Texas A&M’s NIL spending has become impossible to ignore, and neither has the skepticism that keeps trailing the Aggies into another season.
Pete Nakos of On3 reported last week that, according to one SEC general manager, Mike Elko’s program spent “easily $10 million” in the 2027 recruiting cycle, a figure that dwarfs the “average of $5 or $7 million.” That kind of number only adds more fuel to the conversation around Texas A&M’s No. 1-ranked 2027 class, headlined by five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews, who will reportedly earn $1 million during his career in College Station.
For plenty of opposing fan bases, the reaction has been predictable: the Aggies’ 2025 season is being treated like a one-year spike rather than proof of something more durable under Elko. That’s the backdrop for the debate around Texas A&M, where the money is loud and the doubt is even louder.
The comparison to the Jimbo Fisher era still hangs over everything. Fisher’s six-year run wasn’t a total wipeout, but even with a historic 2022 recruiting class, Texas A&M never got past nine wins. His obsession with “star chasing” over fit and leadership became part of the story, and it ended with his dismissal a week before the close of the 2023 regular season.
Elko arrived on November 27, 2023, after what was described as a near hiring debacle under former AD Ross Bjork. His first season in 2024 ended badly, but Texas A&M’s 11-0 start last year changed the conversation fast and delivered the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance.
That didn’t settle much for long. Back-to-back losses to Texas and Miami in the first round of the CFP brought the doubts right back, even after Elko signed a six-year extension worth $69 million.
Now the question is whether Texas A&M can do it again. Ari Wasserman of On3 argued that Elko is exactly the right kind of coach for this job, writing: "Elko is different, and people should be able to tell right now.
Starting with the hire itself. Why?
Because Elko was a functional hire. When Texas A&M paid a record buyout to fire Fisher, it could have done what it always does after.
It could have gone out, spent a boatload of money, and tried to make the biggest splash of a hire imaginable. It could have, like it has done so many times in the past, thrown an insane check at a problem and hoped it would go away."
That view fits the way many Aggie fans saw the hire from the start. Elko spent four seasons as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator before landing his first head coaching job at Duke, and while two seasons in the ACC normally wouldn’t point to one of the biggest jobs in the sport, his name was the one that kept coming up after Fisher was let go.
The road ahead is not simple. Texas A&M’s 2026 schedule is tough, but manageable, and the roster is built to give the Aggies another shot. Quarterback Marcel Reed is back for his second full season as the starter, 65% of the 2025 roster returns, and the program added 17 transfers.
Even with all that, nothing is promised. Wasserman put it plainly: "There’s no telling how good Texas A&M will be in 2026.
Last season, most people weren’t sure what to expect from the Aggies, yet they made the CFP. This offseason feels a lot like last offseason, though quarterback Marcel Reed is a better-known commodity.
We know Texas A&M has athletes, but is it CFP-good again? Who knows, but here’s what we should know now: Elko shouldn’t be doubted."
In Other News...
Aggies Suddenly Face A Familiar Fear In Pivotal 5-Star Battle
Texas A&M has spent much of this summer trying to stack momentum on the recruiting trail, and the Aggies have reasons to feel better about parts of their roster-building. The wide receiver group has gotten a boost from recent commitments, and the programs pass-catching outlook has been helped by what it showed on the field last season. There is also a bit of good news on another front, with Nico Partida earning a spot on USA Baseballs Collegiate National Team for the World Collegiate Baseball Championship.
Still, the biggest recruiting battle hanging over A&M is the one it cannot afford to lose. The Aggies remain in the hunt for 5-star running back Landen Williams-Callis, a player they have actively pursued, but the chatter around his decision has started to tilt in a direction that is all too familiar for A&M fans. For a program trying to keep pace in the SEC and close the gap in elite talent, the final call on Williams-Callis could say plenty about where this race is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Aggies Transfer Suddenly Looks Like More Than Linebacker Insurance
After Texas A&Ms College Football Playoff loss, Mike Elko and his staff went to work in the transfer portal, bringing in 17 newcomers to help reshape the roster. One of the additions, Tulsa linebacker Ray Coney, looked like a straightforward depth move at the time, a piece meant to help stabilize a defense that needed bodies and experience after a busy offseason.
Coney is starting to look like more than insurance. With veteran linebacker Taurean York gone and Daymion Sanford sidelined by injury, the Aggies need immediate answers in the middle of the defense, and Coney has drawn positive reviews for both his athleticism and his play. Alongside sophomore Noah Mikhail, he is now in line to carry a much bigger load than originally expected, which makes his transition one of the more important developments to watch as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&Ms Playoff Hopes May Hinge On One Unexpected Offensive Piece
Rueben Owens is positioned to become the centerpiece of Texas A&Ms ground game this fall, and that matters because the Aggies are trying to replace a lot of production around him. Under Mike Elko and newly promoted offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, the offense is expected to lean on the run as it reshapes itself after key departures elsewhere, and Owens already showed he can handle a meaningful workload with 639 rushing yards and five touchdowns last season.
Owens now enters the season as the back most likely to carry that burden, working alongside Marcel Reed in an offense that will need stability early. The Aggies do not need him to be flashy so much as dependable, because if the run game holds together, it gives the rest of the offense a chance to settle in while the new pieces around him sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]