Mike Elko Wants to Establish 'Extremely Tough' Culture at Texas A&M

Mike Elko's vision for the Texas A&M Aggies is all about toughness.

The Texas A&M Aggies have undergone a great deal of change over the last three months. 

Not only have they had a 46-player turnover via the NCAA Transfer Portal (23 outgoing and 23 incoming), but they also have an entirely new coaching staff, led by new head coach Mike Elko.

And Elko, who is taking over the program after six seasons of Jimbo Fisher, is aiming to establish a new culture that is 'extremely tough' - both mentally and physically.

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“We want to be extremely tough, mentally and physically," Elko told TexAgs Radio. "We want to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We want to walk off the field being that we’re the team that played the hardest.”

The first step in the process of rebuilding a culture for a coach is to get the players to buy into your message. 

So far, it appears that Elko has been able to do just that. 

Whether it be from the new players coming in via the portal, new recruits, or incumbent players who have suffered through the last two seasons, there appears to be a unified vision in College Station once again.

“We have a lot of really good kids and kids that are listening to the message and moving in the direction that we want them to," Elko said. “We got into our first workout yesterday in which the coaches were allowed to be out there. … It was good to see our kids dive in with teammates and push and encourage to help drive guys where they want to go. It was a lot of fun to watch some of that.”

Now, all that is left is to implement the plan. 

And according to Elko, he has everything he needs to get it started. 

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“We have everything we need to build this program the way we want it," Elko said. "Which is a great feeling as a coach because it means you just have to build it the right way.”

That will begin with spring football next month, leading into the annual Maroon and White game in April.

The Aggies will then start their 2024 regular season a few months later on August 31 against Notre Dame at Kyle Field.