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Mike Elko did a great job turning things around when he was the head coach at Duke, and what he did with the Blue Devils helped him land his current job with the Texas A&M football team. Like at Duke, Elko has quickly turned things around at Texas A&M as well. His Aggies are currently 7-1 and they are all alone in first place after a huge win against LSU over the weekend.
After the Texas A&M football team took down #8 LSU on Saturday night, Mike Elko was asked how he was able to get these results so quickly. He didn't hold back when giving his answer.
“I think it's the way we talk to young people,” Elko said. “I think the things we talk about, the messaging, how we bring really good people into the building. We talk about doing things together, we talk about culture – and everyone talks about it – but then we go out and we live it every day. And I think we back up our actions. We're very honest. We're very open. This is a real program. It’s not fake. It’s not a politician running this program, talking fast and BSing everybody. This is a real program. And for all the recruits out there, this is a real place. And if you want to be really good at football, this is a really good place to be.”
When Elko shared those comments, some people thought that he might be directing the comments at someone specific, like former Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher. Elko clarified on Monday that his comments were not directed at anybody.
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“This is comical that I actually have to do this, but it’s necessary,” Elko said, according to a post from Sam Khan Jr. “In the postgame I was kind of asked to give a synopsis on how we sell culture to our program. In doing so, I made a statement that seemed like a very benign statement that somehow managed to be taken as a shot directly at people. You guys gave me multiple opportunities in nine months to take shots at people, and I’ve never done it. I have nothing but respect for Coach Fisher. I’ve said nothing but positive things about Coach Fisher. I’m the head coach at Texas A&M because of Coach Fisher. I appreciate who he is, everything I’ve done. And for anybody in the media to think that what I was doing post-LSU is asinine. And for it to be about any other head coach who gave me an opportunity and hired me, that’s not who I am. I’ve never been that person. It’s ridiculous, but it is what it is. I wanted to make sure everybody knows I wasn’t talking to anybody directly.”
Mike Elko has done a great job flipping the script at Texas A&M in his first year and he has his team in a great position to make the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff.
Texas A&M will return to action this upcoming weekend with a tricky road matchup against South Carolina. The Aggies and Gamecocks will kick off at 7:30 ET on Saturday night from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, and the game will be airing on ABC. Texas A&M is currently favored by 2.5 points.
