The sting of Texas A&M’s quarterfinal loss hadn’t even faded before another blow landed. Just days after seeing its season end in frustration, Mike Elko’s program absorbed a new hit. This time from the transfer portal. Freshman edge rusher Solomon Williams, one of the defense’s most intriguing young pieces, is set to move on, further thinning a unit already facing turnover.

For a team that surged to an 11–2 season and looked poised to build momentum under Elko, the timing is brutal. Williams’ departure, coming on the heels of Rylan Kennedy’s portal entry, strips the Aggies of developmental depth and upside off the edge – a position that flashed promise but now faces renewed uncertainty heading into the offseason.

Especially with Mike Elko’s team losing tons of defensive players. All-American edge Cashius Howell, along with defensive linemen Tyler Onyedim and Albert Regis. With all of their moves, Williams would have had a chance to fight for starting or rotational roles alongside Kennedy, which could have alleviated the playtime concern.

But it looks like Solomon Williams is looking for some place where his position holds a deeper impact. And with three years of eligibility left, exploring other options makes sense. As with him, other backup defensive players like linebacker Tristan Jernigan, safety Jordan Pride, and cornerback Jayvon Thomas did the same.

However, losing Williams isn’t that easy for Mike Elko’s team. His resume speaks of his excellence. He appeared in 15 total games, recording 11 tackles and 4.5 tackles for a loss. This past season, his role primarily involved special teams, where he received 67 of his 102 snaps on kick coverage, while also playing 35 snaps at defensive end.

He finished this season with seven tackles, with three for loss. Last year, as a true freshman, Williams saw limited action after playing just 26 snaps across three games. But despite the short time span, he made an immediate impact on the field with his remarkable performances.

Now, after losing another major defensive player, Mike Elko is also backing his team for Miami’s loss.

Mike Elko gets real on Aggies loss

After opening the season with 11 straight wins and clinching a long-awaited College Football Playoff berth, fans and analysts grew increasingly confident in Mike Elko’s ability to lead Texas A&M into the national title conversation. But a regular-season loss to Texas followed by a 10–3 defeat to Miami in the CFP first round quickly turned those expectations into heartbreak and anger in Aggieland.

In the aftermath, Elko openly pushed back on the notion that his team was already built to “win it all.”

“We were not an elite program ready to win a national championship when we took over. We’re still not. We’re working to become it; we’re battling to become it. Clearly, these last two games have shown there are areas we have to continue to grow, but that’s what this is.” Elko said.

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Well, his explanation makes sense, even though Texas A&M went undefeated for 11 games and earned a CFP spot before its flaws finally surfaced. Issues in run defense, special teams execution, and turnovers proved costly down the stretch, especially against Miami, where the Aggies were outrushed 175–89 and gave the ball away three times in a low-scoring slugfest.

He missed a key throw to KC Conception in the fourth quarter that could have completely changed the game. But despite it, Mike Elko stresses how far the team has come from Jimbo Fisher’s 7-6 record and an 8-5 record last season to an 11-2 season.

“From where this program was two years ago to where it is now, I don’t think that can be lost on people. I think it’s made massive strides,” Elko said. “There’s still another major step we have to take as a program to finish. The last two games show that. It’s a rallying cry for the guys who’re still here.”

Now, with that mindset, Elko and the Aggies are looking to fix their transfer portal struggles and enter next season with more power than ever.