Former ACC Coach of the Year Skyrockets in Latest SEC Coaching Rankings

As tough as the SEC's football rankings can be to climb, a climb up the coaching rankings of SEC head coaches can be just as imposing. How can you compete with Kirby Smart and his multiple titles? Or Lane Kiffin, who just attested via massive contract how in demand he remains? But one SEC boss's stock seems to be on the rise is making a coaching climb.

SEC Coach on the Rise

Texas A&M's Mike Elko is climbing the SEC ladder. An ACC Coach of the Year at Duke in 2022, after two season in Durham, Elko brought his leadership back to Texas A&M, where he had been defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher. And in year two, Elko raised the Aggies to a place few saw them soon reaching-- the College Football Playoff.

Yes, there's more work to come, and yes, in the SEC, even an impressive resume like that doesn't mean everything. But a recent CBS Sports ranking of SEC head coaches placed Elko a solid fifth, ahead of Tennessee's Josh Huepel, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, and Oklahoma's Brent Venables among others.

A year ago, CBS had ranked Elko 9th among SEC coaches off an 8-5 first season in College Station. Now CBS places Elko No. 14 nationally among FBS coaches. A season ago, South Carolina's Shane Beamer (career South Carolina record now at 33-30) was ranked above Elko. Suffice it to say that things have changed.

A&M's 2026 Hopes

But with great appreciation comes great expectation. The SEC preseason media poll picked A&M at fourth, close behind Ole Miss at 3rd and part of a four-way glut of teams jockeying for position behind front-runners Georgia and Texas.

QB Marcel Reed returns off a season with 3,169 yards and 25 passing scores to trigger an offense that averaged 33.8 points per game a season ago. Top receiver Mario Craver is another key returnee, after the Mississippi State transfer grabbed 59 passes for 917 yards and four touchdowns.

While A&M did lose some significant talent up front (Cashius Howell, most notably), the team has an outstanding secondary coming into the 2026 season. A&M held opponents to just under 177 yards per game through the air in 2025, which was third-best in the SEC. With three projected returning starters and transfer Rickey Gibson from Texas, A&M's secondary figures to be one of the best in the conference.

A season ago, A&M overachieved and drew note for both their program and their coach. But with a new dose of respect, Elko and the Aggies can't sneak up on anybody this time around. It'll take a different recipe to find success in 2026.

Add us as a preferred source on Google