SEC Round-Up: The importance of investing in the 'right' coach

In the not-too-distant past, Texas A&M was viewed as a spendthrift in college football.

Critics derided the Aggies for extravagant and irresponsible spending. It was suggested that A&M had more dollars than sense.

Frankly, they had a point. A&M wasn’t in much position to argue paying a huge buyout to fire coach Kevin Sumlin and then a massive buyout to get rid of Jimbo Fisher.

Fisher was kinda like A&M’s version of Bernie Madoff. He’ll have made off with about $77 million when A&M finishes paying him in 2031.

But now A&M is looking like Warren Buffett. A wise investment is netting consistently high returns and appears to have the Aggies set up for long-term success.

That investment, of course, is coach Mike Elko, who last week signed a six-year contract extension through 2031 worth $11.5 million annually and includes additional performance incentives.

It’s a great deal for Elko. It’s a better deal for Texas A&M. Any program with a successful head coach must do whatever it takes to keep him.

Brian Jones

Mike Elko was introduced to the 12th Man as Texas A&M head coach on Nov. 27, 2023. Nearly two years later, he is off to an impressive 18-5 start in Aggieland.

One-fourth of the teams in the Southeastern Conference are looking for a new head coach. LSU fired Brian Kelly. Florida fired Billy Napier. Arkansas fired Sam Pittman. Auburn fired Hugh Freeze.

Kentucky, Missouri and Ole Miss might be looking for a new coach.

Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin are being courted by other programs in need. Kiffin reportedly can choose between LSU and Florida if he opts to leave Oxford. Drinkwitz might be in line to take the other position if he’s willing to leave Mizzou.

Kentucky might be losing patience with Mark Stoops, who is closing in on a fourth consecutive season of seven victories or fewer.

Meanwhile, A&M avoided the dreaded coaching carousel by signing Elko, who was reportedly targeted by Penn State to replace the ousted James Franklin, who’s now at Virginia Tech.

Of course, Elko was a highly valued target. He had a successful first season last year at A&M. This year, the Aggies are unbeaten for the first time since 1992. They’re ranked No. 3 in the nation.

Under Elko, the Aggies defeated a top-10 non-conference opponent (Notre Dame) on the road for the first time since 1979.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Beyond the wins and losses, Mike Elko’s 2026 recruiting class is currently ranked in the 10, and A&M’s 2027 class is currently ranked No. 1 nationally.​​​​​

They defeated LSU in Baton Rouge for the first time since 1994.

They have a realistic chance of winning a conference championship for the first time since 1998. A&M is in contention to win its first national championship since 1939.

The secret? Well, there is none. It’s just Elko establishing his program and style of play.

“We’re a blue-collar group,” he said earlier this week. “We’re a physical group. We play really hard. We lay it out there with a ton of energy and a ton of emotion.

“If we ever walk away from that blueprint, it’s going to be very hard for us to have success. That’s just who we are at our core.”

The Aggies got off track — and then right back on — last week vs. South Carolina. They fell behind 30-3 at halftime but rallied to prevail 31-30 for the largest comeback in school history.

Under previous coaching regimes, A&M probably would have lost that game.

It’s obviously different under Elko, who must have made an impassioned Knute Rockne-like halftime speech to inspire the Aggies to victory.

Not so, says Elko. Sure, he made inspirational speeches that spurred A&M on to victory. They were just made long before halftime vs. South Carolina.

“We won that game six months ago with what we did in the winter,” Elko said. “We didn’t win that game because I went in at halftime and said something.

“We built a culture. We built a character. We built a commitment to doing things the way we want to do them back in January and February. That’s what came out in the second half.

“It’s not like I went in and I riled them up, and because I riled them up, they started playing. That’s not how this works. It just doesn’t.”

However it works, it’s working. It has worked in 10 consecutive wins.

With Elko at the helm, it figures to work for many more wins this season and seasons to come.

He’s calm in a storm. And he’s a storm when it’s too calm.

“It’s my job to be calm and collected when (players are) frantic,” he said. “My job is to create intensity when they’re not intense. My job is to always be the opposite of the moment.

“I’m the 48-year-old guy who’s supposed to see these things with clear eyes. They’re the 18- to 21-year-old kids who get emotional, so it’s easy for me. It’s easy for me to try to help them get through it as best I can.”

And it’s easy to see that securing Elko as coach was a shrewd investment by A&M.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

No. 3 is Texas A&M’s highest ranking in any major poll since 2012.

Around the SEC

This week’s games: Samford at No. 3 Texas A&M; No. 22 Missouri at No. 8 Oklahoma; Charlotte at No. 4 Georgia; Eastern Illinois at No. 10 Alabama; Mercer at Auburn; Kentucky at No. 14 Vanderbilt; Arkansas at No. 17 Texas; Coastal Carolina at South Carolina; No. 20 Tennessee at Florida; Western Kentucky at LSU

Who’s hot: Auburn isn’t good, but running back Jeremiah Cobb has been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season. He is fourth in the SEC in rushing — impressive, considering the Tigers’ bad offensive line — and has rushed for 100 yards in three of his past four outings. He had a 115-yard game against Vanderbilt, 111 against No. 22 Missouri and 153 against Arkansas. He has five 100-yard performances this season. He should be able to put up big numbers on Saturday against Mercer.

Who’s not: Tennessee is ranked in the top 25, but that’s strictly because of its offense. The Volunteers’ defense is… well, offensive. Tennessee has played six SEC opponents. All six scored at least 30 points. The Vols have surrendered an average of 429.3 yards against SEC foes. This week, the Vols play at Florida, which is poor offensively. Maybe the Vols can keep the Gators under 30.

Brianna Paciorka/USA TODAY NETWORK

At 7-3 overall, Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers are 3-3 in conference play.

Keep an eye on: Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley has a problem with interceptions, but he can actually make plays in the passing game. It’s been a while since Kentucky could say that about its quarterback. In UK’s past five outings, Boley completed 75.5 percent of his passing attempts (111-of-147) for 1,153 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. He’ll need to be on point — and hit a few deep balls — if Kentucky is to upset Vanderbilt.

The pressure is on: In the first four games of the season, including against No. 1 Ohio State, the Texas running game appeared to be a team strength. The Longhorns rushed for 811 yards and seven touchdowns in those four games vs. Ohio State, San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston. In the six games since — all SEC games — Texas has rushed for 430 yards and four touchdowns. Four times, the Longhorns have been held to fewer than 100 rushing yards. They may have a “renaissance” of sorts Saturday against Arkansas, whose defense is a dumpster fire inside a landfill next to a sewage treatment plant. And if Texas doesn’t run well against the Hogs? Hmmm.

Best matchup: Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy vs. Oklahoma defense. Raise your hand if you thought a guy who led the Sun Belt in rushing last season would lead the SEC in the same category this season. Well, that’s Hardy. He rumbled for 300 last week in a demolition of Mississippi State. That gives him 1,346 yards on the season. This week, Hardy goes against Oklahoma, which is third in the nation in rush defense at 82.2 yards per game. The Sooners have allowed just four of their 10 opponents to crack 100 yards. No one has gained more than 146 (Michigan). Hardy averages 6.8 yards per carry. Oklahoma allows just 2.48, which is second nationally.