Texas A&M still has an offensive staff in place, but the expectation around College Station is that changes are coming after the season. Mike Elko went with continuity this offseason, and the results have not held up. The internal promotions and hires he made have largely gone sideways, which is why the search for a new offensive direction is already taking shape.
If the Aggies do move on, there are a few names worth watching closely, and three stand out right now.
Wake Forest offensive coordinator Rob Ezell is one of them. Some fans may remember him from the old Alabama locker room video where a walk-on nailed a dead-on impersonation of Nick Saban. Since then, Ezell has built a strong coaching résumé, and he’s currently running the 8th-best offense in the country on a yards-per-play basis.
What makes that especially notable is the talent level he’s working with at Wake Forest. Even more important, he has shown over the past few years that he can shape his system around the players he actually has.
That’s the kind of fix Texas A&M needs. One of the biggest issues with the current staff has been that the plays often seem to ask the personnel to do things they haven’t consistently been able to execute.
Ezell would bring the kind of flexibility that could clean that up.
Texas State head coach GJ Kinne is another name to keep on the radar. His name has already been connected to several major jobs, but he still hasn’t landed as the top candidate in a cycle. That could make a move from a Group of 6 head coaching role to a Power 4 coordinator job a real possibility, similar to what Kane Wommack did when he left South Alabama for Alabama’s defensive coordinator opening.
There is also the Baylor factor to consider, since the Bears are in the market for a head coach. If they go in another direction, such as Jeff Traylor, Kinne could become available for something like an assistant head coach/offensive coordinator role in College Station.
That would make a lot of sense for Texas A&M, because Kinne has a track record of building productive offenses no matter who is on the roster. His teams have also shown they can move the ball against strong defenses, including Texas earlier this season, when Texas State’s offense was productive even though timely turnovers kept points off the board.
Then there’s Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, a name that might make some people assume he’s past his best days. That would be the wrong read, at least based on what he’s done this season. Northwestern has been one of the more surprising offensive stories in the country, recently breaking into the Top 25 before losing at Oregon last week.
Kelly’s offense has been creative, versatile and constantly changing to fit the players he has. Against Penn State earlier this year, Northwestern suddenly shifted into a full Wing-T look, and it worked.
He has been one of the most adaptable offensive minds in college football this season. There are still questions, including how much he would enjoy recruiting, but from an on-field standpoint, he would be a strong option for Texas A&M.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A Real Worry With Top LB Commit
Texas A&Ms recruiting momentum has hit a familiar late-summer stress test with Kaden Henderson, the five-star linebacker who remains committed to the Aggies but is headed to Notre Dame this weekend. Henderson picked Texas A&M over the Irish the first time around, which is why this trip is getting such close attention from Aggie fans who know how quickly elite recruiting battles can shift once other programs get another look.
For now, Henderson has continued to signal that his commitment to Texas A&M is still solid, and the staff has kept a strong relationship with him throughout the process. Even so, any visit to a major rival for a player of his caliber naturally invites concern, especially when the Aggies are trying to hold onto one of the biggest names in their class. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Still Has A Real Shot In One Huge Recruiting Battle
Texas A&M still has work to do in a recruiting battle that has already narrowed to one of the bigger names on the board. Logan Lokey, the 4-star defensive lineman from Denton, picked Oklahoma over several other schools, and the Sooners landed him by selling a fit with Brent Venables and defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis. For the Aggies, it is another reminder that the best battles in Texas recruiting often come down to relationships as much as geography.
Lokeys commitment may not be the final word, though, which is why this one still matters to A&M. The article points to uncertainty about whether he stays locked in if Oklahomas coaching situation changes, and that leaves the door open for other programs to keep pressing. In a recruiting fight this important, Texas A&M can hardly afford to go quiet. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Offense Faces More Pressure After Elkos Latest Decision
Texas A&M heads into Week 10 at 4-4 overall and 1-4 in SEC play, and the offense is still searching for answers as South Carolina comes to town. Mike Elko confirmed that Marcel Reed will remain the starting quarterback, keeping the Aggies pointed in the same direction even as the unit continues to sputter and the three-and-out issues pile up at a rate that ranks among the SEC's worst.
There is at least one encouraging development in the backfield, where freshman running back KJ Edwards has shown improvement and given the offense a small lift. Still, with the Aggies needing a sharper showing to steady their season, the pressure on Reed and the rest of the offense only grows as the schedule tightens and the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]