Texas A&M is one of those programs in college football that haven’t seen their glory days for some time now. They currently have the costliest stadium in college football in Kyle Field, their infrastructure is top notch and their recruiting is also quite stable and improving over the years. Still, the old glory days still seem like a distant dream. A mirage. But what is actually hindering Mike Elko and the Aggies in their elusive success?

Well, it’s quite hard to say what is hindering their progress. However, there are signs still over the skies that loudly scream mismanagement and underutilization. But, more than that joining the SEC also came with its own drawbacks as other Texas SEC teams are now tapping into the gold mine of high school football players in the state of Texas. For context, hear this.

Texas is one of the most prominent recruitment destinations for teams like the Aggies and Longhorns. In the years from 2021 to 2024, the state of Texas has ranked number one in producing the top 100 recruits, leading the charts with 64 recruits. This goldmine of talent allowed the Aggies to tap into the vast talent, bypassing the other SEC teams that were not based in Texas. All that changed when the Longhorns and Oklahoma joined the SEC prior to the 2024 season. Here’s how.

Locked-on Aggies host Andrew Stefaniak highlighted the loss of native state talent that the Aggies are facing from their 2026 class. ” The states where these players are coming from are a lot of California a lot of Georgia we got a Utah mixed in there a New Jersey mixed in there (in the 2026 class). When you are located in one of the hotbeds of recruiting in the state of Texas the best I mean… Is this coaching staff focused too much on out-state players rather than going to get the guys from your own backyard“? Andrew does highlight a worrying trend in the 2026 class that has only one Texas State recruit in Markel Ford (Safety). And he doesn’t even look like the top recruit that the Aggies should target in the state. But why the worrying trend?

Well, as said earlier, it has a lot to do with Oklahoma and Longhorns coming into the SEC and providing similar incentives to the players. That essentially means that top in-state recruits now favor joining Sooners or Longhorns more than Aggies. For instance, take, for example, the recruiting classes of Oklahoma and Texas Longhorns. Their recruiting classes have consistently ranked in the top ten over the course of 5 years. Furthermore, they are also the ones who are splashing their money on recruiting and executing NIL deals. And they are doing it quite efficiently as opposed to the Aggies. Here’s why.

Texas A&M victims of financial mismanagement?

Well, Mike Elko, in his tenure, has certainly improved on the recruitment drive that the Aggies are undertaking. Their 2025 class, overall, looks good, with top prospects like Jerome Myles and Lamont Rogers. But, still, their high attrition rate in their previous classes should be cause for worry. Take, for example, their high-profile 2022 class, which was ranked 1st nationally. Cut short to 2024; they have been left with only 6 out of the 30 signings they executed. This is attributed to a classic case of building a costly home without a strong foundation. For context, hear this.

The Aggies’ adjusted NIL value right now during the transfers stood at around $132K, which is massively less than some of the other SEC teams. Tom Fornelli highlighted their mistakes in a recent message. “They were always in a league where other people were doing the same thing and they weren’t the best team doing it,” he pointed out. “Now that you’re in the SEC, you’ve got Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, and all of these other schools to deal with. Like you’ve never been the big dog on your block”. Surely, there will be alarm bells when other teams in your conference are giving deals in million-dollar marks as opposed to the Aggies. The verdict?

Well, Mike Elko will certainly have to adapt to this NIL era now. Since NIL is a reality now players jumping ship for financial gains will also be a worry if they do not get financial satisfaction at a team. Furthermore, they also might have to turn their recruitment focus in-state. However, this is something that will work in their favor or against their favor only time will tell.