Mike Elko vs. Steve Sarkisian: CFB analyst names better head coach
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Texas A&M’s 2026 football season officially begins next Friday, as the Aggies open the spring practice season just a few months after finishing the 2025 campaign 11-2, culminating with the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Falling to eventual runner-up Miami 10-3, coach Mike Elko enters his third season at the helm with equally high expectations.
However, the 2026 schedule, which features road games against LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, and Oklahoma, will be the matchups that make or break the Aggies’ chances of returning to the CFP, which is always a tough task given the current 12-team model. Still, after losing 20-plus players to the transfer portal and the 2026 NFL Draft, Elko and his revamped coaching staff landed 17 transfer additions, combined with 26 signees from the 2026 recruiting class.
After two seasons, it’s hard to give a letter grade regarding Mike Elko’s overall job performance, and compared to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who is entering his sixth season in Austin, Elko has yet to defeat the Longhorns, sitting at 0-2 entering the 2026 season. This record isn’t the only metric to use when grading both coaches, though.
On its face, both coaches have made it to the CFP, while the Longhorns, during the 2024 season, made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual national champion Ohio State. Making it to the postseason in Year 2, despite losing in the first round, is highly impressive and paves the way for Texas A&M to contend for a CFP spot as long as Elko is leading the way.
This weekend, That SEC Podcast host Michael Bratton, better known as “SEC Mike,” sat down with Outkick college football analyst Trey Wallace, who, when asked who the “better” head coach is between Mike Elko and Steve Sarkisian, chose Elko, providing a clear reasoning that is sure to result in plenty of online discourse.
“I look at a head coach now in college athletics as someone who can delegate roles and be the CEO of a program and make the tough decisions.”
In today’s chaotic NIL-based college football landscape, Texas A&M is lucky to have Mike Elko and AD Trev Alberts, who is also considered one of the smarter executives who has been at the forefront of NIL discussions.
Here is the entire interview:
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: CFB analyst picks Mike Elko over Steve Sarkisian as better coach
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