College football analyst believes Texas A&M can become "powerhouse" under Mike Elko

Texas A&M witnessed some growth under the leadership of Mike Elko in the 2024 college football season. The Aggies were one win away from the SEC championship game but suffered a home loss to in-state rival Texas in what was a revival of the fierce rivalry game.

In a recent installment of the “Josh Pate College Football Show,” Pate answered a question on whether Texas A&M can become a powerhouse. The analyst maintained his long stance about the program, believing it has all it takes to move to the pinnacle.

“One of the longstanding arguments on the show is, ‘Is A&M capable of being a powerhouse?’ I say yes," Pate said (Timestamp 0:12). "Someone else says, ‘Well, if they are capable of it, why haven't they ever been one?’ And I've always said, ''Cause they haven't hired right.’

“The ingredients to be a bonafide powerhouse have only been in place for about a decade. We're talking about pre-Manziel (Johnny) and then post-Manziel. Texas A&M was a different animal, but they still haven't had the right coach there to take them to that level.”

Josh Pate believes Texas A&M's previous hires weren’t the right fit

Before hiring Mike Elko, Texas A&M had had two permanent coaches since moving to the Southeastern Conference in 2012. However, Josh Pate doesn't believe either was the right fit for the program in advancing to the next level in the world of college football. The analyst nonetheless has some hopes Elko is the man.

“Jimbo (Fisher) was there – Jimbo wasn't the guy to take them to that level," Pate said (Timestamp: 0:43). "Kevin Sumlin wasn't the guy to take them to that level. Maybe Mike Elko remains to be seen. But my stance has always been clear on them, and that is just because they haven't been doesn't mean they can't be. It's a great sleeping giant program.”

Pate is, however, conscious of the fact that it will be much more difficult to progress and become a powerhouse in the current landscape of college football. The advent of NIL has made things more competitive at several levels, including recruiting, roster retention, etc.

“It's going to be hard; it's going to be difficult,” Pate said (Timestamp 1:16). "The ingredients are there, but I think it's going to be difficult for anyone to sustain an elite run the way college football is set up right now. I'm talking about every one of them.”

Without a doubt, Texas A&M possesses the ambition to compete at the top of the game. This is the reason they parted ways with Jimbo Fisher despite how expensive the move was. Nonetheless, there's still a lot to be gotten right before the program advances to the next level.