Sep 21, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts during the second quarter against the Bowling Green Falcons at Kyle Field.

In two seasons at the helm in College Station, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has compiled a respectable 19-7 record, highlighted by huge road wins over Notre Dame and LSU, and the Aggies' first berth in the College Football Playoff.

Despite last season ending in heartbreak with a terrible home loss to Miami in the CFP, A&M and head coach Mike Elko enter this season with renewed optimism.

Here are three things he must do this season.

Elko must rebuild a defensive unit that held five of their first six opponents to 24 points or fewer while starting the season off undefeated and losing four core players to the NFL draft. The unit was so dominant that it finished second in the nation by averaging 3.31 sacks per game.

This season, Elko and the Aggies’ defense will lean heavily on a defensive line featuring returners T.J. Searcy, D.J. Hicks, and Marco Jones, along with transfer Anto Saka. Although they aren’t household names to many right now, Elko has a history of producing dominant defensive talent at A&M, as Shemar Stewart and Cashius Howell morphed from unknowns into first-round NFL draft picks under his tutelage.

With six of the Aggies SEC opponents currently ranked in the Top 25, Elko’s ability and reputation to develop consistent and productive defensive units will be put to the test once again in 2026. If he’s able to repeat the feat that Aggies will be a step closer toward being a perennial national power.

A big reason the Aggies won double-digit games for the first time since 2012 last season was due to A&M getting big road wins at Notre Dame, LSU and Missouri to begin the season en route to their first 11–0 start since 1992. If Elko and company want a return trip to the CFP, a similar start in 2026 is a must.

With trips to Tuscaloosa, Columbia, and Norman at the back end of the schedule, along with their traditional showdown with the team in Austin, Marcel Reed and company must find their rhythm early to give A&M a chance to improve upon last season’s success.

In their 11 wins last season, A&M averaged 40.8 points per game, while they scored a combined 20 points in their two losses. Reed must continue his quarterback maturation process to continue to help the Aggies collect big wins while also improving his NFL Draft stock.

After dodging the SEC gauntlet last season, a fast start for A&M will be a necessity, not a luxury this season. October and November will be full of high-profile weekly SEC must-win showdowns.

As positive and successful as Elko’s tenure has been in his two years in Aggie Land, one big negative that must be corrected if he’s to complete the full turnaround of the program is that he must beat Texas.

In both Lone Star Showdowns, the Aggies have been dominated on both sides of the ball and haven’t scored more than 7 points in the second half in either matchup. After watching Arch Manning and company cook for 24 points in their second-half comeback in Austin last season, Elko must find a way to beat Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns on “Black Friday” to officially prove A&M is back.

A loss will create a negative narrative that some national pundits are forming: that Coach Sark has Elko's number and might even creep into recruiting. Just last month, the best offensive recruit in Texas and generational running back Landen Williams-Callis picked Texas over A&M.

Proving a loss to the Longhorns could do major damage to the recruiting momentum Elko has developed over the last two years. An Aggie win will validate everything and help morph A&M into a perennial threat to land in the CFP.