On Saturday morning, the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies were feeling just about as good as possible as they prepared to host the South Carolina Gamecocks.
After a few weeks on the road, a 9-0 record, and the No. 1 ranking in the SEC, the team was having the season of a lifetime. Then, the weekend got even better when news about the Aggies' head coach Mike Elko broke.
On3 reported that Texas A&M and Elko were working on a six-year contract extension that would make him one of the highest-paid college football coaches in the country.
Mike Elko nearing a contract extension
Already, Elko was on a seven-year contract worth $42 million, giving him a $7 million annual salary. However, with the insanity of the current coaching carousel, it would never hurt to cement his role with the Aggies for longer.
NEW: Mike Elko and Texas A&M are finalizing a contract extension, @PeteNakos reports👍
— On3 (@On3sports) November 15, 2025
The deal will make Elko one of the top-10 highest-paid coaches in the country.https://t.co/P60dbbOZ0S pic.twitter.com/xJ33ozGj6s
Less than an hour before kick off, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the contract that was under construction would make Elko one of the top five highest-paid coaches.
Highest paid college football coaches
- Kirby Smart, Georgia, $13,282,580
- Ryan Day, Ohio State, $12,575,000
- Lincoln Riley, USC, $11,537,560
- Dabo Swinney, Clemson, $11,447,025
- Steve Sarkisian, Texas, $10,800,000
With the swipe of a pen, Elko would be able to put his name to paper and become a head coach worthy of $10 million (or more) per season.
The money is more than deserved; any A&M fan knows that. Since taking over the program in 2024, he has led the Aggies to a 17-5 record, including an appearance in last season's Las Vegas Bowl.
This season, he has taken the Aggies somewhere they've only seen a handful of times before: an undefeated start through the first nine games of the season, and has positioned them to be in a place they had never been before: the College Football Playoffs