Entering his first season with the program, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko doesn’t have much pressure on him to succeed right away, as a grace period is usually given to any first-year coach in the toughest conference in the country.
However, the roster he has inherited, combined with the transfer portal additions, makes the 2024 Aggies contenders for a playoff spot if the pieces fall in place. Led by starting quarterback Conner Weigman, A&M’s offensive line will need to improve for the offense to consistently move the ball down the field under new OC Collin Klein’s scheme.
Defensively, the Aggies’ D-line is very deep. At the same time, the pass rush trio of Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart, and Shemar Turner is poised to consistently wreak havoc on every quarterback they face, as Elko’s elite defensive coaching acumen will make the unit formidable in year one.
So, how does Mike Elko compare to the 15 other SEC head coaches? According to USA TODAY’s Blake Toppmeyer, the former Duke head coach is well respected but still has plenty to prove in his quest to bring the Aggies back to prominence. Ranked at No. 10 in the conference, Toppmeyer notes that offense is the key to A&M’s future success under his tenure:
“Elko’s defenses highlighted the Jimbo Fisher era. He returned to College Station after consecutive winning seasons at Duke. He’ll enjoy more resources at Texas A&M, and Aggies power brokers have embraced this New Jersey native. He’s off to a fine start working transfers and recruits. Making the Aggies’ offense more explosive becomes his next challenge.”
Here are the rest of Toppmeyer’s rankings:
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1. Kirby Smart (Georgia)
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2. Brian Kelly (LSU)
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3. Steve Sarkisian (Texas)
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4.. Kalen DeBoer (Alabama)
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5. Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)
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6. Josh Heupel (Tennessee)
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7. Eliah Drinkwitz (Missouri)
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8. Mark Stoops (Kentucky)
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9. Hugh Freeze (Auburn)
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11. Brent Venables (Oklahoma)
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12. Shane Beamer (South Carolina)
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13. Sam Pittman (Arkansas)
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14. Billy Napier (Florida)
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15. Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State)
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16. Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Where does Mike Elko rank among SEC head coaches?
