Mike Elko has quickly carved out a reputation for himself, since becoming the head coach of Texas A&M football, as a no-nonsense guy who tells it like it is with a lot of common sense. His earnestness and bluntness are part of why Aggie fans love him so much— and it helps that he's clearly a very intelligent guy as well.
That in mind, it should be no surprise that Elko usually has an interesting and brilliant take on the problems facing coaches and the sport of college football in general. In a recent interview with JD Pickell of On3, after yesterday's press conference, Elko was asked what change he would make to the sport to help things keep going— and his answer voiced something that fans have been asking for for way too long at this point.
Mike Elko joins legions of fans by voicing support for centralized leadership in college football
The stratified nature of college football has been a benefit to the sport in the past, but with the way things are going, that's something that the sport needs to leave behind. The asymmetry between programs at the state and league level has led to all sorts of odd situations, so it's becoming ever clearer that stronger, central leadership is needed— which is exactly what Mike Elko asked for in his recent comments:
NEW: Texas A&M's Mike Elko calls for the NCAA to 'put someone in charge' of college football:
— On3 (@On3) February 17, 2026
“It’s a $1.2B industry with not a singular voice in charge of it making decisions for the betterment of college football.
...Until we get that, I think we’re all at risk of this thing… pic.twitter.com/w0miaMTV0Y
This is increasingly seeming to be the only way forward for the sport as a whole, and Elko clearly recognizes that. There have been so many artificial barriers erected thanks to the fact that programs are all playing by different rules based on their conference affiliation and geography, and it's becoming increasingly untenable.
This has been a talking point for some time, but not everyone has called for it this directly. Guys like Josh Pate have made a case for a position like this being created, but Elko's words here have to carry some weight.
Kudos to Elko for recognizing this. Aggie fans should love how this shows that their coach is a forward-thinking guy that is not afraid to lay things out plainly and give a common sense solution.