It was a year of struggles for the kicking game in 2025.
The usual reliable Randy Bond didn't end his 2025 season well, and to make things worse, backup kicker Jared Zirkel wasn't that much better. Bond finished 12/19 on field goals with 63.2 percent, and Zirkel finished 4/7 with 57.1 percent. Mike Elko looked for an answer, and he got one for next season.
Illinois transfer David Olano has been practicing, and he's already bought into Aggie culture. Elko seems to think he could really help as well, and that should be a sigh of relief for Texas A&M fans moving forward.
Mike Elko says Illinois transfer David Olano will be a major help in 2026
Elko says that Olano was one of the more popular transfers in the country at his position. Elko was all in on what Olano can do next season. That's what he did at his most recent press conference.
"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... Retooling that room is really important, and he's a big piece of it."Mike Elko
#GigEm pic.twitter.com/I66gRv6ztD
— David Olano (@DavidOlano_) January 31, 2026
This is a sign of great things to come. Fans shouldn't expect Olano in the same range as the NFL's Cam Little or Brandon Aubrey, but Olano's accuracy is a lot to go off of. His field goal percentage in 2024 and 2025 was 85 percent and 87 percent. One important thing to note is that Olano didn't have a 50+ yard attempt in 2025.
Aggies fans love Bond for what he did for the program, but fans knew it was time to move on. Olano is one of the best at his position in the portal this offseason, and he's going to be a clutch player for the Aggies in 2026.