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Texas A&M’s Elko excited for year 1 in College Station

Mike Elko spoke at the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention

After a year that saw so many twists and turns for the Texas A&M football program including the firing of former head coach Jimbo Fisher, getting a fresh start with new head coach Mike Elko at the helm has lifted spirits and gotten Aggie fans excited for the 2024-2025 season.

Elko came down to San Antonio to speak at the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention and shared his thoughts on the relationship he and his staff have with high school coaches in the state of Texas in recruiting top talent around the state.

“To me, a relationship isn’t about just taking kids or just recruiting, it’s also about a service element in that there’s a lot of high school coaches in this state that we have a lot of experience and a lot of resources to help grow, to help talk football with, and learn from them, they can learn from us,” said Elko. “That relationship in and of itself I think when you’re a school like Texas A&M in the state of Texas is really critical.”

Before spending two seasons as the head coach at Duke University, Elko was the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M where he recruited top talent like Aggies newly-named captain Tarean York. Elko couldn’t be happier to now have a chance to coach York after not being able to recruit him to play at Duke for him.

“So when I got here I knew a lot about him, his family and everything, and Coach (Trooper) Taylor actually recruited him... and so we had a lot of connection to him when we got here,” said Elko. “And then you start spending time with him like in a college program and when you’re around him all the time, I think his leadership qualities what he stands for as a young man how he represents himself those things are really special.”

Texas A&M will host a huge matchup against Notre Dame on August 31st to open the regular season.


About the Authors
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Nick Mantas is a KSAT 12 Sports Editor. He has previously worked in Lansing, San Fransisco and Abilene. Nick earned a Master's Degree in Sports Media from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Arizona, where he also interned as a strength and conditioning coach.

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