In what's going to be in his second season, it's safe to say that the Aggie players, along with high impact recruits, have bought into Mike Elko and the Texas A&M program.
It's no secret that Texas A&M might've just had the strongest week in the recruiting ranks with Mike Elko as their coach. With four-star running back KJ Edwards committing to Texas A&M, this not just excited Aggie fans, but it left Texas fans in the dust.
This goes to ask the question on if Jimbo Fisher could've actually pulled off the hot streak that Elko has done so far. Elko is nowhere near done with any of these top signings, and it goes to show how Texas A&M was fleeced all of these years by Fisher's inability to change.
Elko dominating recruiting in second year is something veteran HC's cannot adjust to
When Fisher got the No. 1 recruiting class of 2022, Aggie fans were pumped about the shot at making noise, potentially in the College Football Playoff. It backfired completely, and the Aggies went 11-11 in the span of two seasons. Sources indicated that if Fisher had stayed after the 2023 season, the outgoings for Aggie players into the portal would've been massive.
In came Elko, who has quickly built potentially a top five recruiting class for 2026. The culture has changed, and the tide has changed. Some may argue that Elko has made more noise in the recruiting and the portal in two years than veteran coaches like Fisher, Mike Gundy, Kirk Ferentz and Kyle Whittingham.
Gundy has been the Oklahoma State coach since 2005. While there's plenty of talent around Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Missouri, Gundy and his staff struggle with what Iowa and Utah struggle with: a stubborn coaching philosophy.
Whittingham has also been around since 2005 at Utah, and while they only started to peak around the beginning of this decade, it goes to show how long it took for the Utes to finally reach the big stage. That said, it's been mighty impressive to watch them winning conference titles in this new age with NIL and the portal.
Ferentz has been coaching Iowa since 1999. While he's been criticized for emphasizing special teams and defense, his style just doesn't work right now. He's had tons of successful seasons, and they've been blessed to get incredible in-state talent like Tristan Wirfs, T.J. Hockenson, Cooper DeJean and Riley Moss, but outside of that, these other schools don't have what Elko has, which is adaptability, culture and cooperative.
Elko isn't done on the recruiting trail yet, and who knows what more he can do in the portal these next few years. AD Ross Bjork wanted someone who can put them back on the national map. Don't look now, but it looks like Elko is on track to make that happen.