'Find Winners!' Aggies' Successful Early Signing Day A Testament to Mike Elko's Culture

After signing 25 recruits to their 2025 class, the Texas A&M Aggies can begin working on forming "winning" habits over the offseason as they prepare for another run at a College Football Playoff berth in Year 2 with Mike Elko.

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko gets ready for a pre-game interview with SEC Nation prior to a game against the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — After the Texas A&M Aggies fell out of contention for the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff, Mike Elko turned some of his attention to recruiting.

With early signing day on the horizon, the Aggies' first-year coach had a tall task in front of him. The recruits he and his staff had been closely following were set to make their final collegiate decisions, and between flips, verbal commitments and under-the-radar signings, Texas A&M wanted to come out on the plus side.

Twenty-five early signees later, and it appears it did.

“The thing that jumps out to me is that it’s a well-balanced class across the board," Elko said during a media availability Wednesday. "We set out to sign a football team, and I think we did that."

The Aggies' 2025 class is headlined by five-star receiver Jerome Myles, offensive lineman Lamont Rogers and four-star running back Jamarion Morrow, among others, which bodes well for the immediate future of Aggieland under Elko.

That was something the coach was quick to comment on.

“With roster management, you have to balance experienced veterans with youth, development and what your future is," Elko said. "We feel like our youth is in a really good spot.”

After a more successful season than last year, the Aggies' future is in a bright spot, too. Despite losses to South Carolina, Auburn and Texas, the Maroon & White did show signs of growth and a foundation that can be built upon in Year 2 of the Elko era.

But differentiating such a group — and a culture — from what Texas A&M was known for prior to Elko's arrival is also set to be a challenge of its own, though it seems there were no such issues in Elko's first go-round with the Aggies.

“We had to work from really ground zero on so many of these kids of building an image of what Texas A&M should be and will be like," Elko said. "We wanted to find winners. When you talk about closing, winning, winning championships, that’s a habit."

With that in mind, Texas A&M will continue to find ways to incorporate those habits into practices and the offseason as it prepares for another chance at a playoff berth. Returning players and upperclassmen will play a large role in that, but so will the newcomers.

And now that he's had a season under his belt, Elko will be the first to ensure he's bringing the right recruits in, and forming the kind of culture fit for contention.

“There is a lot that goes into putting together a recruiting class," the coach said, "and today is the end of a process that began when I got hired and really before that.

“It starts with our ability to identify the right players and the right talent.”

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