Aug 30, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko pregame against the UTSA Roadrunners at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

Mike Elko Chasing 'Big Picture' Changes in Year Two with Texas A&M

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By Noah Ruiz | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 4:15 PM ET

Year 2 of the head coach Mike Elko era for Texas A&M football is off to a terrific start. Over 40 points in its first two games, A&M has had its foot on the gas when it comes to breezing through non-conference competition, though a grand road test awaits in Week 3 against Notre Dame.

The Aggies are familiar with their independent opponents, having lost by a narrow margin a season ago to open up the first year of Elko's leadership. Therefore, the Maroon and White will be hungry to exact their revenge, and prove that they are more than their shortcomings in the latter end of the 2024 campaign.

A&M was just a game away from reaching its first Southeastern Conference championship game, but now, Elko sees a way to learn from the past and cash in on the opportunities granted to his squad in the 2025 season.

Live and Learn

While some critics were quick to point out the flaws of the Aggies backing into the offseason with a 8-5 record, for a first-year SEC coach, finishing over .500 is a feat worth celebrating in one of the nation's toughest conferences.

“There’s two things that can be true,” Elko said on SiriusXM College Sports Radio. “We had a really good first year, in the big scope of it all. We had the third-best first year of any active SEC coach currently in the conference, and that was coming off two years where we haven’t been very good as a program. When you look at the big picture of it, we did a lot of really good things last year."

Furthermore, the Aggies will their opportunity to right the wrongs of their past and seize a pivotal moment by defeating Notre Dame on the road with the help of electric dual threat quarterback Marcel Reed.

“I think we put ourselves in position that we haven’t been in – competing as a front-running team down the stretch with really, really important games. Now, it’s learning. It’s learning how to handle those situations", Elko went on to say. "It’s learning how to be the hunted team in November and trying to do everything we can to get back in that situation so we can prove that we’ve made the necessary adjustments to handle it better.”

Elko certainly feels confident in his team's ability to respond to adversity and with the spotlight in prime time this upcoming week, it'll be time for A&M to show critics and fans alike what its made of.

This article first appeared on Texas A&M Aggies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: