Texas A&M bowl game projection: Exploring best and worst case scenarios for Mike Elko’s team

Texas A&M Aggies are coming off a 7-6 finish last season under Jimbo Fisher and Elijah Robinson. Former Duke head coach Mike Elko returned to Texas A&M to take over the team in the 2024 season and will begin a new era of Aggies football.

Elko was the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M from 2018 to 2021 before taking the head coaching job at Duke in 2022. He won the ACC Coach of the Year award in his first season with the Blue Devils and went 16-9 during his two seasons.

The Aggies went 4-4 against SEC opponents last season, and the 2024 season will be even more of a challenge when both Texas and Oklahoma join the conference. Elko and the Aggies don't have a matchup with Oklahoma scheduled for 2024, but they will close out their season at home against the Texas Longhorns.

The Texas A&M and Texas rivalry will be restored once again after not meeting since the 2011 season. The Longhorns own this head-to-head matchup with a 76-37-5 record against the Aggies.

The positive outlook on the Aggies 2024 season begins at the quarterback position, where Conner Weigman returns after suffering a season-ending injury in 2023. He appeared in just four games but was off to a hot start with 979 yards and eight touchdowns.

A major area of improvement for Mike Elko in 2024 began with the Aggies offensive line to keep Weigman healthy and on the field. The offensive front will feature three returning starters, headlined by OT Trey Zuhn III.

They lost IOL Bryce Foster to the transfer portal but also brought in Dorian Hinton from FAU and Armaj Reed-Adams from Kansas to compete for a starting spot on the offensive line.

The Aggies receiving core will be without their top two pass catchers from last season. Ainias Smith was a fifth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2024 NFL draft, and Evan Stewart entered the transfer portal and joined Oregon.

Jahdae Walker, Noah Thomas and Moose Muhammad III will return to lead the receiving core after combining for over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

TE Donovan Green will also serve as another pass-catching threat for Texas A&M after missing the entirety of last season due to injury. Transfers Shane Calhoun and Tre Watson will also join the team at tight end with the potential to make a big difference on offense.

Amari Daniels, Rueben Owens and Le'Veon Moss return to the backfield after combining for over 1,200 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns last season. The backfield is solidified as the top three rushers on the Aggies roster in 2023 return for the upcoming season, but the team will be hopeful that one of them can prove to be a more consistent weapon.

On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line is where Texas A&M is at its best. Nic Scourton was a huge addition to the team. The former Purdue DE and LB returns to his home state after finishing last season with 50 total tackles and 10.0 sacks with three pass breakups.

Shemar Stewart, DJ Hicks and Shemar Turner all return to the defensive front for another season with Taurean York at MLB. York, along with transfers Solomon DeShields (Pitt) and Scooby Williams (Florida), will have the difficult task of replacing All-American Edgerrin Cooper, who led the SEC with 17 tackles for loss in 2023.

In the secondary, safety Bryce Anderson is a player to watch out for this season. He recorded 54 total tackles last season, with 7.0 tackles for loss and four pass breakups.

Cornerback has been an area of struggle for the Aggies, but the addition of Kansas State's Will Lee III could offer a major boost to that position. Texas A&M also brought in the top ATH recruit in the class of 2024, according to 247Sports, Terry Bussey.

Texas A&M Bowl game projection

NCAA Football: Mississippi State at Texas A&M

The Aggies should see a slight improvement in the play from their offensive line this season, and getting QB Conner Weigman back and healthy will help the offense tremendously. However, the additions to the roster may only balance out the players they've lost.

The defense should once again be the driving force behind the Aggies' success this season. If the offense gets hot, they could improve their win total by a game or two. There likely won't be a major leap in their win total during their first season under Mike Elko.

After a 7-5 finish in the regular season, the Aggies made the Texas Bowl last season but fell to Oklahoma State 31-23. PFF projects a 7.8 win total from the Aggies in 2024, which would put them right around their win total from last season.

Assuming they finish around a 7-5 record once again, this would make the Liberty Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Citrus Bowl or Gator Bowl. These are the most likely bowl games that the Aggies could qualify for.

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What record do you think the Texas A&M Aggies will finish with this season? Let us know in the comment section.