Texas A&M Aggies' Mike Elko Takes Possible Shot At Jimbo Fisher

Mike Elko is thriving in his first season as the Texas A&M Aggies' head coach.

Jon Alfano | 2 Hours Ago

Oct 26, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts to a call in the third quarter against the LSU Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

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Texas A&M Aggies

It took just eight games for Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko to earn his signature win with the program.

On Saturday night, Elko's Aggies took down the No. 8 LSU Tigers 38-23 in front of an electric crowd at Kyle Field. The Aggies fell behind early but outscored the Tigers 31-6 in the second half to pull away late. It was a statement win for A&M, now the last remaining unbeaten team in SEC play.

Elko not only made a statement on the field, but an even bigger one at the podium.

"This is a real program. It’s not fake," Elko said postgame. "It’s not a politician running this program, talking fast and BS’ing everybody. This is a real program."

The first-year head coach may not have said any names, but it's pretty easy to read between the lines.

Under former head coach Jimbo Fisher, who Elko previously worked with as A&M's defensive coordinator, the Aggies struggled to produce on the field despite their abundance of talent. Fisher's best season came in 2020, when the Aggies went 9-1 and barely missed the College Football Playoff. In every other season, which weren't affected by COVID, Fisher finished no better than 9-4. He walked away with a $77.5 million buyout last November, over three times more than the previous buyout record in college football (Gus Malzahn received $22 million from Auburn in 2020).

Now in just his first season back in College Station, Elko has the Aggies at 7-1 and firmly in the hunt for a playoff bid. Just like that, all the perceptions about the program under Fisher have faded away.

"When I got here, the whole rhetoric about this program was, 'NIL and mercenaries and selfishness.' To see where we are now … you don’t see those things," Elko said. "That’s a credit to those kids in the locker room. It’s a credit to their character."

This season is a testament to Elko's ability as a coach, but also illustrates how Fisher's shortcomings held the Aggies back for so long.