An offseason sit-down with Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko

Texas A&M football will begin spring practices on March 20, with offseason workouts already well underway in Aggieland. Before then, head coach Mike Elko joined Billy Liucci to provide an offseason update and even tackle some subscriber questions during an "Ask Elko" segment.

Key notes from Mike Elko interview

• It has been a while. We’ve been able to get back to work after finishing up some recruiting and transfer portal-ing. We’ve started offseason workouts. I thought I’d come over here and check out with you.
   
• I’ve been trying to steal “Ask Elko” since I got here, so maybe if I do well enough with the answers, I’ll have a chance. I haven’t seen the questions.
   
• This year, more than ever and maybe the first time in my career, where we were doing nothing going into the second signing day. Alan Cannon came over and told me he was planning to do a press conference that Wednesday, and I was like, “What?” I didn’t even realize that it was signing day. Last year, we had the Terry Bussey thing going on and a few others. This year, it was literally nothing.
   
• We identified who we wanted in the 2025 class, and all of them signed with us in December. We signed 24, and 23 of the 24 were on campus at the second Signing Day. That has been a massive shift, too. Only Jerome Myles‍ isn’t because of his knee and track. The rest of the class is already here and working out with us.
   
• First of all, we’ve said this on numerous occasions: A No. 1 goal of the portal is retaining your roster. That’s where everything starts. You have to make sure that what you’re doing inside your own building and inside your own building is something people believe in. That showed when you go through and look at the guys who made the decision to come back. It was the first time in a while that we saw guys make the decision not to go pro and come back. Guys like Trey Zuhn III, Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Will Lee III, Cashius Howell and Scooby Williams. Guys that had mid-round draft grades and chose to return. That’s a positive indicator. Everything in the portal is a plus-minus at the end, and I think we came out on the plus side at the end.
   
• It speaks to how the kids feel about the direction of the program. That’s a strong indicator of where the kids believe the program is going. I tell people this all the time. It’s no different than a business. You stay because you love the work you do every day. The day you don’t like coming to work every day, you could probably become a free agent and get on the open market and raise your salary. That’s just sometimes how this thing works. When you look at kid’s willingness to stay and be a part of this and not test the waters and not dip their toe in, it speaks to where we are at and where we are going.
   
• You want kids to feel valued in what you do and in your program. That’s important, and it’s no different than coach retention when you’re trying to make sure the best coaches stay on your staff. We had some guys get targetted who ultimately decided to stay. Part of it is getting out in front and letting people know how you think, feel and value about them so all of that is clear to everybody, and you don’t run into those problems down the road.
   
• The first thing that happens in year two is that, even though you have roster turnover, you have a group of 50 or 60 guys who know what this is. Last year, the biggest challenge we had was that the older, experienced guys weren’t old and experienced in the Mike Elko football program or our program as we were trying to establish it. You had to teach everybody, and nobody could really lead. Now you have guys like Taurean York and Zuhn. They’re experienced players who know exactly what our expectations are, what Tommy Moffitt expects every day and what we, as coaches, expect when we get together for team workouts. That allows people to lead. Then you can throw in the Lees and the Howells and the other guys, and all of a sudden, you have a group that can start leading each other. Everyone was trying to figure everything out last year, and now, you’ve got more continuity.
   
• I think we’ve seen leadership from some of the players who transferred in last year. You are seeing an emergence from those guys, which is nice. Lee, Howell and a little from Williams, though he’s still getting back from surgery. The natural elevation of Zuhn and York as returning captains. That’s one year better, and all of that stuff improves.
   
• We have four active quarterbacks that are here, and we were able to add two freshmen, which helps too. We have the depth. We have the quality talent in there, too. Marcel Reed is progressing the way you would have wanted him to. Last year, he was trying to figure all of it out, new scheme, new system, playing behind Conner Weigman and really batting with Jaylen Henderson to be the backup. He’ll go out in spring ball on day one as the No. 1 guy, and you’ve seen that. You see more bounce in his step. He’s the guy rallying the wide receivers together. He’s coming up to watch film more and study more. He’s doing all the things you want to see from a QB1, so hopefully, that will translate for him on the field in the fall.
   
• The newcomers are good. I am always a little “wait and see” until we get and get the pads on. You look for quality of character. Who is showing up at workouts? Who is competing? I think we hit another home run in that regard. We have a lot of guys competing. KC Concepcion has stood out in that area. Nate Boerkircher from Nebraska has stood out from a competition standpoint. You’re starting to see some guys establish themselves.
   
• The tight end group does look different. It’s a challenge in this game to handle the defensive line. It’s a challenge in this game having tight ends handling ends and edge rushers. Putting guys out there that have the ability to set the edge in the run game gives us an advantage in how we can get the ball out on the perimeter. We thought that was really important. They’re also capable pass catchers. I’m really happy with Theo Melin Öhrström. We saw guys rise last year, and you’re seeing that with Öhrström. He had a great offseason. We’re not losing sight of him.
   
• Amari Niblack is a “piece.” That’s the best way to word it. He has a skill set that is very unique. That was the attraction. Holmon Wiggins was with him at Alabama, and he knew what the skill set was and how to utilize it. Maybe he’s not a full-blown wide receiver or an in-line tight end. He has this combination skill set that’s really unique. If you utilize that in the right way, you can create some advantages.
   
• Bussey is a “piece.” It’s nice having him. People forget not having him through spring ball last year, and we didn’t get him until the summer. When we got him in the summer, he was banged up and playing corner. What he was able to do with a very limited chance to prepare himself, we’re going to be able to do much more with him headed into the spring. From a diversity standpoint, him and Rueben Owens have unique skill sets in terms of the different ways to utilize them and the two of them together. You can get pretty creative.
   
• I expected that from Shemar Stewart during the NFL Scouting Combine. I just saw him in our building. He looks great.
   
• There is a high ceiling at the defensive line position. In college football, you’re going to lose players. We lost three really good ones on the defensive line, and that’s not easy, but that’s the kind of program you want to have. You have to attack it, and you have to address it. Every single guy you mentioned will be involved in it. You have to look internally and see Howell and Rylan Kennedy are ready to take a big step forward. Solomon Williams made some plays during the bowl games. Kendall Jackson will be back from injury and healthy. You add some pieces in TJ Searcy and Dayon Hayes from the transfer portal. I think Marco Jones is going to be lights-out phenomenal. We’re excited about the group and where it’s going. I blanked on Sam M’Pempa. So sorry, Sam. He looks great. I just blanked on the name. Sorry, Sam. That was a mistake.
   
• My involvement with the defense, all of it pointed at myself. The biggest part of it was taking ownership in a product that didn’t perform the way we wanted it to. There are a variety of reasons for that, but the reasons don’t matter. We’ve got a job to do. We’ve got to figure it out and get it done. It has been good. Jay Bateman and I are on a better page moving into next year. Me taking over calling plays and doing some of that stuff is getting me back into the comfort zone of doing this. We have a really good staff, and I have confidence in what we are doing. I feel good about the way it’s going, and obviously, we have to go out and do it.
   
• What you try to do is what’s best for the program and what’s best for the kids. You look and say that you know for us to get over the hump and get to the big things we want to be playing for, we have to take a big step on defense next year. Out in the real world, people think that’s automatic change. I don’t know if that’s always the right solution. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it’s not. I have a lot of confidence in Bateman. We’ve known each other for a really long time. I think he’s a big piece of what we’re doing on defense at Texas A&M, and he’ll be a big piece of why this thing gets a lot better next year. You make a decision in terms of the direction you want to go, and then it’s about implementing it and getting the kids confident in it. Kids are hungry to go out and get better in it, too. There is a chip on your shoulder, and you have to go out and prove that you’re a lot better than you showed at times last year and certainly how you finished the year.
   
• I think there are a lot of things that, two months ago, the timing wasn’t right to talk about them, but it painted a picture going into next year. We gave up way too many explosive plays. Play in and play out, it was actually as efficient as we’ve been in a long time. It was the largest amount of big plays we had given up in a long time. Guys not playing together in the system is a part of it.
   
• It was a whole different feeling being the hunted program down the stretch. Nobody was ready for that. It was really easy to be written off after the Notre Dame game and play like we had something to prove every week. You saw that in The Swamp, against Missouri and LSU. What we didn’t handle well enough was the flip of that. All of a sudden, we were heading into South Carolina, Auburn as “the team.” We didn’t play the way we should have or were capable of in either of those games. That’s on all of us. It was that learning curve. Now, you have a group of kids who know this is real. They know they’re in a position to really do this. You have to finish, and we have heard that this offseason.
   
• The offensive line is as good of a starting point as we have in a really long time. Your starting five in the opener last year, every single one of them is back. Your next starter to go in a game was Kolinu'u Faaiu, and he’s back. The next guy on the outside who started and played a lot of snaps was Reuben Fatheree II, and he’s back. Truly, you have your top seven back and ready to go into next season. When you’re starting there with the high-end talent that we have, it’s a good anchor and a good place to start.

Ask Elko

I want the fans to chime in on whether they prefer “Ask Elko” or “Ask Liucci.”

Stick95: What surprised you the most about your first year here?

I think when you come into the different road environments in this conference. As the defensive coordinator, I went through it. Seeing it as the head football coach and how much it impacts your ability to play, function and perform, it’s different. We handled it well at times, but we didn’t handle it well at others. You don’t know quite what that looks like or feels like until you’re in that role.

AgGrad99: Which side of the ball do you expect the biggest jump in year 2? Which units in particular?

The unit I expect to make the biggest strides will be the secondary. From year one to year two, understanding concepts and playing together. That is the group that most benefits from continuity. Having everybody come back and be in the same system. I bet that is probably the group you see the most improvement from.

Liucci: In year two here, in what ways would you say you are a better head coach today?

I don’t know about a better head coach. I would win the games down the stretch. Can I make all the fans know that’s what I would do differently? When you go through a season with your team, you learn a lot about them. It’s impossible to know everything about your guys until you go through those moments with them. As the leader, I have a better feel for how we’re going to handle big wins and how we’re going to bounce back from tough losses. It’s important to have the right approach for 12 games, from start to finish, entering year two.

What you, as a leader, are trying to do is figure out how to get change. How do you get the product moved in the direction you want and you need to move it? There’s a lot of different ways. Not every way is the right way. Not every way for each kid is the right way. It’s about knowing your team and knowing the ups and downs.

Stros17: If Mike could’ve gotten to coach one A&M defensive legend, who would it be and why?

There are too many defensive legends. I don’t want to pick just one. I’ve tried to get Jacob Green to rush the quarterback on multiple occasions for me since 2018, when I showed up in Aggieland for the first time. You throw in Von Miller or Myles Garrett rushing the edge. Every time I see the Quentin Coryatt highlight, he seems like a bad dude that you would love to have in the middle of that defense. When you talk about Wrecking Crew, it seems like he should be in the middle of it somewhere. I’ve met Dat Nguyen. Congratulations to Aaron Glenn on being the head coach of the New York Jets. If you need any food recommendations, that’s kind of like home to me. There have been so many good players to come through here on defense, and we haven’t even touched on the guys who played for me in the recent era.

Skywalker18: Favorite spot in Aggieland to grab a bite to eat?

That’s an interesting one. So many people in town who are great to me. The Republic is great to go get a steak.1860 is great for Itailan. Poché's always takes care of me. I like to sneak off down to Walk-Ons. Find a corner, watch some TV and eat some food. The town is great. Texas Roadhouse is another one. They take care of me.

Dr Spaceman: How active does he expect to be in the spring transfer window?

It’s always a “let’s see what’s available.” Every portal window has been different. We’re always looking to add value where it presents itself. You’ll never know what’s out there until the time shows up, and you have to go get it.

B$Weigem: What measures are being taken to clean up the tackling issues this spring, and do you see it being resolved this season?

Tackling is a science. You could work it every day and not do it enough. We certainly did that last year. Not suggesting we didn’t. When you are trying to install a new defense or make sure you don’t short-circuit a coverage adjustment down the field, you probably don’t get to the fundamentals at the level you would like to. Keeping the system the same and the defensive terminology now gives you more time to spend on the fundamentals. That’s where you see the improvement we need to make in that area.

BeeAg: Will we add more quick game for Marcel to help with decision-making and reads?

We have a pretty good feeling for what Reed does well now. Building an offense around him through the offseason, that makes it easy to run things that he does well.

Before the Las Vegas Bowl was the longest amount of time we had to get him up to speed and build it around him. The more time you have to get him reps in this system, the better he’ll be.

Crocs: How has Elko’s approach to the defense changed since his first stint?

It’s always evolving. When you look at offensive football, there are changes year in and year out to some degree. Trying to adjust to that as you go through it is really important. Coming back to the SEC, you noticed a difference in how offenses were running things and attacking people. You are always trying to say in the cutting edge of that.

L7 WEENIE: Will we implement a GM position to oversee all football operations like in the NFL in addition to our recruiting GM?

Derek Miller is our General Manager. We hired him from Day 1. We’ll take a wait-and-see approach to see what this new landscape looks like moving forward before setting up that kind of front office. We have more people and more recruiters than we ever had at Texas A&M. The current role is about day-to-day roster management, portal evaluation, high school evaluations and that sort of stuff.

AustinAgAnonymous: Talent has not been a problem historically with our team. You see that with recruiting rankings and the ability to obtain quality talent via the portal. What is this coaching staff focusing on specifically, this offseason, to put these players in the best position to see the success they clearly have the talent for?

If you are evaluating roster talent, you should evaluate it through the NFL Draft. This is no disrespect, but the quality of talent evaluation in the NFL scouting offices is a little higher than recruiting sites. We need more NFL players. I have said that since the day we got here. We are not showing up in the NFL Draft the way a high-end team in the SEC needs to. That’s a combination of not recruiting the right people, development, retention and putting them in that position. We are primed to have a big year next year in the NFL Combine and Draft. We will have three guys go high this year. We will have a really good Pro Day coming up.

StringerBell: How does he make go/no go decisions on fourth down? Is it straight-up analytics, or is there a feel thing involved?

For me, it’s always analytics combined with feel. Every fourth-down decision and third-down thought, I know exactly what the analytics say. You’re trying to take that and what the game feels like to make the best decision you can for the moment. What has been hard for coaches to go against is math. As we’ve gone through this wave of analytics, you’re seeing statistically what it’s saying and what it’s about, and that’s why you’re seeing more people be more aggressive on fourth down because it is truly math. You’re also seeing people go completely away from game feel, and I’m not about that.

Over the course of this year, we tend to still be on the moderate to conservative side of going for it without being old school and not paying attention to analytics at all. Some of what the analytics say and believe in, sometimes, are a stretch when you consider game feel and game flow.

RespectTheDecision: Coach, name two or three players that fans might not know about who should play this season?

Ashton Bethel-Roman will be one. Fan got a taste of him, but he is primed to do cool things. Solomon Williams will step into a role that is pretty unique. Myles Davis, in the secondary, has a chance to impact the team.

Liucci: How is Le’Veon Moss coming along? Where is he in his progress?

Really good. It’s hard to say. Le’Veon Moss is coming back from a knee, and those are tricky. I’m happy with where he’s at. Adding a physical therapist just for football has been tremendous for us. When you look at our medical team and our medical returns, we have made a big jump forward. Moss is in a good spot, as is Tyreek Chappell, who is also coming back from a knee.

Any time you remove pieces, it becomes a lot. It started with Rueben Owens, and we were able to overcome the loss of Owens. When we lost Moss, that was two pieces lost, and that became a lot of burden on Amari Daniels and EJ Smith.

The losses on baseball are similar. I have a lot of confidence the guys across the street are going to get it back and rolling.

Ag13: Are we behind in NIL from his perspective? Does he have everything he needs?

I think there are so many levels to that question. First of all, we are appreciative of all the people who have supported us. We are still searching and hunting for people to make sure that it continues to be something we can take advantage of and utilize the way we want. People outside of the circle have to realize there are a lot of myths about NIL. I can say this: We have not lost a kid because of NIL, and that’s the position we want to be in. Now, we have an NIL philosophy. Every kid has a value number you believe he’s worth. Sometimes, other programs think that number is significantly higher. Every NFL team with free agency loses a guy because they think he is more valuable. Scooby Williams is a perfect example of a kid that we valued and was very productive for us. Those decisions have to be made and made the right way. The other part that I have said to everybody about NIL is this: You cannot buy your way out of where you are with NIL. If you look at the College Football Playoff, there is not one team that played at a high level that bought their way into the playoff. That’s just a fact.

Support NIL efforts. Support us in every way you can. It’s being done the right way at Texas A&M.

Cayo95: Are you Coastag?

I only know this question because of Liucci. I don’t know who Coastag is. I only know of his username because people think I am on the boards. I am not an active poster on the TexAgs forums, nor will I ever be, nor am I saying that in a negative regard.

You will not see Mike Elko on TexAgs. You have to take 24 hours. That’s my advice to fans. Take 24 hours, and then go have some calm debate on all the things you think we can do better.