College football analyst claims Texas A&M "extremely dangerous" team under Mike Elko

The Texas A&M Aggies under coach Mike Elko started the 2024 college football season strongly and in October were in contention for the SEC Championship Game before falling off. The Aggies finished the last leg of the season poorly, culminating in a regular season-ending 17-7 loss to the Texas Longhorns and a 35-31 loss to the USC Trojans in the Las Vegas Bowl.

During Monday's edition of "Always College Football," ESPN analyst Greg McElroy tabbed the Aggies to be a more improved team next season due to the complementary nature of their run game and passing offense (7:32).

"There is a lot of intrigue for me with the Aggies because if they can adequately replace some of those pieces in the front seven defensively and they can get improved play at quarterback and wide receiver, I think they'll be able to run the ball well enough to have an offense that can play complementary football," McElroy said. "I think the Aggies are an extremely dangerous team this year and one that does not need to be overlooked when making preseason prognosis."

Texas A&M tabbed as a sleeping giant under Mike Elko

The Texas A&M Aggies have had mixed fortunes in the past five seasons, with the high point coming in 2020 when they won nine games. The low point came in 2023 under former coach Jimbo Fisher who was extravagantly fired with a record buyout to be paid.

After an 8-5 record last season under coach Mike Elko, CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate broke down the reasons why the Aggies had such fluctuating results over the years and tabbed Elko to improve the team's fortunes (0:30).

“One of the longstanding arguments on the show is, ‘Is A&M capable of being a powerhouse?’ I say yes," Pate said. "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.’ Jimbo (Fisher) was there – Jimbo wasn't the guy to take them to that level.

"Kevin Sumlin wasn't the guy to take them to that level. Maybe Mike Elko is, it 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. I think there will be few other places out there that evaluate and develop talent as well as Mike Elko and his staff will at Texas A&M.”

The Texas A&M Aggies seemed to find a new gear under quarterback Marcel Reed, who replaced Conner Weigman midway through the season. The 2025 season will be a pivotal one for Mike Elko after replacing Jimbo Fisher and getting a first year under his belt.