Mike Elko's Postgame Locker Room Speech After South Carolina Will Fire You Up

Last Saturday, the Texas A&M Aggies completed the biggest comeback in program history, rallying from a 30-3 halftime deficit to defeat the South Carolina Gamecocks by a score of 31-30.

Quarterback Marcel Reed led four straight scoring drives to open the second half while Cashius Howell and the A&M defense pitched the shutout of the Gamecock offense in the second half to cap off the win, keeping the Maroon and White at a perfect 10-0 on the season.

The win gave them their first 10-win season since Johnny Manziel's Heisman campaign in 2012, and head coach Mike Elko was fired up after the win, needless to say.

"I Don't Think I've Ever Been More Proud of a Group of Kids"

A post on X by TexAgs showcased the coach's postgame speech in the Texas A&M locker room, where Elko began by praising the team's mindset and keeping their heads in the game despite the massive deficit at halftime.

Nov 15, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Fans cheer during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

"I don't think I've ever been more proud of a group of kids ever in my life for what you guys just did," Elko began. "For you to stick together through it all, for you to keep fighting and battling through it all, for nobody to blink, for no negativity on the sideline, for everyone to come into this locker room talking about, 'we're gonna win this game, we're gonna flip the script,' that is, man, I love you guys, I don't know what else to say."

Here is the entirety of the speech, as recorded by 12th Man Productions.

Mike Elko’s postgame speech following the largest comeback in program history vs. South Carolina:

(Video credit: @12thManP) pic.twitter.com/rzWtc9F6l0
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) November 20, 2025

Also in the video, Elko takes time to highlight wide receiver Izaiah Williams, who scored a 27-yard touchdown on the first drive of the second half to kickstart the Aggies' comeback.

"All he (Williams) does is come out to practice every day and works, keeps getting ready for his opportunity, and I keep telling him, 'I know it's hard, I know you're gonna get frustrated, just keep battling,' and he works his ass off every single (expletive) day," Elko said. "And we needed him in the second half of a game to go 10-0, and here he is, and he shows up and makes plays."

In the midst of the passionate moment, Elko even took some time to poke a little fun at quarterback Marcel Reed for getting it together in the second half of the game.

"I'm not sure who our quarterback was playing for in the first half," Elko said with a chuckle, catching some laughs from the rest of the locker room. "But I know who he was playing for in the second half!"

Elko also reminded his guys of their winning formula and how it's only known to the men that are in that locker room.

"Nobody outside of this locker room understands how this works," Elko said. "It's what we do. It's how we grind, it's how we practice, how we prepare, how we love each other, how we take care of each other, that's our winning formula.

Elko ended his speech with a reminder of what he told his men the night before, and then signed off with a bold proclamation.

"I told y'all last night that this game requires a level of commitment to go out and play the way you want to play," Elko said. "We can't ever do that (expletive) (referring to the halftime deficit) again."

"But, we're 10 and (expletive) 0!" Elko exclaimed to a crowd of cheers in the locker room, before performing his signature chair smash and breaking the team out.

The Aggies will look to be 11-0 when they host the Samford Bulldogs this Saturday at 11:00 AM at Kyle Field.