Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko walks in with players before the game against the Texas Longhorns at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texas A&M Concludes Preseason Camp With Common Goal In Mind

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By Noah Ruiz | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 9:00 AM ET

A busy offseason has been in full swing since December for Texas A&M football, and as the preseason camp comes to a close, head coach Mike Elko has gotten his squad under the same idea in mind: "SEC Championship and the National Championship. That's a good season."

Building a complete roster and staying hot on the recruiting trail have been the keys to success for the Aggies, which is something they aim to carry into the next season. Taking what was established last year means that Elko has ensured his players have seen the difference under a well-disciplined coaching regime.

"It just comes down to being a year ahead of where we were last year. We were still trying to install the playbook, still trying to get people on the same page for different reasons like team chemistry-wise, but now we were able to skip all of that and just hit the ground running, learning upper-level stuff like the PhD stuff I was talking about," left tackle Trey Zuhn III said. "We started so much further ahead than we were last year."

Championship Or Bust

The unfortunate cycle of 8-4 finishes has plagued the Aggies in the recent past and has seemed to be the plateau that simply can't be overcome, despite the amount of resources poured into the program. However, Elko has aimed to lay a foundation that can carry the program into the future.

"Going to and winning the SEC championship and going into the playoffs, and for the O-line, our goal is the Joe Moore Award, being a veteran O-line group that's very attainable for us," Zuhn said. Such high hopes keep the players grounded in changing the narrative that has surrounded A&M since the end of the Johnny Manziel era.

No team will be overlooked by the Aggies on their quest for redemption, but the Roadrunners present a chance to leave no stones unturned as they aim to snap a three-game losing streak that dates back to the 2024 season.

"Everybody wants to win, you know, that's the main thing. Everybody's tired of seeing us saying we're going to be an 8-4 team and stuff like that, so it's really disrespectful and you know everybody's taking that on the heart," defensive back Will Lee III said. "So everybody's coming out here every day working hard and just trying to be the greatest team we can be and then change the history of Texas A&M football."

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

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