As the Texas A&M Aggies make the push for their first appearance in the College Football Playoff, the program’s surging success is due in large part to the New Jersey native at the helm.
In just his second season as the head coach of the Maroon and White, Mike Elko has brought a new attitude to Texas A&M’s repertoire. Last season, the former Aggie defensive coordinator and Duke Blue Devils head coach led his squad to the first eight-win season in Bryan-College Station, Texas, since 2021. Now, he is eyeing the first back-to-back campaigns with eight wins or more in four years, should the Aggies maintain their momentum and triumph over the LSU Tigers on Saturday night.
Aggieland has perceived the head coaching position as a bottomless pit of despair in recent seasons. Still, Elko has quickly changed that narrative and is establishing a new stigma around Texas A&M football, which is a culture built around earning success.
Yahoo Sports senior writer Dan Wolken discussed Elko’s job as the head coach in College Station and the aspect that Elko has brought to the table that money can’t buy:
In Wolken’s recent column, Elko discussed the mindset he is instilling in his coaching staff and team moving forward. This is one of many reasons why he is achieving groundbreaking success in such a short time.
“People always want to take the elevator to success,” Elko said. “That’s not really how it works for anybody. You want your program to be this but it’s actually that and there’s a slow and steady climb that gets you where you want to go. It’s not, ‘We’re going to hire this coach and he’s a magician and we got him in here and tomorrow we’re a national championship program.’ It doesn’t work that way anywhere.”
As he eyes a bid into the playoff and a potential spot in the SEC Championship in December, Elko must first gear his team for a battle in Death Valley in Week 9. If he leads his team to victory against the Tigers, it would mark Texas A&M’s first win in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, since 1994.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: The Elko Effect: How Texas A&M’s head coach is building belief, balance in College Station
Reporting by Dylan Flippo, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
