Mike Elko Adds Familiar Face to Texas A&M's Coaching Staff

Even as they prepare for the College Football Playoff, the Texas A&M Aggies are making another change to their coaching staff for the 2026 season.

Per reports from Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, the Aggies are expected to hire former Rutgers co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Zach Sparber to the team's defensive staff.

Sparber spent just one season at Rutgers after being on the James Madison staff last year.

Mike Elko's Connection to Zach Sparber

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko walks off the field after defeating the Samford Bulldogs 48-0 in a game at Kyle Field. | Joseph Buvid-Imagn Images

Elko has some notable familiarity with Sparber. The two worked together for two seasons while Elko was the head coach at Duke. Elko promoted Sparber, who started off as a defensive graduate assistant for the Blue Devils, to linebackers analyst in 2023.

That season, Duke's defense ranked 10th nationally in red zone defense and 16th in scoring defense, according to the Rutgers team website.

Prior to Duke. Sparber served as a defensive graduate assistant at Virginia Tech from 2018 through 2020.

Recent Changes to Texas A&M's Coaching Staff

Once the hire is offcial, it would be the latest change to Texas A&M's coaching staff since the end of the regular season.

The Aggies are already set to lose offensive coordinator Collin Klien, who is taking head coaching job at his alma mater, Penn State.

His replacement will be Holmon Wiggins, Texas A&M's current wide receivers coach.

In addition, the Aggies are also expected to hire former Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Brad Cornelson for a senior role on the offensive support staff, per reports from FootballScoop.

Texas A&M also promoted Lyle Hemphill to defensive coordinator after the departure of Jay Bateman.

And then on Monday, Zenitz reported that the Aggies are set to hire former Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams to the linebackers coach position. Williams, 42, is a former Auburn Tigers and Atlanta Falcons linebacker. He entered the coaching industry in 2009 with his alma mater, eventually getting hired as the linebackers coach for Northern Iowa in 2012.

The Texas A&M coaching staff will certainly look much different next season, but the championship-level expectations will remain the same.

The Aggies will look to close the season out strong with their current staff, starting on Saturday at Kyle Field against the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the College Football Playoff.