Where is Texas A&M HC Mike Elko positioned in the new SEC HC rankings?
Now, if you're basing Texas A&M's poor finish on the play of starting quarterback Marcel Reed, the redshirt sophomore has put in the work this offseason to refine his passing skill set to go along with his elite running ability. You can be sure that he will take the pressure head-on going into the start of fall camp next month.
Grading Elko's job performance strictly on Reed's performance is unfair, but after taking over as the defensive play caller this offseason, judging him on how the 2025 Aggie defense improves is highly fair, based on his succesful background as a defensive coordinator, which included his four-year stint with the Aggies before taking his first head coaching job with Duke.
This spring/summer, head coach rankings, both nationally and conference-based, have continued to flood social media, as Mike Elko was recently tabbed as the 29th best head coach by CBS Sports, and, on Thursday, 104.5 ESPN Social Media Manager Chris Marler released his SEC head coach rankings, placing Elko at No. 9 below several names that could be tied for ranked lower. Here is the complete list:
Kirby Smart is the only SEC head coach to secure a National Championship, while Brian Kelly is the closest to earning a title during his time with Notre Dame. On paper, Eli Drinkwitz has led Missouri to double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons, but he never made it past six victories during his first three seasons. Beamer's 9-4 finish with South Carolina was impressive, but one season does not automatically make him a better coach compared to Elko. Here's what Marler had to say regarding Elko's ranking:
"Not a ton on the resumé for Elko yet, and the way the Aggies finished last season was not great. Still, Elko inherited a Duke team that went 5-18 with just one ACC win over the previous two seasons. In his first year, he led them to nine wins and a winning record in conference play.
Texas A&M was in the same boat before Elko took over, and all he did was start 7-1 and match Jimbo Fisher's total wins against top-25 teams from the previous three seasons, all in his first year."
Even more so, Elko's ability to recruit at an elite level while attracting top talent from the transfer portal should translate to more victories on the field. Again, after just one season, it's a challenging task to rank Elko among the rest of the SEC coaches accurately. If the Aggies win nine or ten games and finally make it to the College Football Playoff, you can be sure he'll shoot up future lists next offseason.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
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