Press Conference: Elko's No. 19 Aggies open 2025 vs. UTSA on Saturday

Texas A&M's 2025 season opener is an Aggieland Saturday night at Kyle Field as the UTSA Roadrunners come to town. Ahead of the Week 1 matchup in College Station, Mike Elko addressed the media on Monday afternoon.

The following are live, paraphrased notes from the Monday afternoon media availability:

Mike Elko

• It's that time of year. It has been a long training game. Kids have been hard at work doing the things we need to do to set us up for success. We switched gears last Friday to get them ready for game preparation. We're really excited that the season is here.
   
• Jerome Myles and Papa Afhua will both be out for the season with lower leg injuries. Rueben Fatheree II will be out for at least the first few games with a lower leg injury.
   
• UTSA QB Owen McCown is a really talented kid. He can make a lot of throws. He's talented with his legs and his arm. He's a really talented quarterback.
   
• This UTSA offense is talented. They were putting points up on everyone last year. Defensively, they are all new. We are watching a lot of film from all around the country. Kendrick Blackshire and Shad Banks stand out. They added six defensive back transfers.
   
• Le’Veon Moss is good to go. He has had a strong two weeks, and we are excited to get back out there.
   
• The support we get from the student body is unbelievable. It is good that we get such a large turnout for our games.
   
• Houston Thomas is a talented kid in high school. He has done a job of now not being just a flex tight end. It’s cool to see the kid from a young age to now.
   
• Matt Salvaggio is such a cool story. He was 979Edits. He knew everything about recruiting. We created an opportunity for him to work with us. When I got back here, we were able to hire him. He does a great job with recruits.
   
• You know there is something you will have to tweak. You have a plan, but you have a plan for where you have to adjust.
   
• We have acted like a veteran team. I have been proud of how they have handled that. You have a lot of veteran guys, and they have been professional about handling their business. 
   
• Dezz Ricks got put in a situation where we weren't as deep as we wanted to be. Jayvon Thomas had nagging injuries. I don’t know if he was as ready for the amount of reps he got. It's been good to see him take the next step. He is hungry to prove he is a better player than what he put on tap last year.
   
• The running back room reps, we have a plan. They have different skillsets. We will have Moss and Rueben Owens II play. We will get Amari Daniels and EJ Smith involved. You get into the game and you improvise. RB is the position that gets beaten up the most. An embarrassment of riches can become thin, quick. It's important that everybody is ready.
   
• Over the last nine months, we believed we had solved the problem I referred to after the USC game. The reality is that we will find out on Saturday night. 
   
• The backup quarterback is Miles O’Neill. He has a bright camp. He went out and won that job.
   
• I certainly don’t care about Notre Dame two weeks away. The one cool thing is we have new faces, but eight returning starters. You have a group that knows what they are doing. Taurean York was figuring it out last year, too, so we could help others come along with him. You can see Cashius Howell talking to Dayon Hayes or T.J. Searcy. You see Albert Regis talking to Tyler Onyedim.
   
• I don’t think I have ever gone back coached somewhere I have been before. I imagine it's an interesting feeling. I will in a couple of weeks.
   
• We didn't rush the OL. Trey Zuhn III has the flexiblity to play both positions. We will always figure out who the best five are to play. 
   
• We have to do a better job on our return units. Terry Bussey and KC Concepcion are battling for A&M’s punt returner. Bussey, Owens and Jamarion Morrow will be the guys for kickoff.