LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly is Impressed With Texas A&M Aggies' Mike Elko

New Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko is already earning the respect of his SEC peers.

Matt Galatzan | Jul 16, 2024

Feb 7, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head football coach Brian Kelly and his defensive coordinator Mike Elko watch warmups before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Texas A&M Aggies

When the Texas A&M Aggies hired new head coach Mike Elko after the firing of Jimbo Fisher, the consensus was that the program had made a safe and smart decision.

However, as time goes on, it appears that Elko has a chance to be much more than that.

Not only is he already bringing in an elite recruiting class, in 2025, but he managed to keep together the 2024 class after the Fisher exit and rebuild an immense amount of the roster via the NCAA Transfer Portal. Not to mention the seemingly stellar coaching staff he was able to put together.

Of course, that is just one of many aspects of a head coach's job.

But Elko has done so well, that he has the Aggies as a top-25 candidate and a dark horse candidate in the SEC according to many.

In fact, he is also already catching the attention of other head coaches around the league, including LSU's Brian Kelly, who had nothing but good things to say about Elko on Monday at SEC Media Days in Dallas.

"He's a smart football coach," Kelly said. "When I say smart, I don't mean intellectual, but he has a degree from an Ivy League school too... What makes Mike a really good head coach is that he's not going to just be a defensive coach. He's going to oversee all units because he knows it all goes toward winning. I think he'll be very successful at Texas A&M."

Kelly, of course, knows Elko as well as anyone, with Elko working as his defensive coordinator in 2017 at Notre Dame, before he left to take the A&M Job with Fisher from 2018-2021.

Now, Kelly will get his first up-close look at Elko as a head coach next season, with the two teams set to face off on Oct. 26 at Kyle Field.

Published Jul 16, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and MizzouSportsTalk.com, as well as the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com