Mike Elko is shattering the status quo in College Station, taking a direct shot at his predecessors while vowing to finally build a sustainable championship culture.
The Texas A&M Aggies program is never going to sneak up on the football world.
So maybe that's why coach Mike Elko figures he might as well get in everybody's face with a loud - and rather incredibly boastful - statement.
Entering his third season in College Station, Elko has already changed the temperature around the Aggies’ program.
Elko recently joined Greg McElroy on Always College Football, and the message was pretty clear. Texas A&M isn’t trying to win a press conference. It’s trying to build something that lasts. ...
Loudly.
"For the first time in a long time,'' Elko said, "there's a coach in here that's building this thing the right way."
Wow.
Frankly, that's not only a statement about what Elko thinks of himself. It's also a remark about his predecessors ... and not really a flattering one.
"The Right Way''? For "the first time in a long time''?
Once we move away from the indictment that could be regarding previous Aggies leadership ...
Texas A&M reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, Marcel Reed threw for a career-best 3,169 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and transfer edge rusher Cashius Howell became a monster off the edge while leading the SEC in sacks.
That’s progress. But this is Texas A&M, so the standard doesn’t stop at “pretty good.”
The Aggies lost to Texas for the second straight season, then saw their CFP run end at home against Miami in the first round.
That sting doesn’t disappear just because Elko earned a six-year, $69 million extension or because the Aggies are being talked about nationally again.
If anything, it raises the bar.
Elko has the recruiting momentum, the quarterback, the defensive identity and the support of the 12th Man.
Texas A&M also owns the kind of national buzz that turns good programs into dangerous ones.
But the next step is obvious. Beat the rivals. Win the road games. Get back to the CFP. Then do something once you’re there.
READ MORE: Texas A&M’s Run Game Has Something To Prove
And live up to the boastful coach Mike Elko's words.
