Under first-year coach Mike Elko, could Texas A&M be a SEC sleeper, College Football Playoff team in 2024?

Texas A&M has had an interesting few days dominating the news cycle. 

First, the Aggies lost the deciding game of the College World Series, and in the postgame press conference head coach Jim Schlossnagle snapped at a reporter who asked him about the rumors he was leaving for the same job at Texas. 

Some 24 hours later, Schlossnagle was announced as the Longhorns’ new head coach. 

Then, in the latest EA Sports College Football 25 nugget release, the video game revealed its Top 25 Toughest Places to Play rankings, with Kyle Field checking in at No. 1 overall — ahead of the likes of LSU’s Tiger Stadium, Penn State’s Beaver Stadium and Oregon’s Autzen Stadium. 

Texas A&M was immediately clowned on the Internet, with many posting their own Top 10s that oftentimes didn’t even include the Aggies’ stadium.

I use all this as a preamble to note that you know who hasn’t been in the headlines at all this offseason? 

Texas A&M’s head coach, and thereby, the football program. 

After years of Jimbo Fisher keeping the Aggies in the news cycle, first-year head coach Mike Elko has turned off the microphone. And while it’s been a quiet offseason in College Station, there’s bubbling buzz behind the scenes that the Aggies might have one feisty team in 2024. 

Why Texas A&M could be an SEC sleeper CFP team in 2024

Mike Elko assembled an excellent staff, including poaching Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein away from his alma mater. He hired famed LSU strength and conditioning coordinator Tommy Moffitt and brought in wideouts coach Holmon Wiggins from Alabama. 

Although former 5-stars Walter Nolan (now at Ole Miss) and Evan Stewart (Oregon) were major losses to the transfer portal, Elko was able to maintain many of the key pieces from the Aggies’ top-ranked recruiting class in 2022. There was plenty of other attrition, but he stabilized the roster with 28 newcomers from the transfer portal and convinced a pair of key starters (right tackle Chase Bisontis and senior defensive back Tyreek Chappell) to return to school after flirting with the idea of transferring. Some 12-14 of the transfers project as starters. 

Purdue edge rusher Nic Scourton (who led the Big Ten in sacks in 2023) or Alabama 5-star corner Dezz Ricks were notable marquee additions, but Texas A&M also added valuable pieces from Kansas State (corner Will Lee), Bowling Green (edge rusher Cashius Howell, 9.5 sacks in 2023), Cal Poly (corner Donovan Saunders), Troy (wideout Jabre Barber) and Louisiana Tech (wideout Cyrus Allen).

The Aggies bring back former 5-star quarterback Connor Weigman, and impact players like defensive linemen Shemar Turner (6.5 sacks in 2023) and Shemar Stewart and safety Bryce Anderson. 

It’s hard to quantify the cultural change from Fisher to Elko, but suffice to say it’s a much more unified bunch in Aggieland these days. The vibes are better, and Elko has instilled a complete identity shift, with Texas A&M aiming to be a gritty, hard-nosed football team. 

Despite losing Nolan and LT Overton (Alabama), TAMU could have the best defensive line in the SEC by season’s end — and this is a unit that led the league in rush defense and sacks in 2023. 

Weigman needs to stay healthy, but he has 5-star talent and has flashed enough upside and toughness to lead Texas A&M to some big wins. 

It was easy to dunk on TAMU having the “toughest” stadium in America in EA Sports’ rankings when we’re a year removed from the Aggies going 4-3 at home with a loss to App. State, but Kyle Field does sit 100,000 strong and is loud. And this season, Texas A&M plays all of its toughest games (Notre Dame, Missouri, LSU and Texas) at home. So if the stadium lives up to its billing, why can’t the Aggies be a sleeper team in the SEC this fall?

Fisher did less with more, but there’s a reason why Texas A&M checks in at No. 13 in Bill Connelly’s SP+ Rankings and 14th in ESPN’s FPI ratings. There’s a reason why the Aggies, despite a string of so-so seasons lately, are still in so many preseason Top 25 rankings. 

I don’t think the Aggies can win the SEC in 2024. Not with some legitimate offensive line concerns and a lack of an obvious alpha at receiver (Evan Stewart would’ve been nice for Klein to work with!), but considering their preseason metrics, their blue-chip ratio (Top 5 overall, 79%), their portal additions and staff upgrades, this is a team that is absolutely capable of exceeding its preseason win-total and stealing a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

Oh, and having the “toughest” place to play in the country should be a boost, too.