Elko Takes Center Stage at SEC Kickoff

TAMPA--Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko took to the podium on Wednesday as the Aggies shined under the spotlight of the 2026 SEC Kickoff.

Much more content to come...in the meantime, you can watch his press conference below.

The Big 3

1. Confidence in being able to have a talented team ready for a rough schedule.  "I've got to have confidence because the schedule is coming and we got to be ready. We don't have much of a choice. Two things: One, we've had more defensive lineman drafted than any program in the country since I got to Texas A&M in 2018. We have gotten into a rhythm of replacing D-linemen that have been drafted. I think last year at this time there was a very similar conversation. We had just had three draft picks, one first rounder, two second rounders. We were talking about how we were going to be able to replace that talent, and we did it with a second rounder and two third rounders. I think we were able to replace it at a really high level. We've got to be able to go do it again. We can't just talk about it. We got to go do it. We've got elevate the players we have in the program and get them into a position where they can go out and they can compete at the level that has become the standard of our defensive line. On the other side of the ball, I think we've done everything we possibly can to create an environment for us to be successful. We went out and we added four transfer portal guys who had starting experience in the SEC. We've recruited at a really high level. We have some extremely talented young players who are chomping at the bit for their opportunity. So what that has created is a ton of competition for those spots, and so I think competition always elevates. Our goal is to make sure coming out of fall camp we have an offensive line that is ready to cohesively function together and play at the level we need them to play to go be successful. Whether we get that done week one, two, three, that has to happen as quick as it possibly can."
2. Being successful on the road in a league like the SEC. "I think it was such a big emphasis point for me when we took over because we had had such struggles. I think when I took over, had been since 2021 actually at Columbia, Missouri, was the last road game we had won in the conference. And so we knew in order to take the next step and the next hurdle that we wanted to take, winning on the road was going to be a big part of it. As you looked a little at our schedule last year and some of the daunting road trips we had on the schedule, winning on the road was going to be a big part of it. When you play in this conference you have to dedicate a lot of time to playing in environments that will be really, really uncomfortable, because that's where success will get defined, and certainly this year is no different. We've got some daunting road trips again. It's something we spend a lot of time on. We start installing our cadences in spring ball. It's become part of our base operation, how we're going to function in those environments. We start really drilling down in fall camp. It's as big a part of how you play offense nowadays as anything you do, because you know success will become such a big part of what happens in those games."
3. Ensuring the team is not satisfied after making the CFP last year.  "I show them our trophy case and it's empty. I think they're all very aware of that. Listen, we live in a lot of worlds, so we're obviously happy with the things we accomplished, happy with the direction of our program, but it's also not lost on us that we haven't won the hardware that we're searching for. That gets us into a mindset of growth and getting back to work to go finish this thing a little bit better than we did last year and put ourself in a better position maybe to compete for some trophies."

Full Transcript (PDF)