Aggies Coach Mike Elko Shares Message to Keep Recruits in College Station
There's a fresh culture forming in College Station that comes with a new leader in head coach Mike Elko. The Aggies decided to move on from former coach Jimbo Fisher near the end of last season and replaced him with Elko, a former defensive coordinator under Fisher, who had moved on to become the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils.
Elko hit the ground running as soon as he got back to Aggieland and began hitting the recruiting trail and building his staff.
One of the biggest challenges for college coaches today is the seeming inevitability of a commit or recruit to flip-flop and changing their mind about their commitment. The popularity of the transfer portal over the past couple of years has given student-athletes the ability to become virtual free agents
Elko recently revealed part of his secret formula to help retain recruits and commits in College Station once they've made up their mind the first time.
“The first thing is Texas A&M has been here for a long time,” said Elko via YouTube. “And part of the reason why you commit to this place is what this university stands for and what it represents, both on and off the field. I think that has stood the test of time throughout coaches.
“Then, from a coaching perspective, we just talk about how we are going to run an elite football program. And we are going to develop young man on and off the field, we’re going to build champions in every aspect of their life, and this is going to be the best football program in the country. I think everybody that walks around here sees the potential. The message that we’ve sent to everybody is that this staff is going to bring the potential to reality, and that’s what we’re here for.”
Elko isn't wrong. A&M has a rich history of success and graduating players, not to mention sending players to the NFL. But so do many other schools. As Elko continues to rebuild the internal culture in Aggieland, one thing he needs to figure out is how to extend that new culture outside the walls of College Station and convince student-athletes that they belong with the Aggies.
