Mike Elko Says Texas A&M Will Be 'The Premier Football Program in the Country'

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Texas A&M's new head coach Mike Elko is determined to bring the school's football team back to its former glory.

"We are going to build the premier football program in the country," Elko said, via SB Nation's Robert Behrens . "We are not gonna talk about it anymore, we are gonna be about it."

Elko agreed to a six-year contract with Texas A&M, featuring a $7 million base salary and a lot of money that could be earned through incentives:

Jimbo Fisher was fired on Nov. 12 as the Aggies struggled to replicate the success of their 9-1 campaign in 2020. This included a 2022 campaign that resulted in a 5-7 finish, Texas A&M's worst record since 2008.

This season, the school hasn't ranked higher than 23rd in the AP top 25 poll at any point in the season. That's the lowest the Aggies have ranked since 2017, when head coach Kevin Sumlin was also fired.

"The assessment that I delivered was that we are not reaching our full potential," Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said after Fisher was let go (via ESPN's Pete Thamel ). "We are not in the championship conversation and something was not quite right about our direction and the plan."

This led to the Elko being hired after two successful seasons leading the Duke Blue Devils. He helped build a stout defense that has allowed just 19.8 points per game in 2023, the second-best mark in the ACC.

Elko previously served as the Aggies' defensive coordinator from 2018 through 2021.