'Innovative Mind!' Mike Elko Praises Coaching Of Texas A&M Aggies OC Collin Klein

Collin Klein was signed on as the Texas A&M Aggies offensive coordinator in December, replacing Bobby Petrino, who departed for Arkansas.

Texas A&M Offensive Coordinator Collin Klein /

It seems that Mike Elko isn't the only new coach who is getting his fair share of praise as the 2024 season lurks closer.

At the SEC Media Days in Dallas, Coach Elko spoke of the influence that he believes new offensive coordinator Collin Klein holds over the offensive squad in Aggieland.

In his interview, Elko was quick to shut down any talk about the struggles of the previous years. The new coach clearly seems eager to leave the past in the past and believed Klein would play a keen role in that.

"We're not trying to fix things from last year. Focus on things from last year," Elko said. "I think Collin brings an innovative mind, a guy who played quarterback at an elite level."

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

For those that don't know, Collin Klein was the quarterback of the Kansas State Wildcats from 2008-2012, finishing his career ranked 15th all-time in career NCAA rushing touchdowns. After a lackluster NFL career, Klein returned to Kansas State as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before accepting the Aggieland coaching job this past December.

"I think the thing that really drew me to Collin was his knowledge of the game of football, his intelligence level and understanding how to attack defenses," Elko said. "I think what gets lost a lot in these conversations is style. Pro style. And the reality of it is how you attack defenses is what matters. And you can call the same against one defense and look like a genius and call the same play against another defense and look like an idiot."

"That's the nature of football behind the scenes."

The 12th Man will see just how innovative the former quarterback's mind is, as well as Elko's defensive plans, as they prep for battle against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on August 31st inside Kyle Field.