After previously serving as defensive coordinator for Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher, Mike Elko has returned to College Station in a new role, replacing his former boss at the Aggies’ helm.
Now, he’ll have to deal with stiffer competition in the SEC his first year on the job with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference. In Dallas for his first SEC Media Days in charge, what are three takeaways from Elko’s media session?
3 Takeaways From Mike Elko at SEC Media Days
1) Recruiting Not More Difficult Despite Texas and Oklahoma Joining the SEC
Texas A&M has won several recruiting battles the last 10 years over its former Big 12 rivals, Texas and Oklahoma, by wielding its membership in the SEC as its fiercest weapon. Even with the recruiting trail being leveled with all three now residing in the SEC, Elko doesn’t believe the Aggies are any worse off than they were before.
“No, I don’t think so. There have been recruiting wars in this state between those three schools that probably started before I was born,” Elko said at the podium during SEC Media Days. “It certainly continued as my time here as the defensive coordinator (2018-21), and I’m sure it will continue into the foreseeable future.
“Those three brands hold a lot of weight in this state, there’s no doubt about it. Basically, that’s the group you are consistently recruiting against, and the teams that win those battles are usually going to have the most success.”
The state of Texas is one of the nation’s largest recruiting hotbeds for football, even before its two biggest teams joined the SEC. In-state competition for recruits is only part of the problem for teams like A&M, with plenty of out-of-state suitors for Texas prospects.
“Each kid has got to go through their process and figure out what’s the right fit for them is,” Elko said. “I don’t know that a league necessarily gives you that leg up. We’ve got to build a program that people want to be part of.
“It’s no secret that recruiting in the state of Texas is extremely competitive. It’s not only just us and Texas, I think it’s a lot of other programs now coming in here — you’ve seen it this cycle — that we’ve got to fend off. … I don’t think that is a one-on-one situation. I think that has changed. A lot more schools are involved now.”
2) A&M Must “Speed that Process Up” While Remaining Focused
While some places afford coaches a grace period in their first couple campaigns, the SEC is not one of them, especially not in College Station. Elko is well aware that he has to hit the ground running if he wants to keep the support of the Aggies faithful.
“I think in this era of college football, you better speed that process up,” Elko said at SEC Media Days. “I don’t think this is a very patient era. I don’t think you come to a school like Texas A&M that has the ability to do what we’re capable of doing.”
Elko desires a warp-speed approach to success, but is cautious of cutting too many corners for the sake of instant gratification.
“You want to talk about building for a future, but I think you’ve got to be careful that you don’t skip steps along the way. I think you’ve got to establish a culture, you’ve got to establish an identity, you’ve got to establish a way you want to play football,” he said.
“I’m excited because I feel our kids have embraced that. I think they’ve bought into what we want to be about. They’ve embraced the direction we want to go, and I’m really, really happy with the progress we’ve made on the job. Now we’ve got to go finish that and be successful this fall.”
3) Elko a Proponent of the 12-Team CFP Model for the SEC
At the very end of his time at the podium during SEC Media Days, Elko gave an interesting perspective on the new College Football Playoff model that increased from four to 12 teams.
While most assume the increase will help programs from smaller conferences make the CFP and increase their national recognition, he believes enlarged postseason participation will only make the SEC more formidable.
“Spending four years in this conference, there were a lot of years where I felt like there were more teams deserving of being in the playoff,” Elko said. “I thought at times, certainly for us in 2020, I feel like this conference has clearly established itself to be the premier conference. Now, what you have is more access.
“I think if you look at the College World Series as a model, more access has led to a lot more all-SEC semifinals, all-SEC championships. I believe you are going to see something similar in the College Football Playoff.
“The more teams from this conference that get in and get to compete for meaningful games on a national scale, I think it will only help us enhance our reputation as the premier league in the country.”
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