Mike Elko on the foundation of Texas A&M's success: 'Somebody has to take the time to build it right'

Mike Elko took over a struggling Texas A&M team this offseason following the final two years of the Jimbo Fisher era. Looking to rebuild the Aggies’ program the right way, Elko established his philosophical framework early after arriving in College Station.

Losing the season opener to Notre Dame in Week 1 was a setback, but the Aggies have since turned around to win their Week 2 matchup against McNeese 52-10. Elko is confident his team’s abilities moving forward to Saturday’s SEC opener against Florida.

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“I think part of it is building a strong foundation,” Elko said during an appearance on the Paul Finebaum show on Thursday. “I think that’s one of the things that we’ve been very, very intentional about how we put together. And I think it’s making sure that you have a program that supports your student athletes across the board at every level the way it needs to. And I think we’ve made a lot of strides in making Texas A&M an elite football program, and that’s part of it, and that’s what ultimately will consistently attract the recruits.

“That’s what ultimately will lead to the winning on the field. That’s what ultimately will get this program where it belongs and where it should go. But it has to get built, right? And somebody has to take the time to build it right and again, I understand the SEC. I understand you’ve got about a week to get the whole thing built, but it does. We didn’t walk into a foundational program that had been really, really well established.”

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Getting the SEC slate off on the right foot against Florida will be a massive kick in the right direction for the Aggies. Having a favorable SEC schedule by avoiding both Georgia and Alabama this year could also help push them into the upper tier of the SEC standings by the end of the season. However, the outcomes to their games against Missouri, LSU and Texas will be telling of where Texas A&M sits under its first-year head coach.

Still, the Aggies can’t get caught loooking ahead. Saturday’s matchup against the Gators is an interesting one, as many are interested to see how Florida coach Billy Napier plays Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway together at quarterback.

Kickoff between the Aggies and Gators is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET live from inside The Swamp and will air on ABC and ESPN+.