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After a poor outing against Notre Dame in Week 1, Texas A&M has hit its stride with seven straight wins in Mike Elko's inaugural year as head coach. With a win over LSU in Week 9, the Aggies took full control of the SEC, causing Elko to let his full emotions out.
The head coach emphatically called his team a “real program,” seemingly taking a shot at the college football landscape. Elko criticized opposing teams who have “politicians” in charge before sending a message to recruits.
“This is a real program,” Elko said after the game, via team reporter Brent Zwerneman. “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.”
While his message was clearly made out of spite with a simultaneous recruiting pitch, many speculated about who Elko was indirectly referring to. Some hypothesized that he was taking a shot at his predecessor, Jimbo Fisher, while others believed that he was criticizing opposing SEC programs, including LSU.
Elko's comments on being a “real program” seemed to blatantly call out the NIL process, which he made clear as he continued.
“From where we were when I got here, the whole rhetoric about this program was NIL, mercenaries and selfishness, and all of those things,” Elko said. “To see where we’re at now… That’s a credit to those kids in the locker room. It’s a credit to their character, it’s a credit to who they are.”
Texas A&M takes SEC lead after Week 9
With their win over LSU, Texas A&M became the only SEC team undefeated in conference play through nine weeks. The Aggies' 5-0 conference record also includes wins over Missouri, Florida, Mississippi State and Arkansas. Since losing to Notre Dame in the season opener, they have won their last seven games.
Having entered Week 9 at No. 14 in the AP poll, Texas A&M will all but certainly re-enter the top 10 after taking down the previously No. 8-ranked Tigers. They will still likely be ranked behind Georgia and Tennessee despite being ahead of them in the SEC.
The Aggies will return to the road in Week 10 to face South Carolina as they look to continue their hot stretch. Their ensuing bye week will be followed by their final stretch of games against New Mexico State, Auburn and Texas. If the season continues the way it is currently going, the team's final matchup with Texas will hold massive playoff indications.
