Mike Elko defends Texas A&M's Midnight Yell tradition in light of social media criticism

It felt like a weekly tradition on social media during the season. The Texas A&M Midnight Yell video would get posted and instantly, non-Aggies would speak up. Whether people were calling it cringe or just hating on the tradition, opinions were vocalized.

ESPN’s Pat McAfee brought the topic up when speaking to newly hired head coach Mike Elko, suggesting that maybe the videos should be kept in-house. Elko was quick to defend the tradition and praised the Texas A&M fans instead.

“People outside of it maybe do not understand it but this spirit of this place is unique,” Elko said. “You tell me where else you can get 50,000 fans in the stadium 24 hours before kickoff. Just saying. There are not a lot of programs that can put that many people in a stadium that far before kickoff.”

According to the official Texas A&M traditions website, this is how they describe Midnight Yell, dating back to 1913.

“The night before every home game, Aggies hold Midnight Yell at Kyle Field. It is regularly attended by more than 25,000 people. Midnight Yell is also held for every away game, usually at a location in or near the city where Texas A&M will play their opponent.

“Midnight Yell begins when the yell leaders lead the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and current and former students into the stadium. Once there, the yell leaders lead the crowd in yells dating back to the earliest days of Texas A&M. The crowd will sing The Aggie War Hymn and listen to fables from the yell leaders, telling how the Aggies are going to beat their opponent on the field the next day.”

They also noted how the tradition does travel, taking place when the Aggies go on the road. Places like Oxford, Tuscaloosa, and Starkville have technically hosted Midnight Yell.

Even coaches in the SEC have been critical of Midnight Yell in the past. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin quote tweeted a video with a facepalm emoji, coming after the Rebels took down Texas A&M earlier in the season.

All of the criticism can be said but Elko seemingly does not care. He was part of the Texas A&M tradition not too long ago when he was the defensive coordinator. Now as the head coach, it’s going to play an even bigger role in his program succeeding.

To him, Midnight Yell is something that should be celebrated.