'Just Not the Same': Texas A&M Coach Mike Elko Reveals Impact of Transfer Portal

With the transfer portal playing a bigger role than ever in college football, Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko spoke on his plans to keep ahead of the curve and preserve his program's culture.

Nov 25, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko. / Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports

COLLEGE STATION — It's been years now since the transfer portal began to take over the college football landscape.

What used to be long-term commitments on signing day are no longer seen that way. Now, it's almost rare for a player to sign with a program and stay there for the entirety of their college career, especially if it ends up being longer than two years.

Because of that, schools across the country are having to adjust to the new era of college football, for the good and bad. It's allowed schools to wildly change their talent year in and year out but also made planning ahead extremely difficult. The Texas A&M Aggies are no exception.

Oct 14, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko. / Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports

Just this offseason, Texas A&M is losing 18 players to the transfer portal — most notably Max Johnson, Fadil Diggs, Evan Stewart, L.T. Overton and Johnson's brother, Jake. Granted, it is welcoming over 20 new players from other schools, but the turnover is certainly high.

Despite that, Aggies coach Mike Elko spoke on how his staff plans to navigate a difficult era of player empowerment, focusing on culture above all else.

“It’s not as hard as you think ... as long as you just kind of redirect your vision of what college football is,” Elko said via On3. “It’s just not the same. So now, let’s move forward and figure out how (to) create a culture that sustains a little bit more volatility."

Elko likened the Aggies to a different industry entirely — journalism — which sees reporters come in and out as years pass, yet retain a strong publication culture, which the Aggies will hope to harness.

"The Houston Chronicle has had employees coming in and out forever," Elko explained. "But there’s still a culture behind the organization. I think that’s where leadership has to set the standard through me, our players (and) our coaches."

Setting a standard for being "Aggies" is what Elko spoke about when he first arrived back in College Station. He's been around the campus and knows what makes Texas A&M tick, so what better candidate for a coach to continue on a culture that's long-been engrained in Aggie fans?

It's not an easy task — referring to both the transfer portal and rebuilding a program in need of success — but Elko is ready for the job. And as far as the changing landscape of college football goes, he's prepared to make whatever changes necessary to keep his team in front.

“I think just adaptability is critical to leadership," Elko said. "The best leaders adapt to their circumstances and adapt to changing environments and that’s what allows them to have success."