Mike Elko's Biggest Camp Priorities Are Obvious for Texas A&M

Mike Elko has a big tweak to make with his Aggies during fall camp on both sides of the ball.

Mike Elko has to fix the Aggies' offensive sloppiness with his coaching staff | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As good as the Texas A&M Aggies were overall last season en route to their first College Football Playoff appearance, one thing they were downright bad at was being on the right side of turnovers. On both sides of the ball, there were problems holding onto or taking the ball away.

Only the Arkansas Razorbacks had a worse turnover margin in 2025. The Hogs were a mess last season from the top town, firing Sam Pittman halfway through the year and replacing him with Bobby Petrino. That should never be your competition at a sleeping giant like Texas A&M.

The Aggies have more respect these days, finishing fourth in the SEC Media Preseason Poll, but this is still a program that few are projecting to win the SEC. Few expect Texas A&M to be among the last teams standing come January. At least only a select few are putting their names to predictions of that kind. The turnover problem is an obvious reason.

Can it be fixed? Doing so should be Elko's priority over the coming weeks in fall camp.

Marcel Reed Needs More Confidence Under Center

Marcel Reed must be under control more often in 2026, and Mike Elko has a responsibility to make that happen | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately, quarterback Marcel Reed was clearly the main culprit of the turnover problem. He threw 12 of the QB room's 14 interceptions and fumbled away four of the five recorded offensive fumbles throughout the 2025 season.

That's not something you could simply pin on ex-play-caller Collin Klein and call it a day. Elko's late-game clock management put Reed in pressure cooker situations, and the head coach could've done more to rein in Reed's risky behaviors. Forcing passes instead of taking a sack and trying to make something happen in the open field and taking hits a quarterback shouldn't be taking are things Elko should call on his franchise signal-caller to stop doing.

Reed is a major piece for the Aggies and holds the program's hopes in his hands. 33% of his picks did come against elite defenses from the Texas Longhorns and Miami Hurricanes to end the season, but Reed should be able to play a clean game against any opponent. Elko needs to make that right over the next month.

Texas A&M's Defense Simply Needs More Breaks

TAMU's defense may just need better luck | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It's much harder to find issues with the collective coverage output from Texas A&M's secondary and linebacker room last year. The Aggies gave up a respectable 176.6 passing yards per game, had the No. 1 third-down defense, allowing a less-than-23% conversion rate to opposing offenses, and the secondary gave up completions on just 56.2% of their passes defended.

Truthfully, the breaks just need to come more frequently for Texas A&M's defense. Elko and Co. don't need to change much about what they do. Continued consistency from the entire defense will eventually lead to more turnovers.

Still, it doesn't have to be a waiting game. There's always more room for blindside hits forcing opposing quarterback fumbles. After all, the Aggies were only ranked No. 2 in sacks last year. Get the overall sack number up, and more fumbles feels like a natural future result.

The problems are smaller on defense, but they exist. Fix them, and fix Reed's tendency to jump the gun in big moments, and Elko will be in a good place come September and beyond.

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