Mike Elko May Finally Be Breaking Texas A&M's Most Frustrating Cycle

The ghost of the infamous 2022 recruiting class will loom over Texas A&M's new No. 1-ranked 2027 recruiting class until they take the field.

Oct 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko looks on prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With talk of Texas A&M spending a reported $10 million on its No. 1-ranked 2027 recruiting class, it’s hard not to think back to that ill-fated 2022 class. 

It was essentially one of the first NIL recruiting classes, and one in which Texas A&M flexed its financial muscle, bringing in a record nine five-star prospects in a single class. At that time, signing a No. 1 class essentially meant the opening of a national championship window, and it seemed that then-head coach Jimbo Fisher finally had a window. 

Except that, instead of it being just the beginning of Fisher’s tenure, that was the beginning of the end. Fisher’s infamous class flopped, as behavioral issues plagued some of the highest-ranked prospects while others didn’t stay in College Station for long before entering the transfer portal. 

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher during warmups before the Alabama vs. Texas A&M game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday September 22, 2018. Pre421 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Will History Repeat Itself?

Now, four years removed from that infamous failure, the Aggies are rolling once again on the recruiting trail. Fresh off the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, head coach Mike Elko currently owns the runaway top-ranked class, which features six five-star prospects.

And while rival fans may claim that, just like in 2022, the Aggies are destined to see history repeat itself. Yet, that isn’t how one SEC general manager sees it, as they told ON3’s Pete Nakos recently that things look different this time. 

“They got some really good players,” an anonymous SEC general manager said of Texas A&M. “Rankings aside, we liked a lot of the guys they’re taking. They took some freaking great players. Elko’s a damn good coach. This isn’t going to be Jimbo Fisher all over again. Not that Jimbo isn’t a good coach. Elko’s at a different point in his career.”

That SEC general manager is not alone in believing that things are now different for the Aggies. ON3 national analyst Ari Wasserman seemingly agrees. This isn’t just “star-chasing,” like he explained happened under Fisher.

“This isn’t about spraying dollar bills into the air at a nightclub and hoping it makes a difference,” Wasserman writes. “This is calculated, well-allocated spending commensurate with what it takes to be competitive in this market. Yes, Texas A&M has always had the funds. It has never spent them properly.”

Now to say whether or not the money is finally being spent properly: time will only truly tell. Yet, if the first two years of Elko’s tenure have proven anything, it’s that the Aggies aren’t solely reliant on money.