Texas A&M and Mike Elko have a huge challenge on their hands late in the 2026 season when they head up to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the Sooners for the first time since they demolished OU in the 2013 Cotton Bowl behind Johnny Manziel. Both programs reached the College Football Playoff last season, but both are also looking for more behind returning quarterbacks after losing at home in the first round.
That will no doubt be one of the most pivotal games for the SEC crown in the upcoming season, even despite the difficulty of the schedule for both of these squads. The Aggies, being the visiting team, will have an especially tough task on their hands— OU is projected to have one of the best defenses in the conference this upcoming year, after all.
That’s thanks to the influence of head coach Brent Venables, a former OU and Clemson defensive coordinator and the only coach in the conference who can hold a candle to Elko’s prowess on that side of the ball. Venables took the podium at SEC Media Days today, and though Aggie fans do not remember him fondly from his days as DC in Norman, his comments about Texas A&M were certainly (and surprisingly) positive.
Brent Venables shocks Aggie fans by raving about Mike Elko’s transformation of Texas A&M
Venables was notorious for his negative recruiting against the Aggies when he was in Norman last time, leading most Aggie fans to consider him a persona non grata— but his public comments about the Aggies today are showing something different.
The Oklahoma coach was highly complimentary of the way Mike Elko has transformed the Texas A&M program since taking over for Jimbo (whose roster he also mentioned as a positive)— no doubt thanks to the respect that the new Aggie head coach commands among his peers and the college football public in general.
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables on renewing an old conference rivalry with Texas A&M this season. The two programs last played in the Cotton Bowl in 2013.
— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 𝕃. 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 (@Travis_L_Brown) July 20, 2026
“Mike [Elko] and his staff have done a really good job…” pic.twitter.com/qXVdiPcUKY
Some of that is a little bit of coach speak, of course— you’re not going to make a bunch of enemies in a scenario like this unless you’re a Lane Kiffin-type— but it’s refreshing for Aggie fans to hear this kind of thing instead of the rhetoric that most trotted out about Jimbo and his program.
Venables was also glowing in his review of new Aggie offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, one of Elko’s most important hires of the offseason:
Oklahoma HC Brent Venables on Holmon Wiggins and facing Texas A&M's offense
— Tyler Shaw (@TylerShawSports) July 20, 2026
"He's a winner... he'll do a great job... It will be a line of scrimmage type of game." pic.twitter.com/nVdCOPbHml
Again, there’s no doubt some diplomacy at work here, but it’s a definite change in tune compared to the way things used to be for the Aggies. Mike Elko has transformed this program from a whipping boy for dissatisfied fans into a team that no one wants to see on their schedule.
Hopefully, the Aggies can continue to live up to that reputation in this upcoming season, even with some big time changes having taken place across the roster. The Aggies have a tough task ahead of them, but if anyone is equal to it, it’s the man in charge down in College Station.
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