As the Texas A&M Aggies prepare for their first season under Mike Elko after ousting Jimbo Fisher from College Station, the expectations for their performance remain unclear.
On one hand, the team could justifiably underperform. They're coming off of a six-year stint with a coach who completely fell short in his final two seasons with the team and now face an arduous road of re-adjusting and finding momentum. On the other hand, they could find a stride and go above and beyond in Year 1 with Elko.
If that does come to fruition, the question then becomes how sustainable that success could be. Elko and the Aggies might get lucky, but go right back to being on the outside looking in afterward. They could also use early success to build a winning product, but that's yet to be seen.
One analyst, however, sees the former being palpable.
“You’re gonna probably laugh at my expectations for Texas A&M, because they are higher than most,” Greg McElroy said. “I look at their roster and I look at the structure, the way Mike Elko was able to organize Duke and create problems for the opposition the last couple of years. I don’t think this is going to be some rebuild.
"I think this is a situation where the second he walks into the door, he walks into a pretty good situation.”
With Conner Weigman at the helm and a strong receiver core backing him, the Aggies will boast a strong offense next season. On defense, a new coordinator and plenty of returning weapons make for a high ceiling for the Aggies if they do find a sense of unity right away.
That, combined with a wider pool of College Football Playoff teams could mean that Texas A&M gets to compete right away for a chance to prove itself. Them, and Elko.
“You look at their schedule, it’s a whole heckuva lot more manageable than you might assume,” McElroy added. “An incredible season would be 10-2. Flirt with an at-large Playoff spot. I think that’s an incredible year for Texas A&M and I think it can be done."
Competing right away under Elko is still a big "if." But it's not impossible, especially with the resources that the Aggies boast and considering what the coach was able to do at Duke in his short time there. It's just a matter of whether they use them to the best of their ability.
That could make all the difference.
MATT GUZMAN
Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.
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