Mike Elko Shows Texas A&M Football Recruiting Isn't Going Anywhere

Elko has been showing how foolish that narrative was basically ever since he stepped foot on campus. Texas made a hard charge at Myles Davis and Dealyn Evans, and he shut them down. LSU found no luck with Bussey. He flipped Miami and Florida commits on early signing day, and outdueled Nick Saban for Solomon Williams. This is not to mention the fact that he also plucked former Arkansas signee Ashton Bethel-Roman right out of the Hogs' lap after only one visit to campus.

With some of the junior days that have been taking place on campus in College Station, you can tell that this staff is ready to make a big run in the 2025 class. It's a great time to do so—the in-state crop of prospects could be even more talented than the slate of recruits in 2022. Of course, that will require some narrative-changing wins this fall, as well.

It's too early to tell exactly how that will pan out, of course. If I had to bet, though, I foresee this staff being able to get a lot more out of the talent on campus than the previous staff did, especially with the addition of guys like Tommy Moffitt.

Elko clearly doesn't fear any challenge, however. He threw down the gauntlet in his late signing day press conference, proclaiming unreservedly that the Aggies are the "flagship program in the state." That caught the attention of the Texas Twitter trolls, without a doubt.

If this is to prove true, then the Aggies are going to have to continue to win battles on the trail against the in-state Longhorns. So far, they're two-for-two under Elko (three-for-three if you count Bussey, but the Horns were unable to even wedge themselves into his final group). That unblemished record is unlikely to continue—it's inevitable that the Horns will have an edge with one prospect or another.

If I was a Texas fan, though—or a fan of any other school, thinking Fisher's departure means recruiting battles with the Aggies are now easy pickings—I'd be wary of talking trash. Elko has shown that he can run with the big dogs.

In other words, Texas A&M football recruiting isn't going anywhere.