Folks, we made it.
Texas A&M’s 2025 season opener vs. UTSA in Kyle Field is just 32 days away, as the start of fall camp began on Tuesday with head coach Mike Elko and several players taking the podium to officially welcome the 2025 campaign. Outside of freshman offensive lineman Marcus Garcia, every player on the roster has arrived, and, so far, health has not been an issue.
This offseason has been a busy one for Elko and his coaching staff, already landing 27 players in the 4th-ranked 2026 recruiting class, while the 14 transfer portal additions have acclimated well to a 2025 roster that is littered with talent and experience at every position. However, starting quarterback Marcel Reed’s performance will likely make or break the Aggies’ chances at earning a bid to the College Football Playoff.
The pressure isn’t all on Reed’s shoulders, mainly due to the defensive breakdowns that led to A&M’s 1-4 slide to end the 2024 campaign, leading to Elko taking over as the defensive play caller for this season and beyond. If the pass rush shows consistency, combined with fewer big plays allowed in the passing game, Texas A&M’s defense will be one of the top units in the SEC.
Elko is not the flashiest of coaches during his press appearances, which has continued to be a breath of fresh air for Aggie fans after six years under Jimbo Fisher. Ahead of fall practice, here is everything Mike Elko had to say during Tuesday’s presser.
Mike Elko on the official start of the 2025 season
“It’s here. It’s time. I don’t know what hasn’t been talked about already at this time, but there’s always a buzz in the air when you hit this point.”
Elko on the health of the roster entering fall camp
“I’m excited that we’re healthy, have everybody available and ready to roll.”
Texas A&M has just 30 days to prepare for the 2025 campaign
“We have 30 days now to build the team that’s capable of accomplishing the things we’re hopeful to accomplish.”
Elko on his second fall camp at the helm
“You’re working with so much more knowledge, and we’ve talked about that a lot this offseason. You have a much better understand of this group and what they’re capable of.”
Elko on the shift in the team mindset, built around the offensive line
“In terms of mindset and how they play the game, there has been a massive shift.”
“We wanted the offensive line to be the heartbeat of our offense and our team, and I think we’re getting closer and closer to accomplishing that.”
Elko on Texas A&M S&C coach Tommy Moffitt’s impact
“I think, just like coaching, there is a foundation of what training looks like. There is a conditing level and a level of which you can push the body.”
“In year two, that strength and condition capacity starts at a higher level.”
Elko on the two players who have made progress in the weight room this summer
“Cashius Howell had a really strong summer. His body looks really, really good. Marcus Ratcliffe has done a really good job in the offseason.”
“We’re a bigger, faster, stronger team. Now, we’ve got to go play football, and we’ve got to go play football well.”
Elko on the health of the roster, minus freshman OL Marcus Garcia
“Everybody is really ready to go for the first practice. We’re ready to go.”
“Marcus Garcia is the one kid that is nursing a little something, and we’ll see where that goes. Other than that, we’re ready to go.”
Elko on the team’s practice mentality heading into fall camp
“You have a much better feel today going into practice No. 1 than you did four years ago.”
“Our expectation is that we go out and set the tone for what we want execution to look like. We have something that we call ‘championship-level’ execution… We have certain markers that we want to hit, and we have the expectation that we hit those on Day
Elko on the importance of avoiding key injuries this season
“Health matters. Keeping our best players healthy throughout the year plays a role.”
“Last year, the one positive on the injury front was that you didn’t have a lot of soft-tissue injuries and didn’t have a lot of things happen in practice, so the things that happened happened without your ability to control them. Hopefully the breaks go the other way.”
No one can disagree with this
“We had some guys go down to some freak things, but usually, those things balance out over time. Hopefully, we’re in for a good run of luck. We’re certainly due for a season of that here at Texas A&M.”
The average head coach birthday probably sounds a lot like this
I worked.”
Elko also bought his daughter a car and tended to projects around the house: “All of that summed up into one heck of a birthday yesterday.”
Sustained success in SEC play is crucial
“We know we have to get ourselves ready to play good football for long periods of time to be successful in the SEC.”
“Nothing is ever going to be handed to us. We learned that lesson last year.”
Elko on QB Marcel Reed’s progress this offseason
“He has a magnetic personality. That’s a really good starting point. We define leadership as your ability to get people to follow you… He has a really magnetic personality that allows him to connect and relate to his teammates.”
Elko on Marcel Reed’s weight gain this summer
“He’s close. He has a natural metabolism that I wish I had.”
“He’s close to where we want it.”
Ignoring expectations is the best route to take
“If the expectations are there, we have to go out and perform. If we’re flying under the radar, we have to go out and perform. I know what this team is capable of.”
“We got to go play. That’s what we got to go do.”
Elko on new wide receiver KC Concepcion, who transferred from NC State this offseason
“What an unbelievable playmaker.”
“He was a guy that we paid a lot of attention to when we played him, and he has absolutely lived up to it. … He’s ready to go on and have a really, really big year for us.”
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: ‘We’re ready to go’: Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko said ahead of first fall practice
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
