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'We're finally stable and ready to roll': Texas A&M HC talks offseason
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- 'We're finally stable and ready to roll': Texas A&M HC talks offseason
Offseason workouts are officially underway for Texas A&M football , as the program looks to rebuild and improve off this year's historic success.
Head coach Mike Elko is entering his third season at the helm of the Aggies , after leading the Maroon and White to its first 11-0 start since 1992. While that success came to a screeching halt in a 27-17 loss in the Lone Star Showdown and a 10-3 defeat against the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the CFP at Kyle Field, the Aggies showed much promise of a program on the rise.
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Elko had many key pieces to replace entering 2026, including his coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Collin Klein was named the new head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats, while defensive coordinator Jay Bateman accepted the same position with Will Stein, who took over the reins at Kentucky . The majority of holes on the staff were filled by promoting from within, which was one of many topics of conversation as the new Aggie staff and players for the new campaign get settled in for the first workouts of the offseason.
Here is everything Elko said during Monday's press conference, as the Aggies begin preparations for a new year of college football in Bryan-College Station:
Elko's thoughts on the offseason workout period
"I thought it would be good to get back and reset things as we get started with the 2026 version of this football program. It has been a whirlwind since the Miami game with retention, portal recruiting, high school recruiting and everything," Elko said.
Elko discusses the rebuilding of the staff and roster
It has been a retooling of the staff, of the roster. It feels like we've done a lot, but we're finally stable and ready to roll," Elko said. "We're excited about where we are and where we're going."
Elko previews portal offensive linemen
"We were in a couple of unique spots, and we talked about this hopefully being the last year we're in this position with the portal," Elko said. "We looked at our roster and had Mark Nabou coming back, and outside of that, the oldest offensive lineman we had coming back was a sophomore... We felt it was important to add some experience to that position group."
Elko on the Aggies' NFL Combine invites
"We talk about that being the mark for this program and needing to have more NFL guys," Elko said. "To get the most guys in the country invited to the Combine and the most we've had in forever, those are markers."
Elko's thoughts on the new transfer portal calendar
"Tremendously in favor of it. Never ever liked the idea of two free agency windows," Elko said "That's really good. The more kids can just make the decisions they want to make, the better it will be for the sport."
Elko on TE Houston Thomas
"It's cool," Elko said. "There are so many full-circle things that happen in this profession. I knew who Houston was as a young wide receiver as a ninth grader... To see what he had become as a college tight end, and then he goes into the transfer portal. It made a lot of sense for all parties."
Elko on Elijah Robinson
"Him and I came here together in 2018, and it's no secret we tried to retain him when I got hired," Elko said. "He became one of the most coveted coaches in the market, so to be able to add him to our staff, he's a great D-line coach, he's a great man."
Elko's thoughts on DL portal recruiting
"We needed some old, experienced guys. We needed guys who had played snaps at the college level," Elko said. "We found guys who fit our system, our scheme, our needs."
Elko on Texas A&M 's RB room
"I miss Le'Veon (Moss). I wish we could have him back. Unfortunately, we can't. Unfortunately, his best football was taken away by injury a lot during his career at Texas A&M... I look forward to watching him. I think we've got a really, really good room," Elko said.
Elko discusses Holmon Wiggins' promotion
"What we have in Holmon (Wiggins) is a guy that is a really, really elite football coach who has been around some elite systems and has learned from some of the elite coordinators in the country," Elko said. "It's a group of people around him that I have a lot of confidence in."
Elko's thoughts on Isaiah Horton
"It was a big one. It was something we talked about last year as one thing we tried to get but just weren't able to," Elko said. "You have a taller, more physical wide receiver that has played a lot of competitive football at Miami and Alabama... He was a kid we tried to get last year."
Elko on QB Marcel Reed
"Last offseason, it was about finishing and making sure that we finished the right way. This year, it's more about consistency and urgency. ... That applies to Marcel. There were times where he played quarterback at an elite level, and there were times where he didn't," Elko said.
Elko on transfer kicker David Olano
"He's a kid that we targeted, and thought was really talented when he entered his name in the portal. He did not come easily because he was coveted by a lot of the top programs in the country," Elko said. "Retooling that room is really important, and he's a big piece of it."
Elko's thoughts on professional athletes coming back to college
"Slippery slope might be the understatement of a lifetime... From a football perspective, it would be really cool if we got back to being an amateur sport and college athletics being what college athletics are," Elko said.
Elko discusses what Wilkin Formby brings to the offensive line
"I think he's a right tackle. I think he's an elite right tackle. If you watch him block the elite edges in this league, he does it really, really well," Elko said. "We lost some really talented offensive linemen, and we also lost some leadership in that offensive line room... We felt Wilkin would be a guy capable of doing both, and we were really comfortable with the total package we were getting."
Elko on promoting from within
"The right answer is what you believe in and what you believe is right for the program, and we tried to do that with every decision we made," Elko said.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M football HC Mike Elko said in offseason preview
