Mike Elko gives honest assessment after Aggies' first padded practice
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko gave a candid assessment of his team after their first padded spring practice, noting 'a long way to go'.
On Tuesday, Texas A&M held its first padded practice of the spring football season, as coach Mike Elko and his newly formed coaching staff, including first-year offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins and new defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill, have taken full advantage of the the early practice schedule to evaluate talent, including the 17 offseason transfer additions, paired with 25 of 26 freshmen from the 2026 signing class. For Elko, this is by far the most important year in his tenure after signing his lucrative extension this offseason to stay in College Station for the long-term, knowing that last season's 11-2 finish, led by the program's first trip to the College Football Playoff, is just the start of what he and his staff hope to accomplish in the near future, and after reloading the roster instead of facing a rebuild, the Aggies are talented, and deep enough to to make another CFP run. However, through three full practices, the first padded practice gave Elko an idea of where his new roster is at a little over seven months before the 2026 season begins, but for those who don't pay a lot of attention to the spring practice period, this is the first opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate the newcomers and overall depth at every position.
Elko has been coaching at the collegiate level for 20-plus years and has learned a lot along the way, gaining a feel for where each of his rosters stands in terms of readiness. During Tuesday's press conference, the third-year head coach was candid about his opinion after three practices. "We learn that we have an awful long way to go to be a good football team.
I think that's been the revelation of practice one in full pads for the last 20 years. " Again, it's very early, and all 42 newcomers present are adjusting to new schemes and practice methods, while the veteran returners, led by starting quarterback Marcel Reed, are looking to improve in various areas and are not the primary focus given their experience in the system Elko runs. "We learn that we have an awful long way to go to be a good football team.
I think that's been the revelation of practice one in full pads for the last 20 years. " Mike Elko likes what he's seeing so far, but says its far too early to make judgements about his team @kbtxsports pic. twitter.