Mike Elko reveals what he looks for in recruits

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko put out a casting call. The role? Aggie. In his introductory press conference, Elko described what he’s looking for when recruiting for Texas A&M.

“I don’t know that there’s necessarily a profile,” Elko said. “I think there are some intangibles that go into it. Got to find kids who love football. You have got to find kids who love the hard parts of the game of football. I think that’s a huge piece of it nowadays, who is willing to really put in the work to become great.”

“We’ve got to find kids that are capable of being first-round draft picks that three years later are first-round draft picks, right? And that’s the unique part of recruiting in this modern era.”

Elko inherited quite the recruiting class. Texas A&M currently boasts the No. 15 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, according to On3 Industry Ranking. The group is highlighted by two five-star prospects, ATH Terry Bussey and DL Dominick McKinley.

Elko spent two seasons as Duke’s head coach. In his offseason in between the campaigns, he reeled in the No. 60 recruiting class in the 2023 cycle. The class also ranked 10th in the ACC. Elko will have far more resources to recruit in College Station.

Mike Elko looks to capitalize on new environment

Former head coach Jimbo Fisher proved Texas A&M’s recruiting prowess. From 2019 to 2022, Texas A&M had a top 10 recruiting class yearly. Further, the Aggies had the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 2022. Elko will look to continue this recruiting success while adding unprecedented success on the field.

“As much as talent plays an enormous role, and we’re going to go out and identify the most talented players at their position across the country, I also think there’s a level of intangibles that goes into what allows those great talented players to become extremely successful in the college level,” Elko said.

Elko knows about success. The 46-year-old head coach boosted the Blue Devils to a 9-4 finish in his first season at the helm, where he was named ACC Coach of the Year. Despite mass injuries, Duke boasted a 7-4 record under Elko in 2023, highlighted by a 4-0 start to the season.

Elko has a plan on how to translate this success to Texas A&M.

“The first thing is just an accountability to this program,” Elko said. “We have to be about Texas A&M. We can’t be about, you know, what I want to do to get a higher draft status. We can’t be about what I want to do to get a better NIL deal. We have to be about what I can do to make Texas A&M great.”