COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko knows how close his football program was to greatness last season. It’s a message he’s relayed to his team since the Aggies’ College Football Playoff first-round loss to eventual national runner-up Miami in Kyle Field.
“Our highs in [2025] were good enough to win the national championship,” he said Monday at an offseason media availability. “When we were at our best, we were as good as anybody in the country. We did not have the ability to be there all the time, right? And that’s just where we came up short. We weren’t able to hit those marks consistently all the time and then, certainly down the stretch in the last two games when we needed it, we weren’t able to.”
That taste of rare air is proof that the Aggie football program is trending in the right direction under Elko. However, with that success comes the challenges elite programs face after each season.
As Elko and his staff work to instill game-to-game consistency in the team, they have made moves in the transfer portal and coaching hires with hopes of bringing year-to-year consistent success to the program.
“Excited about what we did,” Elko said. “Excited about what we added. Excited about, kind of, the direction that the program continues to head and trend in. And so, we’re excited to kick off this new season. I think it was probably a little bit busier offseason than we’ve had recently, when you add the coaching changes and the different pieces.”
The Aggies will send a nation-leading, program-record 13 players to the 2026 NFL Draft Combine, which means the Aggies were in need of experienced replacements to fill some of the gaps left by those departing future professionals. The Aggies are also in the final cycle of filling in gaps left by a small recruiting class in Elko’s first offseason in Aggieland, he said.
The need was greatest at offensive line, where the Aggies lost six players to professional prospects.
Four offensive linemen made their way to the Aggie roster via transfer: LSU’s Tyree Adams and Coen Echols, as well as South Carolina’s Trovon Baugh and Alabama’s Wilkin Formby. They will fight for playing time with returning center Mark Nabou Jr. and experienced rotational piece Robert Bourdon, among other younger players. Elko said his staff felt like there was an experience gap with upperclassmen offensive linemen.
“I think we added two edge guys in Wilkin Formby and Tyree Adams,” Elko said. “Two kids who’ve played a lot of football in the SEC. Really talented kids. Really excited about those two additions.”
Echols, a Katy High School alumnus, has a history with the Aggies, with a previous commitment and subsequent decommitment out of high school.
“Then, to get Coen Echols back – a kid who started some games in the interior of the offensive line,” Elko said. “Obviously, a kid that we were familiar with here. Tried to retain him in the class when I got hired and ultimately able to get him back now. And then, to be able to go out and get Trovon Baugh, who started a lot of games in the inside offensive line in South Carolina. A kid that we tried really hard to get at Duke. Had a really good relationship with him and his family.”
In total, the Aggies brought in 18 transfers in this year’s lone transfer portal window, a change from two windows in previous seasons. Having the ability to plan around one “free agency” window is a welcome change, Elko said.
“Especially now, when you talk about rev share caps and salary cap management, to some degree, the thought that you would balance that cap and then have another portal window never seemed to make a ton of sense,” Elko said.
So, how successful was this portal window for the Aggies? It’s not about the position groups filled or the players that got away, it’s continuing to build on the culture in place within the football facilities, Elko said.
“The transfer portal window and recruiting in the transfer portal is not like going to the grocery store, where you just, kind of, get to pick what you want at whatever price you want it,” Elko said. “There’s a lot of elements that come into what you’re actually able to add to the program. And so, I think every time we go into the portal window, we’re trying to add quality that fits us, from a character standpoint, from a them wanting to be pros standpoint, them wanting to be a part of a winning program and doing the things the way we do them.”
The Aggies also had spaces to fill on a coaching roster that changed significantly from last season. Elko replaced former offensive coordinator Collin Klein (Kansas State head coach) and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman (Kentucky defensive coordinator) with a pair of internal promotions. Former wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins takes over at offensive coordinator, alongside assistant head coach Trooper Taylor. On defense, Lyle Hemphill takes over the reins, with Elijah Robinson rejoining the program as a co-defensive coordinator.
“I think there’s a lot that gets made of the outside [hires] versus inside stuff,” Elko said. “I think anytime there’s a job that comes open on our staff, we talk to a lot of people. I think we try to identify what the right fits are. Sometimes that’s an outside name, sometimes that’s an outside name that’s got familiarity with the program. Sometimes it’s an outside name that’s got nothing to do with Texas A&M, but there’s no right answer. There’s no right answer to say if we promote from within, that’s the right way to do it, or if we hire from the outside, that’s the right way to do it.”
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