This Statistic Shows Just How Special Mike Elko Is At Acquiring Talent

The Texas A&M Aggies head into their third season under the leadership of head coach Mike Elko for the 2026 season, who has truly turned the landscape of the Aggie football program around in every way, shape, and form of the word.

The Aggies have put together a 19-7 record since Elko's hiring, which included an 11-game winning streak to start last year off, and even the mindset has changed since Elko took over, for instance Cashius Howell's jawing at the LSU Tigers' offensive line during A&M's 49-25 win in Baton Rouge.

But one tradition Elko has carried on for the Maroon and White is his incredible skills when it comes to drawing in high school recruits and transfer portal players to College Station, and how good he is at doing it is something that only a handful of the nation's other coaches can also hold claim to.

Mike Elko Joins Elite Company In Recruiting and Transfer Game

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko, left, shakes hands with Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian after the game. The Longhorns defeated the Aggies 17-7. at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

According to On3/Rivals, there were only six schools that signed a top 15 class in terms of both recruiting and transfers, and the Texas A&M Aggies were proudly displayed as one of those six.

Alongside the Maroon and White sat the Texas Longhorns, LSU Tigers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Miami Hurricanes, and Florida Gators, five of the Aggies' most notable matchups from this past season.

The Ags used the portal to their advantage again this offseason, and while they were unable to land Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman after losing him to Texas, they were able to snag a receiver from the state of Alabama in the form of Crimson Tide wideout Isaiah Horton, who is set to take the place of the electric KC Concepcion in the Aggies' offense, even wearing the same No. 7 that he did.

In addition to Isaiah Horton, Elko and the Aggies drew in other four-star transfers to boost their production, including Northwestern edge rusher Anto Saka and Tennessee cornerback Rickey Gibson III

And the high school recruits in the class of 2026 that are set to suit up for Elko in the upcoming season speak for themselves, with five-star cornerback Brandon Arrington and four-star running back KJ Edwards coming in to fill the spots left by Will Lee III and Le'Veon Moss, who have both declared for the NFL draft.

Texas A&M ranked No. 7 in On3's recruitment rankings and No. 3 in the transfer portal rankings.

And that's not even thinking about all the talent that is going to be returning to Kyle Field for the 2026 season.

Texas A&M opens up their third season under Elko with a hosting of the Missouri State Bears in College Station on September 5.