Texas A&M is done talking and ready to finally line up against somebody else.
That was the message from Mike Elko on Monday, when the Aggies’ head coach held his first game-week press conference of the 2026 season ahead of Saturday’s opener against Missouri State in College Station. After weeks of buildup across college football and especially in the Southeastern Conference, Elko made it clear the focus in Aggieland is simple: start 1-0 against the Bears at Kyle Field.
The opener comes against a Missouri State team that already showed it can handle the jump to the FBS. The Bears went 7-6 last season, finished 5-3 in Conference USA and played in the Xbox Bowl in their first year at the level.
Elko didn’t treat them like a placeholder opponent. He pointed to the work they’ve done building the program and said, "They were a bowl team last year in their first season.
They won seven games. They're making tremendous investments in their program… They're definitely here for the long haul."
For Texas A&M, though, the larger question is how this season takes shape after a breakthrough 2025 campaign. Elko guided the Aggies to their first 11-0 start since 1992 and their first playoff appearance, but he also acknowledged that the first year of a nine-game conference schedule changes the difficulty level.
Still, his approach stays rooted in smaller chunks. "I always function in quarters.
To me, that's how football makes sense. Your first quarter is your first three games," Elko said.
"Right now, it's about focusing on what we are, what we're capable of."
Elko also used the press conference to highlight something happening away from the field Friday: the R.C. Slocum statue reveal.
"Really excited for the R.C. Slocum statue reveal.
That will be Friday at 2 p.m," he said. "He's a guy that epitomizes what being an elite head coach at Texas A&M is all about."
He went even further in describing what Slocum means to the university. "To me, I view him as a legend.
That's how I've always seen him. I appreciate what he means to this community.
I appreciate what he means to this football program," Elko said. "I have a ton of respect and admiration for who he is, and I want to make sure he knows he's always welcomed around.
This is his home. … He means so much to this university."
On the field, Texas A&M still has a few decisions to settle, especially up front. Elko said the competition at offensive guard has been healthy and productive, and the offensive line as a whole is still taking shape.
"We're getting closer to knowing what it'll look like. It has been a competitive battle, which has been good to see," he said.
"It has played out like we hoped it would. You've had a strong competition where, at the end of the day, whoever runs out there for the first snap, there will still be a lot of guys who can play."
He added, "We're still searching for what the best five is and what it will look like, as you don't know until you get those game situations."
Special teams got its own spotlight, too, with Illinois transfer kicker David Olano in a close battle. Elko said, "He's a really good kicker.
He was hurt in the spring and didn't get to kick much. Asher (Murray) did a really nice job, and that created some competition," Elko said.
"They went back and forth. It was very, very close, and it was very, very tight because both guys were phenomenal."
At quarterback, junior Marcel Reed enters the opener with Elko asking for steady production, not flash. "What Marcel (Reed) has to do is go out there and play consistently on Saturdays," Elko said.
"He worked really hard and has gotten better. He has a better command of the offense, but he has to go out and play, and that's not just him; it's everybody."
Elko also pointed to Julio Humphrey earning a starting role in the secondary, crediting his consistency from spring through camp. "Tremendous work ethic.
He has been really, really consistent all through spring, all through summer, all through fall camp," Elko said. "He has gotten a lot more comfortable and confident with what we're asking of him, and that has shone through."
The linebackers, meanwhile, drew praise for their growth. "They made a really, really big jump, and some of that was naturally expected," Elko said. "The overall growth and development of the group really sticks out… There has been a lot of growth in that room, and it has been really, really cool to see."
Daymion Sanford is trending toward playing Saturday, though Elko stopped short of calling it final. "Right now, yes.
Probably still a little bit of a game-time decision. To ask me right now, I anticipate him being out there," he said.
As for what kind of team Texas A&M wants to be in 2026, Elko kept coming back to identity. "We have a chance to be really good if we have the ability to focus," he said. "They have a very, very high ceiling, but they have to go out and do it."
He finished by laying out the standard he wants the program to carry. "We want our program to be about a couple of things.
We want to be a gritty team… We want to be a team that has a tremendous amount of pride in this university and in playing for each other. We want to be an extremely physical football team on both sides of the ball," Elko said.
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