Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is set to remain in College Station long-term after finalizing a six-year contract extension reportedly worth $11 million annually, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
Upon the Aggies’ dramatic 31-30 comeback victory over South Carolina on Saturday, Trev Alberts, Texas A&M’s Director of Athletics, officially confirmed the news, according to On3's Pete Nakos.
“We've made a programmatic decision to enhance our program in every way possible, and Coach Elko continues to embody discipline and values at the highest standard. His vision aligns perfectly with what we believe Texas A&M should represent.”
The agreement, also reportedly includes escalators for assistant coaches and support staff, as well as incentives for potential College Football Playoff appearances.
Before taking over at Texas A&M ahead of the 2024 season, Elko spent two seasons as Duke’s head coach, where he went 16-9 and had earlier been the Aggies’ defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher from 2018 through 2021.
Elko has achieved an 18-5 record at Texas A&M and currently leads the program to its first 10-0 start since 1992. His 10-game winning streak is also the program’s first double-digit streak since the 2020-21 season. The Aggies are now 7-0 in SEC play for the first time, matching the 1991-93 Southwest Conference undefeated runs under R.C. Slocum.
Elko’s extension was inevitable after a historic performance on the field. Trailing South Carolina 30-3 at halftime, the No. 3 Aggies orchestrated a 28-point second-half rally, the largest margin overcome in program history. Quarterback Marcel Reed, a redshirt sophomore, passed for a career-high 439 yards on 22 completions with three touchdowns and added 13 rushing yards, totaling 452 yards of offense. Junior wide receiver KC Concepcion recorded 158 receiving yards, while redshirt freshman Ashton Bethel-Roman added 139 yards and a touchdown. Graduate tight end Nate Boerkircher and redshirt freshman Izaiah Williams also caught touchdown passes.
Texas A&M’s defensive unit carried the team to a remarkable second-half victory, shutting out the Gamecocks in the second half and allowing just 76 yards on 26 plays. Junior linebacker Taurean York led the team with eight tackles, while senior cornerback Will Lee III added a sack and five tackles. Redshirt senior defensive end Cashius Howell recorded a sack and three pass breakups in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The victory was witnessed by 108,582 fans at Kyle Field, the largest crowd of the season and the fifth-largest in stadium history.
The Aggies will host Samford in their final home game of the season next Saturday.
