Mike Elko ranked Top 5 in On3's SEC head coach rankings

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Entering his third season at the helm, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko has already accomplished several goals, including reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, while winning 11 games for the first time since the early 1990’s.

However, after losing to Texas for the second consecutive season, combined with falling to Miami in the first round of the CFP, Elko and his revamped roster, now featuring 17 additions from the transfer portal, the expectations are even hire after Elko signed his six-year contract extension worth $69 million, putting more pressure on the New Jersey native to make it back to the postseason, and get out of the first round.

Another accomplishment came in late April, when a record 10 players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, including star WR KC Concepcion, who went 24th overall to the Cleveland Browns. Elko predicted this would have happened this time last year, knowing that the immense talent and experience on both sides of the ball would garner plenty of NFL interest.

The 2026 roster is equally talented and, deeper at several positions, especially in the secondary, and with starting quarterback Marcel Reed returning for his third season, and second as the full time starter, the addition of Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton provides new OC Holmon Wiggins anthem big-bodied target that will open up the passing game, and, hopefully allow Marcel Reed to fix his remaining issues.

Mike Elko has already proven his coaching chops and was recently ranked as the 11th-best coach in the country by Sporting News. However, among the 16 SEC head coaches, On3’s Chris Low ranked Elko 5th in his recent rankings, directly behind second-year Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, while Lane Kiffin (LSU), Steven Sarkisian (Texas), and Kirby Smart (Georgia) rounded out the top 3.

“In his second season at Texas A&M, Elko took the Aggies to their first College Football Playoff. Texas A&M wasn’t going to risk losing Elko to Penn State and locked him up with a new extension last November, paying him an average of $11.5 million. Elko’s been a head coach for only four years, but his teams are renowned for their toughness and physicality. At both of his head-coaching stops, he quickly improved the program. Duke had suffered through three straight losing seasons when he arrived. He won eight games his first season and nine his second season and left things in great shape for Manny Diaz. The Aggies’ 11 wins last season were their most since 2012, and Texas A&M tied a program record with 10 selections in the 2026 NFL draft.”

If, and when Mike Elko and the Aggies finally defeat Texas, and make it past the first round in the College Football Playoff, these rankings will look different in the future. Still, as we’ve seen in years past, success is never guaranteed.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M HC Mike Elko ranked No. 5 in On3’s SEC head coach rankings

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