Mike Elko’s stock is soaring in College Station, and the national coaching rankings reflect it.
Texas A&M is only eight weeks from opening the 2026 season against Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 5, and Elko heads into year three with the kind of momentum that comes from taking the Aggies to their first College Football Playoff. He also enters the season fresh off a six-year extension he signed back in November, a clear sign the program believes the climb is real.
The roster around him has changed fast. Texas A&M lost a record 10 players to the 2026 NFL Draft, then added 17 transfers to replenish the depth chart.
More than half of those newcomers are on defense, but one of the most notable additions is former Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Horton. At 6-foot-4, he gives quarterback Marcel Reed a bigger target and a legitimate red-zone threat who can also stretch the field.
There’s work to do on the other side of the ball, too. The Aggies have to replace unanimous All-American edge Cashius Howell, who led the SEC with 11.5 sacks last season. The expectation is that rising sophomore Marco Jones and Northwestern transfer Anto Saka help steady the pass rush, though the defense will again need production from multiple spots to match what it did a year ago.
Elko has drawn plenty of national respect this offseason, and most analysts have him inside the SEC’s top five coaches. USA TODAY’s Blake Toppemeyer put him sixth, behind Josh Heupel of Tennessee, Lane Kiffin of LSU, Kalen DeBoer of Alabama, Steve Sarkisian of Texas, and Georgia’s Kirby Smart at No. 1.
Toppemeyer wrote: "Elko needed just two seasons to take Texas A&M to the playoff. By early November, the Aggies had an argument for being the nation’s best team.
That unraveled after a scare from South Carolina, followed by losses to Texas and to Miami in the CFP’s first round. Still, the Aggies’ momentum is palpable.
Elko must continue elevating and prove last year was no fluke. His recruiting success suggests he’s building Texas A&M for staying power, and he’s proven more reliable than predecessor Jimbo Fisher at developing talent."
That recruiting success is a big part of why Elko keeps climbing. Texas A&M is close to landing the No. 1-ranked 2027 recruiting class, and the combination of high school talent and portal help has given the Aggies a stronger foundation. The development piece is still a work in progress, but the progress so far is hard to miss.
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Texas A&M Is Headed For A Huge Identity Test After Marcel Reed
Marcel Reed gives Texas A&M something every program wants at quarterback: a clear starting point and, for now, a steady hand. With two seasons of eligibility left, Reed has time to keep shaping the offense and the Aggies have time to keep building around him, but the larger question is what comes after him and how much of the rosters identity will need to be redefined once that chapter closes.
Brady Hart, Helaman Casuga and Jayce Johnson are all part of the conversation about the next quarterback, which only underscores how unsettled that future still is. The same kind of long-view planning is happening on defense, where sophomore edge rusher Marco Jones is expected to take on a bigger role in 2026 after showing growth under the staff, even as Anto Saka and TJ Searcy remain in line for major pass-rush work. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Suddenly Has Real Tension In Battle For Elite 2027 Back
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Williams-Callis has built a profile that has made him one of the more closely watched backs in his class, and the next stretch of his recruitment figures to matter. For A&M, the appeal is obvious: landing an elite runner this early would give the program a major head start, but the competition is now down to a handful of schools and the pressure is only going to rise from here. [Read more 🡒]