16-in-16 2025: Texas A&M Aggies
As Mike Elko enters his second year in Aggieland, optimism is high as usual. Will Elko finally be the man to deliver on field results?
By: Hammer
For a refresher on our ratings system, check out our 16-in-16 ratings guide here.
Well, we have arrived at what has been the one of most perplexing programs in the SEC since they joined the league back in 2012. Texas A&M famously came into the SEC with guns blazing, winning 10 games and a Heisman Trophy in their inaugural season thanks to Johnny Manziel. Then came a string of average seasons, resulting in the firing of Kevin Sumlin and the hiring of Jimbo Fisher. A national championship coach in Fisher with unlimited resources at his disposal? Seemed like a dynamite hire and the Aggies would finally ascend to the top tier of the sport. Not so fast my friend.
Fisher had one great season in 2020 when the Aggies went 9-1 and finished in the top 5 nationally. Other than that, it was a bunch of mediocre seasons and one disastrous 5-7 campaign. Enter Mike Elko. His first year inspired some hope and the Aggies were in a position in November to make the SEC title game and CFP. In a situation all too familiar to Aggie fans, A&M fell apart in November and lost three games. So what happens in year two under Mike Elko? Is he finally the guy to get A&M into the upper echelon of college football?
State of the Program: 7/12 biscuits: Ascending...the program has hope and momentum and has a shot to take a step up; There’s not much fast food around, so Burger King will have to do. It strives for the best, and with a few tweaks, it can compete with the best.
I went back and forth on this biscuit rating because the A&M program is such a conundrum. Everything needed to win at a high level in college football is in College Station. Yet, that has been the case for a long time, and no one has really been able to put the puzzle pieces together consistently. Facilities, NIL, coaching staff, salaries, recruiting success, etc. It’s all there. Yet, this program finds a way to go 8-4 nearly every year. I feel like Charlie Brown getting the football yanked away right before I try to kick it when it comes to the Aggies and expectations.
Mike Elko and company hope to change that. The next few years will be huge for this program because we saw some progress last season – until November, that is. The Aggies were alone atop the SEC standings at 5-0 (7-1 overall) with four games remaining. No one expected A&M to be in that position in Elko’s first season. Jimbo Fisher did not leave A&M in a good spot, especially from a culture perspective. So when A&M was sitting there to start the final month of the season, it was quite surprising. They subsequently showed themselves to be pretenders, not contenders. However, progress was made, and Elko’s footprint was evident in how A&M competed and won games. The injuries and issues at QB that have plagued A&M for years continued, but they still found ways to win games early on. They were all learning together and found some success before things fell apart late in the year. It isn’t crazy to think that this team, with another year under Mike Elko, can build on that early-season success and find something more sustainable.
Part of the reason it feels like this program is ready to ascend (I know, it sounds like a broken record) is the investment in Aggie football and their success in acquiring talent. No one invests more in football than A&M. It’s resulted in a terrible return on investment thus far, but the Aggies keep spending. Kyle Field is the second-largest venue in the SEC, and takes a back seat to no stadium in the entire sport. To make it even more electric, the Aggies will have LED lights at Kyle Field this fall (finally). The practice facilities, known as the Bright Football Complex, recently underwent a $200 million renovation that saw A&M build a new indoor practice facility, and expand the locker room, meeting rooms, recruiting, and sports medicine areas. It is one of the best facilities in the country.
On the NIL and recruiting front, A&M does very well despite the recent turnover. Of course, NIL and recruiting go hand in hand, and Elko secured the #9-ranked recruiting class in 2025, his first full cycle as head coach. The new staff has been more active in the transfer portal than Fisher was, landing the 4th-ranked transfer class in 2024 and 11th in 2025. Texas A&M became the poster program for NIL when they landed the #1 ranked recruiting class of all time in 2022, and while that class totally fell apart, the Aggies still spend with the best of them. In 2024, it was estimated the A&M collective, Texas Aggies United, spent $17.2 million, which was the 4th highest in the SEC.
Finally, the coaching staff is highly thought of overall. Jay Bateman remains the DC after a disappointing 2024, but Elko announced he would be more hands-on with the defense in 2025. On offense, Collin Klein was lured away from his alma mater, Kansas State, when Elko took over at A&M, and his $1.6 million salary is a big reason why. WR Coach Holman Wiggins left Alabama for A&M, and other assistants like Adam Cushing (offensive line), Ishmael Aristide (defensive backs), and Trooper Taylor (running backs) are well thought of. As usual, it's all there for A&M, so can they actually make a leap in 2025?
What went right in 2024?
The biggest thing that went right for A&M in 2024 was the culture change. It’s cliché to say when a new coach takes over, but team culture in college football is paramount, and Mike Elko made strides in that department. Texas A&M entered the final weekend of the regular season in a “win and get in” scenario for the SEC championship. They ultimately lost 17-7 to Texas, of course, but simply being in that position was a step in the right direction. Losing Conner Weigman to injury early in 2024 was a real curveball for A&M. Weigman was expected to have a great year and lead A&M into the Elko era. Unfortunately, he was dinged up in game one against Notre Dame and ultimately missed three games later in September. Marcel Reed stepped in and proceeded to win all three starts, two of which were against SEC opponents in Arkansas and Florida. Weigman was given his starting role back in early October, but only lasted two games before he was benched for poor play against LSU. Reed famously took over, led A&M to five consecutive touchdown drives in the second half against LSU, and didn’t look back from there.
The Aggies defense was good at times, but faded tremendously down the stretch (more on that later), so finding Marcel Reed the biggest bright spot in 2024. Reed has plenty to work on, especially in the intermediate and downfield passing game, but he finished with the sixth-best QBR among freshmen nationally. Reed also brings the ability to run the ball effectively, adding a dynamic to the Aggie offense that OC Collin Klein seems to prefer. Speaking of the running game, Le’Veon Moss was another bright spot in 2024. The third year running back out of Louisiana proved to be one of the most violent, punishing running backs in the SEC. Moss led the SEC in after-contact yards per carry and was well on his way to a 1,000-yard season before being injured in the ninth game against South Carolina. Moss averaged 6.3 YPC, and still earned All-SEC honors despite missing the final three and a half games of the year. Losing Moss for the home stretch led directly to a precipitous offensive drop-off for A&M.
What went wrong in 2024?
As is the case with so many teams in college football, A&M simply faded in November. Something Aggie fans are all too familiar with. While the offense struggled after Le’Veon Moss got hurt, it was the defense that really let them down. Earlier in the season, A&M’s defense was playing well. Through October, the highest point total they allowed was 24 to Mississippi State. But in November, South Carolina torched them for 44 points, and Auburn scored 43 (granted, this game went to four overtimes). The defense came back to life against Texas, only allowing 17 points and scoring the Aggies only points of the contest on a pick six, but then surrendered 35 points in the bowl game to a depleted Southern Cal team. That bowl performance led Elko to say in the postgame press conference that “we do not understand how to play zone coverage...I won’t watch a defense play like this ever again.” So yeah, the defense was a letdown, especially when the Aggies needed them most.
Despite sending three defensive linemen to the NFL in Shemar Stewart (first round), Nic Scourton (second round), and Shemar Turner (second round), the Aggies did not get after the quarterback well in 2024. A&M only tallied 25 sacks as a team, which was tied for 13th in the SEC. Only Mississippi State and Kentucky had fewer. When you aren’t sacking the opposing QB or getting consistent pressure, the pass defense suffers. The Aggies finished 90th in pass yards allowed per game at 232. The run defense was stronger but far from elite, allowing 135 yards per game, which was 42nd nationally. Based on those statistics alone, it’s no wonder that Mike Elko is taking a more hands-on role with the defense this fall. The offense was far from perfect, but in totality, it was the defense in 2024 that let the Aggies down.
What the Aggies needs in 2025
Texas A&M returns a TON from last year’s team. They are top 10 in the country in returning production, and that includes key players like Marcel Reed at QB, Le’Veon Moss, Rueben Owens, and Amari Daniels at running back, the entire starting offensive line (along with two “co-starters”), and the entire back seven of their defense.
The two obvious holes for this team are at wide receiver and defensive line. To help with these holes, the Aggies added KC Concepcion and Mario Craver at wide receiver in the transfer portal. A&M needs those two newcomers, or former five-star Terry Bussey, to step up. Texas A&M has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Josh Reynolds in 2016. For reference, I was still a student at Texas during the 2016 season and I am 30 years old now. The Aggies and Marcel Reed desperately need good weapons on the outside who can get open consistently.
On the defensive line, A&M is counting on a few guys to step up. Cashius Howell and Rylan Kennedy were part of the 2024 transfer class, and they should both get significant time at EDGE. Inside, veteran Albert Regis returns, but the other spot is wide open. Former five-star DJ Hicks should step into that role in his third year on campus. That is quite a bit of unknown up front on defense and A&M needs not only to fill the shoes of the three guys who went pro, but they need to improve if they hope to compete at the highest level.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
This is pretty simple: win nine games, something the Aggies have failed to do since 2020. After an up-and-down, but ultimately positive step forward in Elko’s first season, getting to nine wins would signify more progress in College Station. There is a lot more room for additional biscuits if A&M can win more than nine games and threaten or reach the CFP, but let’s just start with something simple. Everything is there in College Station to win at a high level, so how about the Aggies actually win some ballgames?
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