Offensive line will decide the fate of Texas A&M football in Mike Elko's first year

Fixing Texas A&M football's offensive line give the Aggies a playoff-level ceiling in Mike Elko's first year

As Texas A&M football fans looked on dejectedly on September 23, 2023, QB Conner Weigman limped off of the field with what appeared to be a serious injury. A free blitzer from the Auburn Tigers streaked through a gap left open by the right guard, tackling Weigman by his lower half.

Of course, Conner would not return for the rest of the game. And, though there were positive reports in the days following, it became clear not long after that point that he would be out for the rest of the year.

This felt like the final straw for Aggie fans. Since the beginning of 2022 (and at times in 2021), they had seen far too many games where the backs could find no purchase and the signal callers could find no time.

After a shining season for the Maroon Goons in 2020, the falloff was sharp and severe. 2021 wasn't awful, but it certainly was inconsistent; 2022 was unspeakably bad for a unit that boasted the talent that the Aggies did.

2023 just felt like more of the same. It was not uncommon to hear this point cited as a major reason why many Aggie fans felt that Jimbo Fisher would soon be out the door: after all, a similar issue is what led to his ignominious final season in Tallahassee.

Now, though, he is gone—along with Steve Addazio, the architect of those very poor lines in 2022 and 2023. The task of turning that group around now falls to Mike Elko, Collin Klein, and Adam Cushing.

Their resumes are promising. The Wildcats under Klein had an innovative and effective scheme for a less-talented offensive front. Much the same could be said for Elko and Cushing at Duke.

Now, they have to leverage the talented Aggie roster—for talent aplenty remains—to buttress College Football Playoff dreams. Nothing less is on the line, to be clear: the Ags have the pieces in place at so many positions. But if your quarterback is running for his life—even if he is a master at avoiding sacks—and you can't get anything going on the ground, life will be tough in the SEC.

Though there is plenty of talent, there are also plenty of questions. Who will succeed Bryce Foster at center? Can Rueben Fatheree return to form out at tackle? Just how good is transfer G Arma'j Reed-Adams? Will Bisontis thrive after sliding inside?

Forgive me for being glass-half-full, but I have an optimistic bent to my answers for each of those questions. The OL will need time to coalesce, of course, and an intimidating challenge awaits them in week one. But if this Aggie offensive front were a stock, I'd be buying right now—they're only headed upwards.