Mike Elko Has Every Reason to Be Excited About the Texas A&M Tight End Room

After the Maroon and White game and spring practice, head coach Mike Elko had nothing but positive words about his relationship with Derek Shay and what his tight ends have done.

Oct 4, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko looks on prior to the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

An important piece of the offense got to get reps this past Saturday at the Maroon and White game at Kyle Field.

Texas A&M’s head coach, Mike Elko, was pleased with the work the tight end group did in his postgame remarks as he touched on what he has seen and what the relationship has looked like with the newly hired tight end coach, Derek Shay.

“I think it’s been really good having Derek,” Elko said. “He does a really, really good job with those guys. I think he’s brought a lot of fundamental toughness technique to the room, which has been really good to see. Those kids have all gotten better.”

More on the Tight End Room

Nov 6, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; UTSA Roadrunners tight end Houston Thomas (0) runs with the ball against the South Florida Bulls during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Going into the highly anticipated contest between the Maroon and White intrasquad scrimmage, there was a split in the tight end room as seven men were divided unevenly between the two teams.

For Team Maroon, four men were drafted, including Kiotti Armstrong, Luke Braden, Caleb Tafua, and Houston Thomas. As for Team White, the three teammates over there were Richie Anderson, Carter Braugh, and KK Johnson.

On the day, there wasn't a ton of production in terms of getting receptions, but that was because part of the scheme was to see how these players would fare blocking defenders, and they did well for the most part.

Running precise routes and hauling in footballs was a point of emphasis that every player knew was vital, as Thomas led the afternoon with the most receptions and yards. Thomas was the UTSA transfer who came to A&M wanting to be the next elite tight end this program has seen, with 34 receptions for 347 yards and two touchdowns, and put on display why he was brought in.

As for other standouts, the second-year tight end Luke Braden put on a show and made his name known as he reeled in two receptions for 34 yards with a touchdown that went for 23 yards for the go-ahead score in the final seconds of the contest.

There was no Micah Riley on the field as he recovered from shoulder surgery, but he will be back and dominant in the offense once he gets healthy. He previously played for Auburn for three seasons, appearing in 29 games. Elko mentioned in his postgame remarks that it will be “nice” to see him out there soon and that it was a solid spring in which players improved.

“I think it’s a really good-looking group,” Elko said. “It will be nice to get Micah back in fall again. That’s another offseason shoulder surgery, so he didn’t really participate, but it was good. I think those guys had a really good spring and certainly got better every day.”

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