We didn’t just win. We stormed back to the point where we spent the entire fourth quarter having a blast on the way to an Aggie victory.

Credit to Elko and this team’s attitude for having plenty of fight for another half of football.

Credit to Elko and this team’s attitude for winning a game entirely different than it used to be.

The Play of the Game:

There was a lot of focus on what Marcell Reed did in this game, but there’s a key play that’s being overshadowed a bit.

B.J. Mayes’ first interception was the absolute play of the game.

He picked the ball at the 35-yard line and returned it to the 8-yard line.

Marcell Reed comes into the game, and one play later, he’s in the endzone with the Aggies only down by 3 points. Kyle Field explodes, and it doesn’t calm down until the game is over.

I don’t know if anyone asked Elko when he decided to put in Reed. He may have already made the decision for the next offensive series, but with the play by Mayes, it was a no-brainer.

I watched Mayes’ press conference after the game, and he said he knew the route. He didn’t think Nussmeier would actually throw it since he had it covered, but when Nussmeier went to throw the ball, Mayes was on it.

That’s excellent coaching and player execution. Thanks to coaching and execution, Mayes would get another interception, but that first interception was the game-changer. Without that, the Aggies may not win.

It certainly opened the floodgates for the rest of the game.

That was Mayes’ first game to start at nickel, which makes it even more remarkable.

What a game for him.

The Importance of the Turnovers:

I know it’s obvious what turnovers mean to a game. Both in gaining possession and momentum, but the most crucial part of a turnover is where you gain the possession.

These are the spots where our offense got to start on the three interceptions:

LSU 8 yard lineLSU 26 yard lineLSU 38 yard line

We scored two touchdowns on the first two interceptions and should have scored on the third interception since we had first and goal at the LSU one-yard line.

I think we went really conservative on that final drive after Callahan’s false start. It was all about not turning the ball over and burning the clock because a field goal would have made it a 15-point game.

There would be less than 4 minutes left, and I think LSU was out of timeouts then.

Either way, the Aggies scored 17 points off of those three interceptions.

They were absolutely the difference in the game. The defense deserves MASSIVE credit for rattling one of the best quarterbacks in college football to throw three interceptions.

It’s a massive accomplishment and the difference in why the Aggies won.

The Noah Thomas Catch:

While the BJ Mayes interception was the turning point in the game, the Noah Thomas catch was a statement.

Everything about that play was perfect.

The Aggies had taken the lead 28-17 with about a minute into the 4th quarter.

LSU took the ball and marched down 78 yards in 9 plays, consuming a little over 4 minutes of game time. They missed the two-point conversion, so the score was 28-23.

You’re a liar if you’re an Aggie fan who says they weren’t worried at that point. There was a level of doubt in every Aggie fan’s mind, just like a newfound hope in every LSU fan’s mind.

With momentum taking a slight turn, Collin Klein dialed up the perfect play, and the Aggie offense executed it perfectly—I mean, perfection all the way around.

Perfect call, perfect timing, and perfect execution.

As that pass floated in the air, it looked like it would fall into Thomas’ hands. Every Aggie in the stands was ready to erupt and celebrate. And when Thomas came down with the catch, Kyle Field exploded. Momentum fully swung back to the Aggie side, never to go LSU’s way again.

I haven’t seen a catch like that in a moment like that since Mike Evans in the 2013 Alabama game.

This time, it would mean much more. Simply because it swung momentum, and we won.

As for Noah Thomas, you know I’m high on him. I hope he continues to develop because that play is precisely what the Aggies need. Thomas was double-covered, but he created enough separation and kept his focus on the ball.

The pass from Reed was perfect, but don’t underestimate Thomas’ ability to create the separation and haul it in. Short of scoring a touchdown, that’s about as big of a catch in that moment as you can have.

Thomas delivered in a big way.

Three plays and 21 yards later, the Aggies would go up 12 points with eight minutes left on the clock. The game wasn’t over by any stretch, but the chance of an Aggie victory was more likely.

Just outstanding work by the coaching staff and players.

Special Teams:

A real quick shout-out to special teams because they had two key things happen.

The first is on the second missed field goal. On the first missed field goal, we had a guy from the kicker’s left side who was pretty open. He ran untouched to the kickpoint. He was late and didn’t impact the kick, but he ran open and wasn’t far off.

On the second attempt that he missed, we loaded up the kicker’s left-hand side. It was pretty apparent that three guys were coming from the left side just like before, and one would likely have a chance at the block. He was attempting the longest kick of his career.

I don’t know if that impacted the LSU kicker, but you don’t see a right-footed kicker miss that far right very often. That ball never had a chance when it left his foot.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I think he knew he had trouble coming from his left side and not only rushed it but also did a little overcompensating from his previous kick.

Maybe the kid didn’t have the leg for that distance, so I’m reading too much into it. At least it appeared we were trying to do something to mess with the kicker. We actually did not send anyone this time, mostly because I think we worried about the fake and staying home. I’m fine with that since he was attempting a career-long. Lord knows LSU loves to run fake field goals in those moments.

Also, credit the special teams for the errant snap on the next field goal attempt. The crowd undoubtedly impacted that, but I’m curious if the special teams did anything to trigger that early snap.

I gave this unit grief after the Arkansas fake punt, but they’ve been pretty solid.

Good to know we have a head coach who does value special teams.

That’s certainly different than it used to be.

Quarterback:

Before we go any further, let’s just talk about the quarterback position.

Obviously, we all know what Marcel Reed did. It’s still fascinating to me that all he did all night was run a read concept. He did it masterfully, but it was amazing that LSU had no answer to a concept that’s been all over football for a decade now.

Some draws were mixed in, and the pass to Thomas was a big thing. The defense couldn’t just focus on Reed. It’s still amazing that Reed ran all over that LSU defense doing something he’d shown was his bread and butter in previous games.

I get that LSU was prepared for Weigman, but did they spend no time last week considering whether Reed came in? They couldn’t even slow Reed down.

I’m not trying to take anything away from Reed, as he was masterful in executing what he was doing. That was definitely part of it. Reed anticipated what LSU was going to do defensively and let the ball go or pulled it to keep.

When he kept the ball, he ran all over that LSU defense where they had no real answer.

It was a master class by Reed on running a read type offense.

I’m just a little shocked it took LSU by total surprise.

Reed has to be the guy going forward. He earned it with his performance on Saturday night. I don’t expect him to have the same level of success he had on Saturday night, but he earned the right to take the first offensive snap against South Carolina.

It’s his job until he proves he can’t be productive.

Just like it was with Conner.

As for Conner, I don’t know what to say. I’m not going to bash the guy. However, he didn’t show up in another big night game at Kyle Field against a Top 10 opponent. He went 6 for 18 for 64 yards and was sacked four times.

To be fair, it wasn’t all his fault. The receivers dropped a few passes they should have caught and the offensive line could have pass blocked better. However, Conner got rattled and it appeared he wasn’t going to get comfortable.

That’s on him. Conner wasn’t winning that game.

I have no idea if we’ll see Conner start an Aggie game again.

It’s crazy that a guy Aggies pinned their hopes on for three seasons may never materialize. Football is a crazy sport.

A part of me wonders if the Aggies have benefited from a defense utterly unprepared for the quarterback under center. Conner against Missouri and Reed against LSU.

I still have concerns over Reed’s ability to pass, but Reed deserves the ball to start the game against South Carolina. That much is clear.

I hope Conner is ready should the need arise for a change of pace under center.

The Running Game:

Believe it or not, LeVeon Moss and Amari Daniels had most of their yards in the first half.

They combined for 102 yards rushing in the first half and 72 yards in the second half. Marcel Reed would add 62 yards, so Moss, Daniels, and Reed trio rushed for 134 yards in the second half.

That’s not much more than Moss and Daniels did in the first half. That’s 32 yards, to be exact.

That tells you how important the field position created by the defense really was.

The yard per carry was amazing. Daniels averaged 7.6 yards per carry, with a long of 28 yards—91 yards on 12 carries, to be exact.

Moss averaged 5.9 yards per carry with a long of 25 yards. 83 yards on 14 carries.

Reed averaged 6.9 yards per carry with a long of 20. 62 yards on 9 carries.

Those are pretty impressive yards per carry without really long runs. They were ripping off yards on every carry and rarely getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage. We really haven’t seen a rushing effort like that all season.

Reed forcing the defense to defend the whole field definitely opened up the running game, but Moss and Daniels were also running well in the first half. It wasn’t just Reed opening things up on the ground in the second half.

Chase Bisontis was out this game (and I think he might be out a lot longer), so T.J. Shanahan and Kam Dewberry had to fill his spot. They appear to be much better at run blocking than pass blocking, which I feel contributed to some of the pressure that Conner was under.

I wouldn’t be shocked if the pass-blocking struggles partially contributed to Elko’s decision to bring in Marcel Reed. Conner was obviously struggling, but if we couldn’t protect him, it was time to sell out to the running game.

It’s clear that the running game is going to be the bread and butter of this offense. We can’t be one-dimensional. We still have to pass, but it’s clear that this team’s strength is establishing the run.

The Passing Game:

Other than the pass to Noah Thomas, the passing game was really anemic.

We completed 8 total passes the entire night. Conner completed 6, and Marcel completed 2.

Our receivers caught three balls for 81 yards, with one 54-yard pass to Thomas and the other two completions to Jabre Barber for 27 yards.

Three completions to our receivers the entire game. Ouch.

We had one pass to a tight end for 6 yards.

The other four passes were to our running backs for 47 yards.

That’s really bad. We can’t get away with that and win out.

I’ll leave that issue up to Elko and Klein, but that’s a massive concern to this offense going forward.

The Defense:

The heroes of this game are, no doubt, the defense.

What they did in the second half set the stage for Marcel Reed to do what he did. If they didn’t have their second-half performance, we never win this game.

They didn’t look great in the first half, but they didn’t look bad either.

They gave up two touchdowns in the first half, but one was partially due to a fumble and stupid personal foul, which gave LSU the ball at the 21-yard line. That was 100% on the offense.

The second was a 76-yard touchdown pass to the slot receiver, who was lined up on none other than Jaydon Hill. We were in zone coverage in Hill’s defense, so he released him to the safety and linebacker. Dalton Brooks whiffed on the tackle, and the LSU receiver was off to the races. If Brooks makes a better play on the receiver, that’s not even a first down.

Still, it was a mistake by the defense and Brooks specifically.

LSU missed two field goals in the first half, so in theory, it could have been 23-7. However, if we don’t fumble the ball, it could be anywhere from a 10-7 to 16-7 score, depending on how you want to score the field goal attempts in whatever theoretical scoring game you want.

Those were also long field goal attempts for their kicker, which I touched on earlier.

We could have been up 7-3 at half if we didn’t fumble, and Brooks made the tackle on that long touchdown pass.

You can play ifs and buts all day long, but the fact is we went down 17-7, mostly because of our inept offense and a bad play by Dalton Brooks.

The Aggies clamped down on the LSU offense in the second half, only giving up one touchdown and a botched field goal attempt.

LSU had 7 possessions in the second half. They had one touchdown drive of 78 yards.

Here are the other 6 possessions:

4 plays, 20 yards – Punt
3 plays, 13 yards – Interception
9 plays, 35 yards – Botched field goal snap
2 plays, 0 yards – Interception
4 plays, 12 yards – Interception
5 plays, 10 yards – Turnover on downs to let the Aggies kneel it out.

That’s a total of 27 plays for 90 yards. That’s 3.3 yards per play other than the touchdown drive. You hold that LSU offense to 3.3 yards per play on all but one possession in a half, and you’re doing something.

Outside of the turnovers, the key stat was this – Caden Durham rushed 11 times for 15 yards. That’s an average per-yard carry of 1.4 yards. Even more impressive? He had a long run of 10 yards.

That means in his other 10 rushes, he only averaged .5 yards a carry. HALF A YARD A CARRY ON TEN ATTEMPTS!!!!

The Aggie defense completely shut down the LSU rushing attack. The week before, Durham carried the ball 21 times for 101 yards and 3 touchdowns against Arkansas. That’s a 4.8-yard-per-carry average against a pretty decent defense.

I didn’t see the Aggie defense shutting Durham down, but they did.

Not letting the LSU rushing attack get going was key to forcing Nussmeier to keep passing the ball. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t sit on a lead and grind the clock.

Holly Rowe posted late Saturday night about something Jay Bateman had told her during a production meeting. Bateman told Rowe their goal was to change what Nussmeier was seeing. I don’t think that meant spotting LSU 17 points in the first half and then intercepting three passes in the second half, but whatever the plan was, it seemed to work.

Thanks to the work of the defensive line and linebackers, Nussmeier could never get super comfortable in the second half. He was only sacked twice but seemed to throw much sooner than he wanted most of the night.

One thing I did notice from Nussmeier in the first half was that he was looking the way he wanted to go right from the snap. If he looked right, he threw right. If he looked left, he threw left. I watched his head quite a bit in the first half, and he never looked anything off; he just went to the other side. He seemed very deliberate in where he wanted to throw the ball from the moment he took the snap.

Mayes mentioned that on both of his interceptions, he noticed Nussmeier indicating where he was going to throw and was surprised he threw the ball both times.

I don’t know if the Aggie defense baited Nussmeier in the second half or picked up on him indicating where he wanted to pass as well, but they clearly took advantage of something. Even on York’s interception, he was on the edge, but he noticed the running back releasing up the middle and drifting over to make the interception.

Those three interceptions weren’t luck. They were interceptions by a well-prepared defense.

While the entire defense played great, it goes without saying the linemen and linebackers are the critical components of this unit.

That LSU offensive line is arguably the best in college football. I’m not going to say the Aggie defense dominated them all night, but they certainly won many battles with them.

It’s not a massive surprise, but Elko and Bateman’s work on this defense is outstanding.

I had my questions about whether this unit was better than last year’s unit, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it is better than last year’s unit.

That’s a credit to Elko and Bateman. They identified the needed talent, developed them in the off-season, and are coaching them in the season.

It’s really impressive work.

You play defense like this unit and you’re gonna be in every football game.

It’s up to the offense to win it.

Looking Forward:

Our path to Atlanta is clear. We have three SEC games left, and if we win all three, we’re there without question. We could lose to South Carolina and beat Texas, and we’d still be there, I believe. We’d only have one SEC loss with the head-to-head over LSU and Texas. We could beat South Carolina and lose to Texas, and if we got some help elsewhere, we could also be there.

I think one side of the SEC Championship runs through Athens on November 16th as the winner of Georgia and Tennessee will have a clear path. I think the other side runs through College Station on November 30th. The winner of A&M and Texas matches up with the winner of Georgia and Tennessee.

I could be wrong, but that’s how I see the SEC Championship game shaping up. The winner of those two games meets in Atlanta on December 7th.

As for the College Football Playoff, I think the path is even clearer. Win one of South Carolina or Texas, and our ticket is punched. That’s assuming we beat Auburn, obviously.

If we beat South Carolina and lose to Texas, we’ll be 10-2, with Notre Dame and Texas as our only two losses. They’re both ranked in the Top 10 right now. That’s as good as any two-loss team in the country.

If we lose to South Carolina and beat Texas, we’ll have a win over another Top 10 team at the time. That scenario also puts us in the SEC Championship game, which is basically a lock for the College Football Playoff.

I’d rather just win out, but considering scenarios, we’re in a really good spot right now for the College Football Playoff.

As for South Carolina, I feel good about that game. It won’t be easy as Columbia at night isn’t easy, but I believe in this squad.

This coaching staff and team seem to be getting better every week.

South Carolina has some really good defensive ends, but I think Reed’s legs can probably neutralize them. Their offense is pretty inept, with a mobile quarterback that I think we can contain.

It won’t be a blowout by any stretch, but I do feel like we have a solid chance to come out of Columbia with a win. Turnovers will be the key, as that’s what South Carolina has benefitted from the most this season.

We don’t turn the ball over, and we win that game. I feel really confident about that.

Maybe I’m drinking a little too much Maroon Kool-Aid. Elko and this team have me believing that things are, in fact, going to be different than they used to be.

Final Thought:

The craziest outcome of Saturday night’s game is that the Alabama—LSU game in two weeks is basically a College Football Playoff elimination game. The loser will be 9-3 and a massive longshot to make the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

It’s wild to think that the game that for a decade and a half all but decided the SEC West and a shot at either the BCS Championship or the four-team College Football Playoff will eliminate one of them for a 12-team College Football Playoff.

That’s certainly not like it used to be.

College football is indeed cyclical. Some cycles take longer, and some are much shorter.

Just ask Florida State…

Thoughts on the Defensive Coordinator Hire

Mike Elko

Before getting to the hire of Mike Elko let’s touch on the Belk Bowl.  It seemed like the perfect summary of the Kevin Sumlin era.  The Aggies jumped out to a convincing 14-0 lead thanks to two blocked punts deep in Wake Forest’s territory.  It seemed like it would be an easy win for Texas A&M with an early 14-0 lead and equally matched teams.  Wake Forest then rips off 31 UNANSWERED points in basically a quarter of football.  Seriously.  In around 15 minutes of football Wake Forest scored THIRTY ONE points and the Aggies scored ZERO.  On A&M’s first 6 possessions that didn’t involve a blocked punt they punted 5 times and fumbled on the 6th possession.  Meanwhile the Aggie defense is handing out points like candy on Halloween to let Wake Forest have a 31-14 lead.  The Aggies clawed back and went into halftime down 38-28 which is pretty remarkable.

The Aggies came out in the second half looking much better as the Aggie defense held Wake Forest to only a field goal in their first five possessions.  The defense forced two turnovers on five of those possessions and the offense continued moving the ball.  This allowed the Aggies to take a 45-41 lead early in the 4th quarter despite giving back one of those turnovers with an interception.  As would be typical of many Aggie games, the defense couldn’t hold as Wake Forest scored two touchdowns on their last two possessions.  The Aggie offense couldn’t respond to both scores and Wake Forest wound up with a 55-52 win.  It seems like the perfect ending to the Sumlin era where things looked great early on, then looked really bad, then clawed back making things look respectful by even taking the lead.  In the end the Aggies couldn’t hold on to a lead running out of time one final game with the Sumlin regime.

Someone asked me what I expected before the bowl game.  My response was that I didn’t expect anything different from the last four seasons other than Kevin Sumlin wouldn’t be on the sidelines chewing gum.  That’s the way it turned out.  The Belk Bowl was pretty much the mirror of Sumlin’s time at A&M.

Now we can truly begin the Jimbo Fisher Era.

Before bowl season there was a lot of speculation on who A&M might hire as it’s defensive coordinator.  Early on there was talk of Bud Foster, Alex Grinch, and Travaris Robinson.  They seemed like likely candidates given their current positions and A&M’s resources.  As bowl season cranked up the speculation started dying down as it seemed A&M wouldn’t be making a hire until after everyone played their bowl game.  During this time bigger names started getting whispered about with the biggest name being Dave Aranda of LSU.  It seemed like a long shot but the rumors got stronger and stronger that he was Jimbo’s main target.  Along with the way names like Manny Diaz of Miami, Mike Elko of Notre Dame, and Don Brown of Michigan were also speculated.

It was very much like the Jimbo Fisher hire where nobody knew for sure but there seemed to be a clear target and it was Aranda.  After the New Year’s Day games the smoke around Aranda really started to thicken.  Of all the names being speculated Aranda’s name seemed to be the most consistent.  There was speculation on the LSU side that it was pretty apparent A&M was coming after him.  At one point it sounded like he might have turned A&M down but nobody knew for sure.  Brent Zwerneman then tweeted A&M was in fact going after Aranda and a pretty wild afternoon/evening ensued with no one publicly knowing what was going on.  It was clear though that A&M had in fact zeroed in on Aranda.  Later that evening it became pretty clear that Aranda was not going to leave LSU.  It appeared LSU had given Aranda the exclusive keys to the LSU defense and a new contract for four years worth $10 million in total compensation.  Hard for Aranda to turn that down.

Aggies everywhere seemed pretty dejected Jimbo didn’t land Aranda.  They lamented all the momentum A&M had built with the Jimbo hire was gone.  The Aggies would be stuck with some average defensive coordinator that even his current school didn’t want.  A lot of Aggies went back to their “woe is us” mentality as it seemed like Aranda or bust.

Fortunately for A&M Jimbo Fisher didn’t see it that way.  Less than 24 hours after being publicly turned down by Aranda the Aggies hired Mike Elko away from Notre Dame.  It was a major get by A&M to hire an up and coming defensive coordinator away from a major program.  The momentum A&M created by hiring Jimbo seemed to be back.  All was good in Aggieland for football.

While Jimbo didn’t land his top target in Aranda I love the way this hire played out.  It was clear Jimbo had his top target and A&M threw everything they could at him.  When he didn’t bite A&M didn’t get phased and simply went after the next major hire they had on their list.  In less than 24 hours they had their defensive coordinator.  Nobody likes getting rejected but rejection is a lot easier to swallow when you immediately rebound with something just as good.  That’s what A&M did and shows this is a different day for A&M football.  There seems to be a plan with targeting, approaching, and hiring the football staff.  It certainly feels different.

As for Elko it seems like a really solid hire.  I’ll admit I haven’t watched a lot of Notre Dame football this year but it’s pretty clear the biggest difference from Notre Dame in 2016 to 2017 is the improvement of their defense.  Notre Dame went from 4-8 to 9-3.  That’s pretty remarkable.  What I’ve read and watched about him he seems like a guy that coaches fundamentals and adapts each week to the offense his defense is facing.  I don’t think fundamentals and adaptability are understood enough by coaches.  It seems at times a lot of coaches want to out scheme everyone but if you don’t have fundamentals and adapt each week there is no “schematic advantage” as Charlie Weiss likes to say.  Elko seems like a guy that focuses on fundamentals and changing his approach each week based on the opponent.  The one common comparison that can be made is Notre Dame held LSU to 17 points in their bowl game while A&M allowed LSU 45 points this past season.  I would bet the talent level on the Notre Dame and Aggie defense isn’t far apart so that’s a feather in Elko’s hat.

The thing I like most about this hire is Jimbo Fisher appears to be doing his due diligence and hiring competent people he doesn’t have a relationship with.  I think the worst thing a head coach can do is only hire people they’re familiar with rather than look for the most competent person no matter their relationship.  It appears Fisher targeted people he has no relationship with but through due diligence identified people he thinks are great coaches at their respective positions.  I absolutely love that because it seemed Kevin Sumlin only hired people he had a prior relationship with.  The only time he hired someone he didn’t have a relationship with was Dave Christensen and that was a disaster.  I don’t think that’s happening with Fisher as he seems to be targeting coaches on their way up instead of their way down when Sumlin hired Christensen.

For those disappointed by the failure to get Aranda there’s no reason to be concerned.  I think Elko is likely just as good as Aranda.  I think a lot of coordinators get over-rated based on the school they coach because of their talent.  I think in college football there’s a group of 10-15 coordinators that are all interchangeable.  For the most part they’re excellent coaches but none of them are perfect and they have bad games.  There’s no coordinator that’s head and shoulders above anyone else.  Even Aranda who’s deemed as one of the best defensive coordinators in college football had games this past season where they gave up 37 to Mississippi State, 26 to Syracuse, 24 to Troy, 24 to Ole Miss, and 24 to Bama.  That’s 5 of 12 games where his defense gave up over 20 points.  That’s certainly not dominating by any stretch.

We’ll find out in 2018 how good Elko is as he has some decent components to work with on the Aggie defense.  I think Elko has a much easier job than Jimbo Fisher on the offensive side of the ball.  I think there’s more talent across the board on the defense compared to the offense mainly because the offensive line is so bad.  There’s no reason to think that Elko can’t improve on what John Chavis did as defensive coordinator.  It won’t be a major improvement but the goal should be a more consistent defensive effort from game to game.  Based on Elko’s history as a defensive coordinator there’s no reason to think he can’t do that.  It won’t be the true return of the Wrecking Crew but those days are likely never coming back.  Football has changed to an offensive game for the most part.  What the Aggies need is a defensive coordinator that preaches fundamentals and adapts to the opponent each week.  In Elko it seems that Fisher has found someone that can do exactly that.