Why Texas A&M football fans should possess unbridled optimism ahead of Mike Elko’s first year at the helm
Let’s be clear: no one would accuse me of being a glass-half-empty fan of Texas A&M football. Though this is a notoriously beaten-down fanbase, I still try to look on the bright side of things.
Even so, I don’t think it’s a personal idiosyncrasy that I feel like there’s a rosy outlook for this season. I think we can objectively say that the Aggies have rebounded in a big way from where the program was near the end of Jimbo’s tenure, and are now positioned well for a big year.
Still, there are fans who are reluctant to buy in—many under the flag of “I’ll believe it when I see it.” As I’ve said, with how beaten-down many Texas A&M football fans feel, you have to expect that to a certain degree. However, I really, truly think there’s more than just an outside shot for this to be a huge year for the Aggies.
I’ve enumerated a lot of reasons over the buildup to the season why I think this is the case, but let’s try to distill this down to just three. Without further ado, let’s jump in.
Three reasons for wild optimism in Texas A&M football: Combo of Weigman and Klein
This is kind of just a subset of “better coaching across the board,” but I think this is the area where we see the most marked improvement. Klein’s system at Kansas State produced a top-10 offense in points per game (notably, ahead of purported schematic mastermind Steve Sarkisian in the same conference), and the second-best red zone offense in the nation at producing touchdowns.
The Aggies, meanwhile, were at 25th in points per game—really, not terrible—but a dreadful 82nd in red zone touchdown percentage. The increased efficiency that Klein can bring in both of these areas, but particularly the latter, would be a boon enough, even before you consider the upgrade that he has at the signal caller spot.
Conner Weigman is a nuclear weapon waiting to be unleashed on the rest of the conference. We’ve seen flashes of his brilliance before, but in a better system (and hopefully behind a better offensive line), there’s some really, really exciting potential here.
If these two can come together to produce the kind of offense that their individual capabilities would suggest, it may just be over for the rest of the conference. Forget vying for an at-large playoff spot—the Aggies would be squarely in contention for the SEC title and an automatic bye.