With the 2025 college football season less than 100 days away, varous outlets, including CBS Sports have released various head coach rankings to stir the pot and provide plenty of offseason talking points, especially in the SEC. For Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, who enters his second season at the helm, hasn’t earned a ton of respect from the national media.
After starting 7-1, and ending 1-4 with consecutive losses to Texas and USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, any praise Elko previously received took a tumble, but it’s widely agreed upon that he deserves some grace after one season, and based on putting the work in to improve, adding 14 players from the transfer portal while former James Madison defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill has joined the defensive staff it certainly something to respect.
This week, CBS Sports writer Tom Fornelli released his Top 68 head coach rankings, placing Mike Elko just outside the Top 25 at No. 29, rising three spots compared to his 2024 ranking. Here’s what Fornelli had to say regarding his ranking.
“Elko’s greatest attribute at Texas A&M last year was that he wasn’t Jimbo Fisher. If Jimbo had gone 8-5 while looking mostly outclassed in losses to Notre Dame, South Carolina and Texas, it would’ve been ugly. But it was only Elko’s first season, and we’re still in the honeymoon era. I don’t say this as a knock because I believe Elko was the right hire for the Aggies. I just think some folks were a little too impressed by wins over mostly mediocre teams.”
Ranked one spot below South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, the Gamecock’s blowout win over the Aggies was the start of Texas A&M’s downfall, mainly due to star running back Le’Veon Moss being lost for the rest of the season.
Fornelli is right in stating that judging Elko after one season is premature, but the loss to Notre Dame mainly had to due with former starting QB Conner Weigman’s shoulder injury, while defensive lapses and quarterback Marcel Reed’s lack of experience as a pocket passer led to poor play down the stretch.
This is a accurate ranking, both respecting Elko’s ability to build a program, while noting the need to get past the eight win barrier and, finally earn a big to the College Football Playoff over the next two seasons.
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