Mike Elko details what he looks for in recruits

Newly hired Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko had his work cut out for him on the recruiting trail after replacing former head coach Jimbo Fisher. When it was all said and done, Elko was able to secure the No. 12 recruiting class following the 2024 college football National Signing Day.

This time around, the assignment for the Aggies’ new head coach was primarily to keep the 2024 class intact after Fisher was let go prior to the end of the 2023 season. However, the 2025 class will be large in part Elko’s baby. Following National Signing Day, Elko took a moment to detail what he looks for in recruits, giving Aggie fans a glimpse of what is in store for them in the near future.

“It starts with a base level of talent and having the ability to compete in this league, which is the best league in the country,” said Elko. “And then from there, it’s all the intangibles, right? We’re looking for high-character kids, kids who love football, kids who have tremendous work ethic, [and] kids who want to be developed and want to become the best football player they can become.

“That’s always the challenge we have as we go through this, is trying to identify, no different than the NFL, elite talent that wants to be elite. That’s something that is unique. I think those are the traits you’re trying to identify for us in this window in two weeks. You try to do the best you can to make sure you fill this program with the right people.”

Elko will definitely have the opportunity to showcase what he can do on the recruiting trail as far as the 2025 class is concerned. Currently, according to On3’s national recruiting database, Texas A&M only has one commitment for that cycle. And it is interior lineman Joshua Moses who committed to the Aggies in August before the start of the 2023 season.

Elko stresses importance of relationships with Texas high school coaches

Elko is one incredibly busy man at the moment starting fresh at Texas A&M, but he’s made time to establish relationships in one important area: Texas high school football.

With signing day wedged in here in late December amid all the chaos of the end of the college football season, the coaching carousel, and now, the Transfer Portal open season, Elko had to build/retain the Aggies’ 2024 class on the fly.

Given that six of his 16 high school commits in the class came from the state of Texas, he prioritized building those foundational relationships throughout the state’s high school scene. He explained as much on the SEC Network during National Signing Day.

“I think obviously, listen, we were on the road for two weeks and you can wear a lot of hats when you go on the road,” Elko said of the recruiting process before delving into what he and the A&M staff accomplished in their short time so far.

“Part of that was getting into some high schools and seeing some coaches that are well-respected across the state. Part of that was showing up at the Texas High School Association board meeting and just kind of delivering to them a message about where we believe Texas A&M football fits in relation to high school football in this state.”