"It's en route": Texas A&M HC Mike Elko explains how close the Aggies are to a breakthrough as he enters the second year

Mike Elko took over at Texas A&M in the 2024 season and was able to make some impact. He was hired by the Aggies following a successful two-year tenure at Duke, transforming the Blue Devils into a contender in the ACC. He showed some glimpses of replicating that in 2024.

Elko appeared in a recent episode of the “Josh Pate College Football Show” where he discussed his time so far at Texas A&M and the expectations ahead of 2025. When asked about the progress of the program towards a breakthrough, the coach was confident the Aggies are on the way.

"It's en route,” Elko said confidently about his program. “That sounds gray, and I'm going to give you the coach-speak a little bit on that one, but we are heading in the direction we want to go. I know what's happening behind these walls. I know what's happening in this building. I can see this thing transforming and changing.

"We want it to be elite as fast as we can possibly get it there. Obviously, we have a strong belief that's going to happen this fall. But the program's heading in the direction it needs to head to ultimately become what you and a lot of people outside of this building believe Texas A&M football should be. It's going where it needs to be."

Mike Elko on his first year as coach at Texas A&M

Texas A&M finished the 2025 season with an 8-5 record, including a loss in the Las Vegas Bowl. However, the Aggies would have made it to the SEC championship game if they had defeated in-state rival Texas in the revived rivalry series. Mike Elko described what the season looked like.

"I think it was a step forward for our program and a missed opportunity to take multiple steps forward,” Elko said, citing what the Aggies have achieved in 2024. "I think that's what it really was.

“I think if you look at the performance of the year and what we were really able to do over the course of the year, it was certainly a step forward from where we had been in the recent seasons. That's obviously always what you want big-picture in your program, is steps forward.”

There are a lot of expectations for Texas A&M in the 2025 college football season as Mike Elko enters his second year in the program. His first season was a testament to what he could do in rebuilding the program and many will expect him to actualize that on a large scale next season.

The ambition to win at Texas A&M is huge. The school paid over $70 million to fire Jimbo Fisher to bring him in. That expensive move showcases the level of expectations on Mike Elko.