SEC talking head releases head coach hot seat rankings, and Mike Elko's is surprising

SEC Mike has Mike Elko's seat relatively warm headed into second season for Texas A&M football

Texas A&M football fans are unhappy with the way the season ended for the Aggies. After an exciting beginning to the year, the Ags faltered in the home stretch, going 1-4 in their final five games to end at 8-5.

That said, there was a lot of positive change to take away from this season. The offense looked far more innovative, and the personnel was definitely upgraded at several positions.

But I think the abiding feeling that this final stretch left with Texas A&M football fans was one of trepidation. Fans are worried that the Aggies blew their chance after being in the playoff mix late in the season, and with a more difficult schedule coming up next year, there are some who are down on the Aggies' chances.

Even so, I'm not sure there are any rational fans who think Elko should be dismissed next year, barring a complete collapse. That's why this hot seat ranking from SEC Mike was so surprising.

Mike Elko is the only coach on this list with a "2" ranking, putting him just behind a guy like Billy Napier— who many felt was all but out the door earlier this year— and Jeff Lebby, who just went 2-10. Eli Drinkwitz, who Elko's team beat 41-10 earlier this year, only has a 1.

There can be really no other explanation here other than the poor finish to the year. Objective observers of the Aggies can see that A&M is in a much better place right now than they were at the end of the 2023 season, for example, and they are already building a stellar class for 2026.

Elko gets at least 3 years, in my book, and that's if things really go sideways. If he fails to meet expectations consistently, year 4 is where hot seat conversations can really begin to happen. I have Elko as a zero on the hot seat meter here for that reason.