Mike Elko’s first year in Texas has been a massive blow in his career. A strong start culminating in a lackluster finish was what redefined the other side of the college football world’s unpredictability. It’s all good and fun when the Aggies went on a seven-game rampage, including a 5-0 stretch against SEC opponents after a kick-off loss against Notre Dame. When Elko and his team mounted a win against the LSU Tigers, a playoff spot seemed all but a miss, but the Maroon and White quickly ended up on the other side of the fence. They brutally gave it up on the Las Vegas Bowl, capping off the season with an underwhelming 8-5. Now, heading to a crucial second year, it’s a boom or bust year for Mike Elko. CFB analyst Josh Pate reflects on the concern with a pointed reality check.

Pate believes Texas is an untamable animal that has waited too long to have a coach who can get them to that level. A 75-year title drought isn’t a joke. Elko didn’t even come close to that mark. But fans and veterans still have been a bit more tolerant of him as he is. The reason is different. Unlike the pressure cooker situation of Kalen DeBoer in Alabama, Elko doesn’t have the target on his shoulder to meet an unprecedented standard set by a living legend before him. Rather, he has to ward off the curses of the previous coaches.

Pate deems Mike Elko as the trailblazer to a new Texas A&M, but not without a pinch of salt and a gentle warning. ”It su—- to end the season the way they did. If you do that, you don’t want to do it like Lincoln Riley just did,” Pate said. Riley took over the USC Trojans’ gig after an impressive haul at the Sooners. However, it hasn’t gone per the plan, and in his last two years, the team has regressed a lot. Riley started the tenure with an 11-3 finish in his first year. That came down to 8-5 despite having Caleb Williams as his QB. In the 2024 season, the Trojans finished 7-6.

”You don’t want to do it in your third year. You want to do it very early in your tenure. Kalen DeBoer is dealing with this at Alabama. The blessing in suc— down the stretch is there’s no guesswork of what isn’t the right way and what is the right way. He gets to walk down the halls with proof of performance or lack of proof of performance. This is the way we’re going. This is who does and doesn’t need to be here. We tried it this way, and it didn’t work. It’s going to be my way, or it’s going to be no way moving forward,” the national analyst said during a chat show in TexAgs Live in-studio.

The college football reality is visibly evolving, and the success mantra is no longer the same as it was a few years back. In the growing NIL era, having a solid recruiting flair and the ability to retain recruits is a big win-win for any coach. Elko forged some clear recruiting success, landing 14 new additions to the 2025 class. Also, he has Marcel Reed as his ultimate ace in the hole.

The 2025 roster is improving, whether in the weight room or on the practice field, but he has to take it slow and steady. Pate made the path clear, suggesting, “You cannot just come into a program and take over and do it the way you would have in 1978, cuz guys have options now.”

However, one single wrong step can largely make Elko relive a past nightmare in Texas.

Jimbo Fisher’s situation strikes a serious wake-up call for Mike Elko 

Jimbo Fisher wasn’t the guy to take Texas to a premium mark. Kevin Sumlin wasn’t the guy to take them to that level, either. But especially under Fisher, Texas A&M looked more horrible than ever. The tumultuous history of six vulnerable years of spewing hot air on Capitol Hill is simply devastating. Now, Mike Elko looked a lot different. They block, they tackle, they protect, and most importantly, they are quick to bounce back.

But it’s too early to bet a dime on Elko, given how the history instilled a trauma. The second-year Aggies’ head coach will need more years of a steady football record to make fans believe he is here to flip the script. In 2025, if Elko makes some mistakes, it might be another mercy year for him. But it’s year three when he will truly feel the heat.

Now, we know the program is not shy about vesting money to get rid of any rotten coach out there. Remember that Jimbo Fisher buyout? $76 million. This shows the Texas higher-ups are pretty accustomed to pulling the rug if things don’t go their way. ”Dan, this is the SEC. There’s no reason. They paid a $78 million buyout to a coach.” This is what analyst Ross Dellenger’s reality check looks like for any Aggies fan still living in a bubble.