Mike Elko Recaps Standouts From Texas A&M Spring Game

The Texas A&M Aggies showcased old and new talent in its spring intra-squad scrimmage on Saturday afternoon. Coach Mike Elko shared his thoughts on the performance in a press conference shortly after.

“Another great spring game,” Elko said in his opening statement. “The Aggies won, they are now 2-0 in spring games that I’ve been part of. … I thought we had a good spring. Thought we got better, I thought we improved in a lot of areas”

In the Maroon & White Game, all eyes were on transfer wide receivers Kevin “KC” Concepcion and Mario Craver. The pair joined the Aggies after combining for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns for their respective programs. On Saturday, the duo combined for 142 yards.

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. | Jake Crandall/Montgomery Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Both those kids were really productive college football players last year,” Elko said. “I said it when we signed Mario. … He’s got tremendous quickness and tremendous twitch. And, you know, we had played KC when he was at NC State … the year I was at Duke, and so knew a lot about him. He’s been a really productive player for two years in college football. So I don’t think it should be surprising that those two kids are going to be productive for us.”

After losing three defensive linemen to the NFL Draft, lots of questions remained about the future of the position group. Freshman defensive lineman Marco Jones was able to apply pressure all game.

“Marco Jones has a really bright future here,” Elko said. “He is extremely athletic. I think he’s got tremendous ability to rush the passer. I don’t know if Aggies should expect him to have five sacks a game this fall, that might be a little bit of a high expectation. … He’s going to be a really, really good football player for us.”

Heading into the game, senior defensive end Cashius Howell had high expectations, which he met with 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss.

“It was great to see Cassius Howell take a next step in his development,” Elko said. “I think he’s going to be a very, very disruptive edge player and really have a productive season for us.”

Elko and the crew will return to Kyle Field on Saturday, August 30 when they host UTSA in the season opener.