Mike Elko reveals message to Texas A&M players after taking over as head coach

When Mike Elko took over at Texas A&M, he made it clear the program had a long way to go to reach its potential. The Aggies got into a bowl game this year with a 6-6 record after last year’s disappointing 5-7 record, which included a top-ranked recruiting class.

For Elko, the goal isn’t just to make a bowl game. He wants to be in the College Football Playoff. That was his message to the players after he took over.

“We’ve got to become what we’re capable of becoming,” Elko said on the ESPN broadcast during Wednesday’s Texas Bowl. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I think this program is capable of being a team that’s in the Playoff and competing for national championships every year. But we’re not that right now. We’ve got to recognize that, and we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and go to work to become what we should be.”

Elko knows what it takes to win in College Station. He was on Jimbo Fisher’s staff as defensive coordinator from 2018-21 when the Aggies won eight games four straight seasons — including nine-win campaigns in 2018 and the COVID-impacted 2020 season. Now, as the College Football Playoff is getting ready to expand to 12 teams next year, he wants Texas A&M to be right in the middle of the race for a national title.

Of course, it’ll take some time. Elko is still assembling his staff, including a defensive coordinator he said would be “announced soon” on the broadcast. TexAgs’ Billy Liucci previously reported Texas A&M is planning to hire Jay Bateman away from Florida for that role. Elko also made a big splash on offense by landing former Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein.

Now, he wants to get things on the right track. To do that, Elko wants to set a high standard and make sure everyone in the program lives up to it. He specifically called out interim head coach Elijah Robinson and how he handled things after Fisher’s departure. Robinson is now gearing up to leave for Syracuse after Wednesday’s bowl game against Oklahoma State.

“I just think it’s kind of just re-plugging the kids in. I think when you look at what Elijah has done the last two weeks, I think you’ve already started to see that process started. It’s really hard when you have high expectations and you come up short,” Mike Elko said.