Mike Elko is Doing Something at Texas A&M That No One Has Ever Done Before

It's no secret that the Texas A&M Aggies are building something special in College Station. They are coming off one of the best seasons in school history, highlighted by their first College Football Playoff appearance.

That success is no surprise to head coach Mike Elko, who is orchestrating a roster built to live up to the standards of the 12th Man. Even for his standards, though, Elko is surpassing expectations and now shattering records.

With the NFL Draft officially completed, Elko has set three new marks within the program: Total players selected, players selected in the top-100, and offensive linemen drafted.

How Texas A&M Broke Their Draft Records

Texas A&M Aggies Head Coach Mike Elko — Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko celebrates after the game against Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Aggies were loaded with talent this past season, fueled by veterans who played key roles in delivering one of the most successful seasons in program history. Now the final bow has been tied on the historic season, as the NFL Draft wrapped up and Elko saw 10 of his former players selected, tying the program's record set in 1976, but that draft featured 17 rounds.

With only seven rounds in the current iteration of the draft, it's the most players the Aggies have taken since switching to the new format. They were aided by seven players taken in the top 100 picks (Kc Concepcion, Chase Bisontis, Cashius Howell, Nate Boerkircher, Albert Regis, Tyler Onyedim, and Trey Zuhn III), shattering the previous program record of five, set in 2000.

Dametrious Crownover and Ar'maj Reed-Adams were also day three picks, joining Bisontis and Zuhn to make it four offensive linemen drafted from the Aggies for the first time in school history. Perhaps more impressively, that meant every member from last year's line that entered their name in the draft was worthy of playing at the next level.

Elko has always prided himself on developing talent no matter where he is coaching, and while he is seen primarily as an elite defensive coach, having six of the 10 total draft picks being on the offensive side of the ball speaks volumes about the development taking place in College Station under his direction.

Now tasked with reloading the roster after losing elite talent, if the past is any indication of what Elko and his staff are doing development-wise, the Aggies will be just fine next year, and could knock on the door to break their own record in the future.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google