Texas A&M football's Mike Elko named to watchlist for Coach of the Year award

Texas A&M football's Mike Elko named to the Paul Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List

For the past several years, Texas A&M football fans have bemoaned the inability of their team to play up to the talent level that they have on the roster. Season after season, we saw a team unable to properly leverage the playmakers they had, especially on offense.

However, things look different this year. With a transition in coaching regime, the Aggies now look like a much more focused and better-managed squad.

That hasn't just manifested on the field, either. The program, from top to bottom, looks far better kept up than it did previously. Especially during the first transfer portal window, when the Aggies were notching commitments left and right - often before prospects left campus - you could tell a marked difference in the organization and operation over in Bright.

The marked difference from last year to this year has turned plenty of heads around the country. Mike Elko himself, who brought a reputation as a squared-away coach into the job, is beginning to get some notice as well.

Today, Elko was named to the watchlist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award.

This is a well-deserved honor, based on what we've seen so far this season. There was a lot to undo organizationally and with regard to the locker room for Elko, and he has accomplished all that with aplomb.

Additionally, he has had to navigate a thorny quarterback situation, and in retrospect, has made the right decision every time. For a program that has seen some rank quarterback mismanagement, this was a refreshing move.

If the Aggies keep winning, there's no doubt that Elko will be a finalist for this turnaround. As things stand at the midpoint of the season, I think this is a great reflection of the progress that has been made so far under his regime.