Mike Elko praises the 'best secondary' he's had at Texas A&M

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The countdown to the 2026 college football season is underway, and coaches across the country are making their rounds. While the first day of SEC Football Media Days wrapped up, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko was in Houston for Coaches Night. He covered several topics, and one of them was his belief that the Aggies now have one of the strongest position groups he has coached in years.

Elko inherited a significant challenge when he arrived at Texas A&M. The program was not in disarray, but its reputation needed repair and rebuilding the culture became the foundation of his first season. Anyone inside the program will tell you he delivered. With stability in place, he has earned the opportunity to develop and recruit elite talent across the roster.

One of the areas that needed the most attention was the secondary. Elko made that clear after A&M’s loss to USC in his first bowl game as head coach. He emphasized that the defense’s back end had to improve. After several seasons of targeted recruiting, transfer additions, and player development, the Aggies may finally have the type of secondary they have been working toward.

“Defensively, it starts with the secondary. For me, being the secondary coach, this is the best secondary I’ve had at Texas A&M.”

This is not Elko simply talking up his team. He is known for being direct, and he does not put anything out publicly that he does not believe. The unit has also earned outside validation and was ranked inside the top five secondaries in the SEC by a national analyst. The Aggies added high‑end talent through the transfer portal and signed a strong 2026 recruiting class, which supports Elko’s confidence.

For a group the staff wanted to make faster and more disruptive in the passing game, the Aggies have taken a meaningful step forward. They enter the season with plenty to prove and the personnel to back it up.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Mike Elko praises the ‘best secondary’ he’s had at Texas A&M

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