Mike Elko on nerves of spring game: 'You just want the product to look good'

Conversations about nerves are typically discussed surrounding athletes ahead of competition, but they can also apply to the coaches in charge of giving the athletes direction on the biggest stages as well.

A spring football game may seem like more of a low-stakes situation, but not for new head coaches who are unveiling their team to the public for the first time like Texas A&M head man Mike Elko did a few weeks ago. As he was asked about some of the stresses that may fall upon a new coach following his first Maroon & White Spring Game.

“The nerves are you just want the product to look good, right? Your fan base is coming out to support you, to watch you, they take time and effort to come into this stadium,” Elko said. “You want to reward them with something they can walk away proud of and I hope they saw that today and I hope that’s what they walked away with.”

The Maroon Team secured a 24-10 victory over the White Team in a game that featured strong performances from players like Noah Thomas who caught seven passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns and Nic Scourton with seven tackles and 3.5 for loss. With Elko feeling that the hard work of his team this offseason paid off and was put on display at Kyle Field.

“You spend a lot of time on the field this spring, you’d like it to culminate in something that looks like we’ve been out for four weeks. And so I think it did that, I was confident that would be the case and so I don’t know how nervous I was,” Elko said.

The nerves were low for Elko, with spring football typically representing a time where coaches evaluate their depth charts and look to develop their players. But there’s no question that the pressure will ratchet up when fall camp comes around and the season gets closer. As expectations will be high per usual in College Station ahead of Elko’s first season at the helm.

“It’s the one time of year where you can go out on the field, really be a little bit relaxed, have some fun with the guys. You’re not quite as invested in the results that are going on the field, you just want them to go out and have fun and make some plays, and they were able to do that,” Elko concluded.