Texas A&M is entering a new era for the program, moving on from Jimbo Fisher after a disappointing 2023 season. Mike Elko is returning to College Station and despite being in Year One, there is some optimism and not just inside the program.
An anonymous coach recently gave his thoughts on the Aggies, believing they will be good this season. In his opinion, Fisher struggled down the stretch of his tenure because of the quarterback position. Texas A&M could never really get it locked down after Kellen Mond left.
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“I think they’ll be good,” the coach said. “That’s not to say Jimbo Fisher was a bad coach. He is a very good coach. I think what hurt him, he had so much turnover at the quarterback position, most of it due to injury. They never got in sync with a quarterback.”
Conner Weigman was the starting quarterback to begin last year. But as mentioned, injuries have been a problem. Weigman has just eight career starts in his two years on campus and saw his 2023 campaign after four games.
Another coach says if Weigman can stay healthy, he will wind up being the factor in having a good season.
“I think (QB) Conner Weigman is the key; I do,” the second anonymous coach said. “The SEC is a lot like the NFL, you’ve got to have a quarterback. And when Weigman got hurt last year, it really impacted A&M.”
From a whole roster perspective, there is still a lot of talent for Elko to work with. He is used to getting the most out of lower-rated recruits but plenty of five-star talent is being inherited. Now, how the culture meshes together is a completely different story.
Elko can bring everyone together, according to a third anonymous head coach.
“Mike Elko is calm and he can bring things together,” a coach said. “He can do more with less, like at Duke, but he’s got more now. Their defense is solid. They’ve recruited well; they’ve got talent there.”
Not too many programs coming off a 5-7 with a first-year head coach would have high expectations. But Texas A&M seems to be a bit different, having hope they can contend in the new-look SEC. Outside reviews of Elko are high and if he delivers alongside Weigman, the Aggies could make some noise in 2024.
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