Mike Elko shares excitement for versatility of Terry Bussey

When Mike Elko took over at Texas A&M, one of his immediate worries was holding onto key members of the 2024 recruiting class. Arguably none were more important than Terry Bussey, who delayed signing his National Letter of Intent until February. Top programs, mainly LSU, were breathing down the Aggies’ neck for Bussey.

Ultimately, Bussey decided to stick with Texas A&M and play his ball in College Station. His exact position is not yet known and for good reason. He can impact games in so many different ways and Elko does not have a clear idea of exactly where Bussey will line up as a true freshman.

Playing both ways full-time can be difficult but Elko wants to see Bussey in all three facets of the game before making an ultimate decision on his position.

“Both ways all the time, I think, is hard,” Elko said. “But when you have a kid that’s as dynamic of an athlete as he is, we’ve got to find ways for him to impact the football game. That’s kind of what we talked to him about through recruiting was — ‘We’re going to utilize you through ways that you can impact the football game.’

“Obviously, some of that will be in the return game. Some of that is in spot ways on offense. We anticipate it being on a large way on defense. And then, kind of see where it goes from there as he grows.”

Bussey was a do-it-all player for Timpson High School, leading the program to a state championship during the 2023 season.

However, his junior year was arguably the most impressive and earned him the title of Mr. Texas Football. Throwing for 2,177 yards and 26 touchdowns was just the beginning, adding 2,596 yards and 46 touchdowns on the ground.

Flip him over to the defensive side and Bussey had 115 tackles and five interceptions while playing defensive back.

Bussey played high school football at Timpson (TX) High School, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 11 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Texas A&M has a versatile and talented player on its hands and now, Elko will attempt to crack the code to get the most out of him.