Texas A&M’s 2024 season marks the debut of new head coach Mike Elko. As the Aggies prepare for their August 31 kickoff against Notre Dame, Elko has acknowledged that while there have been notable accomplishments since he took over in November, including a successful transfer portal window, plenty of work still needs to be done before his inaugural season begins.
Much of that work is on the offensive side of the ball. New offensive coordinator Collin Klein, who comes over from his alma mater, Kansas State, will do his best to create a new offensive identity for the Aggies. There are quite a few question marks in College Station heading into 2024, so what are some of the biggest questions Elko will face during his first SEC Media Days?
Three Most Significant Questions for Mike Elko at SEC Media Days
1) Will Collin Klein Stick With His Run-Heavy Offense in College Station?
Former Aggie head coach Jimbo Fisher struggled to construct a winning offense during his tenure in College Station, which is why he is gone. So, how will this new coaching staff make the necessary adjustments to revamp this struggling offense?
New Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein, who played quarterback at Kansas State in a run-heavy offense, joins the Aggies after two seasons as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator, where his schemes often featured the quarterback running the ball over ten times per game.
MORE: Texas A&M Aggies 2024 Depth Chart
Will Howard, Klein’s quarterback in 2023 at Kansas State, logged 81 rushing attempts for 351 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. Howard’s backup, Avery Johnson, added another 296 yards on 52 attempts and seven touchdowns.
Klein arrives in College Station to revitalize an offense that has struggled with consistency and explosive plays in recent seasons. So, the big question for Elko is whether the offense will resemble the one his OC ran at Kansas State or be a bit more pro-style.
Starting quarterback Conner Weigman is big and athletic, but he’s never been featured as a primary ball carrier like many of the quarterbacks in Klein’s system. Weigman has carried that ball just 39 times for 160 yards in his two seasons at A&M. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be featured as a ball carrier from time to time under the new offensive coordinator.
Additionally, Weigman is a significantly better downfield passer than Howard was at Kansas State.
Klein only asked Howard to throw less than 20% of his passing attempts over 20 yards downfield. It would be shocking to see a similar limit on Weigman’s downfield attempts. They have weapons on the outside, and Wiegman has as much arm talent as anyone in the SEC.
However, the direction of the offense with their current personnel under Klein will be one of the biggest questions facing this Aggie team in 2024, and it’s one of the bigger mysteries heading into the SEC season.
2) How Will This Texas A&M Offensive Line Come Together?
One of the most troublesome areas for Texas A&M football in recent years has been the interior of the offensive line. While there have been flashes of brilliance at tackle, the interior line has struggled with consistency.
Trey Zuhn III is one of the nation’s top returning offensive tackles, a certainty on the Aggies’ offensive line. However, the rest of the lineup remains to be determined based on performances during August camp. With just over a month until their season opener, having question marks on the offensive line is not an excellent feeling for Aggie fans.
Mike Elko had an excellent transfer portal window. The Aggies have 46 players entering and leaving via the college football transfer portal. Among them, 23 new players are set to join Aggieland under Elko. There are still question marks regarding the caliber of the offensive linemen they welcomed and how they’ll fit into this revamped system.
New offensive line coach Adam Cushing has his hands full in molding this starting offensive line and getting them to gel together quickly in a new system. Elko must answer many questions regarding the offensive line’s improvement and consistency before their opening kickoff against Notre Dame.
3) How Will Texas A&M Improve Their Red Zone Offense?
In 2023, Texas A&M struggled near the end zone. They only scored touchdowns on 58% of their red zone trips. That ranked 82nd in the nation. Compare that to Kansas State, where coach Klein ran the offense, and they ranked second in the nation in red zone touchdowns at 78%.
But it’s not just coaching and play calling; it also comes down to personnel and mentality. If Texas A&M expects to win 10+ games and compete for an SEC title, they can’t continue to settle for field goals in the red zone. Coach Elko will have to answer questions regarding how to improve their mentality as a team when it comes to converting in the red zone.
SEC Media Days Schedule: Mike Elko, Texas A&M Head Coach
- Date: Thursday, July 18
- Time: 12:05 p.m. ET
- How to watch: SEC Network+
Texas A&M enters the 2024 SEC season as one of the most significant question marks in the conference. There is a ton of excitement surrounding the hiring of Elko and new offensive coordinator Klein from Kansas State.
From a personnel standpoint, it feels like all the answers are in the building. But that can also be said of the Jimbo Fisher-led A&M squads that have repeatedly disappointed over the past few seasons.
Texas A&M will enter 2024 with one of the best defensive fronts in the country and top defensive units in college football. So it will once again come down to how well their offense can protect the quarterback and convert in the red zone against the top teams in the SEC.
Coach Elko has his hands full but also inherited a program capable of a quick turnaround. As such, Texas A&M may surprise some people in 2024.
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