The Texas A&M Aggies seem destined to fall to the South Carolina Gamecocks in a surprising encounter that has the No. 3 program in the nation trailing against an unranked school 30-17. The loss will certainly make Texas A&M fall some spots in the College Football Playoff committee rankings. It will also shatter the Aggies’ status as a favorite for the national title, at least a bit.
NEW: Mike Elko and Texas A&M are finalizing a contract extension, @PeteNakos reports👍
The deal will make Elko one of the top-10 highest-paid coaches in the country.https://t.co/P60dbbOZ0S pic.twitter.com/xJ33ozGj6s
— On3 (@On3sports) November 15, 2025
It will also make school authorities wonder if one of their recent decisions was the correct one or not. Earlier on Saturday, On3 reported that the SEC school had decided to extend the contract of coach Mike Elko. At the time, it surely looked like an obvious decision, given that Elko had carried the school to the No. 3 spot in the Top 25 and that they had their spectacular 9-0 record.
While they haven’t lost yet, it seems unlikely they will be able to reverse such a big deficit in a quarter and a half.
According to Pete Nakos, the extension would give Elko six more years at College Station and would make him one of the top five best-paid coaches in college football. To become one of the top five best-paid coaches, the Aggies coach would have to surpass Texas’s Steve Sarkisian $10.8 million contract. At the moment, he’s earning some $7 million annually.
As per reports by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, it’s expected that Mike Elko will eventually make north of $11 million per season.
Should Mike Elko’s extension be put into question?
Regardless of what happens today against the South Carolina Gamecocks, it would be foolish to judge Mike Elko’s stint at College Station based on a single game. Any team or coach can have a bad day out on the field.
On the other hand, not every coach can show the kind of consistency Elko has gotten since arriving at Texas A&M. Since 2024, the Aggies have a record of 17-5, and the 9-0 record by this point of the season is the best for the school since 1992.
What they should do is look at what went wrong this Saturday and fix it quickly before the College Football Playoff. The Aggies still have a serious shot at the national title.
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