'90 Percent' of Texas A&M Lineup Still to Be Decided Says Mike Elko

Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko says some decisions will not be made until right before kickoff against Notre Dame

Jul 18, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Elko is in his first season as the coach of the Texas A&M Aggies. He still has a lot of players to evaluate and decisions to make as far as his depth chart is concerned.

"I would say that we would have 90 percent of our starting lineup decided by the end of this weekend," Elko said. "But we still have to decide the depth, We might not make those decisions until right before kickoff against Notre Dame.

"Some battles will go right up until kickoff."

Elko said he is happy with where the team is after 14 practices. However, he knows there is still a long way to go until they are ready for the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman speaks with the media after a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

"We are in the grind of it right now and I am excited where we are," Elko said. "We stil have a lot of improvement to make and things we have to fix."

He told the team there is a sense of urgency to get the little things right, because they are running out of time before the season starts.

"We will begin our preparation for Notre Dame the end of next week," Elko said. "The season is here and it is time to get going. This is the last Saturday without college football."

Elko said he is keeping some of those decisions close to the vest.

"What we will talk about over the weekend, as far as the depth chart and who is going where. We ae going to keep that to ourselves," Elko said. "As the head coach I have to watch all 22 players and inevitably someone is going to mess up. We have a lot of decisions to make over the next two weeks,"