Mike Elko witnessed Texas A&M’s College Football Playoff hopes being smashed in the first round of the playoff in the 2025 season. However, an 11-2 season says a lot about the Aggies’ caliber in the highly evolving college football scenario.
Why Mike Elko Embraces the NIL Era at Texas A&M
The shift to NIL has finally allowed players to earn their share of a multi-billion-dollar industry, but it has also completely disrupted the traditional coaching model. A vocal group of elite coaches, like Nick Saban, has openly expressed frustration with the change.
The frustration from many of these coaches is not necessarily about players getting paid. Instead, it is more about the loss of structural control and roster stability, but Elko does not view it that way.
“One of the biggest misconceptions about the NIL era is that things are different,” Elko said at Coach’s Night with the San Antonio A&M Club on Monday. “Things have certainly changed. But I’m still a firm believer that relationships matter.”
Texas A&M has plenty of financial backing, but Elko’s recruiting approach is not centered around money. Elko made it clear during signing periods that he wants players choosing the Aggies for reasons beyond financial opportunities.
Texas A&M’s recent recruiting surge speaks for itself, as Elko has secured the No. 1 recruiting class in 2027. The momentum continued after the Aggies landed the commitment of the nation’s top offensive tackle, Mark Matthews, this week.
Elko is already using Texas A&M’s trench-dominant reputation to attract elite talent for future recruiting classes. He continues to say that playing for the Aggies prepares athletes directly for the physical demands of the NFL.
Elko has shown that coaches can embrace the realities of modern NIL while still maintaining old-school discipline and a team-first mentality. The 2026 NFL Draft also marked a historic milestone for the program, as Texas A&M tied a 50-year-old school record with 10 players selected across the seven rounds.
Texas A&M also set a program record with seven players selected within the first 100 picks, and Elko understands why the approach has worked.
“In order for us to become the program we wanted to become, there was a staircase to climb,” Elko said. “We’re climbing that staircase. 13 players at the NFL combine. We can whoop that one. Ten players drafted since the first time I was born.”
However, Elko also said on Monday that integrity remains a key part of Texas A&M’s culture. He said that while he is proud of the Aggies’ 11-win season, he is equally proud of once again setting GPA records, posting another yearly APR score of 1,000, and having another quiet offseason for Texas A&M football.
CBS Sports reported that Texas A&M’s athletes received a total of $51.4 million in NIL from July 2024 to June 2025.
Texas A&M enters the next season with strong momentum, as the PFSN College Football Playoff Predictor gives the Aggies a 57% chance of reaching the CFP in 2026.
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