Do you believe that Mike Elko and A&M, as an institution and in football, have put themselves in a position to be above some of those other bigshot programs? They all have some money, but it’s a different level of resource and a larger lens for looking at the future. Specifically, now that institutions can directly share revenue with student-athletes thanks to the historic House vs. NCAA settlement. At Texas A&M Aggies, that question is starting to take on a new, and confident tone…

Josh Pate didn’t hesitate with his verdict on that question. “The short answer to your question is yeah, probably. They probably have positioned themselves that way,” he said on TexAgs. And it’s not just about money. “Texas A&M has many, many layers baked into the identity of the program, the culture overall that could make it a monster.” But Pate quickly shifted to the X-factor: the head coach. “It’s all a moot point if you don’t have the right head coach.” In his eyes, Mike Elko wasn’t just a good hire—he was the one guy in that coaching carousel who could align evaluation, development, and execution without leaning solely on NIL.

“That’s why I trust what Trev Alberts said,” Pate said. “I trust him because of the hire they made, and. everything else sort of works downstream of that.” There’s also the matter of narrative. Mike Elko earned widespread respect in 2023. “There was very little guesswork in that,” Pate said. “I just remember the overwhelming feedback I got about the guy – from people who had faced him – when he was at Duke. And that was a short time, but they said ‘It’s just really amazing to me that everybody’s talking about like Kalen DeBoer and Alabama with good reason’, but so much of the shine in that sort of hiring cycle went to saving out Deboer’s in and no one was paying attention to Elko and they kept saying ‘You wait and you see the evaluation and development pieces’.” He added.

“Everyone’s talking about NIL and spending and all that, but that’ll eventually settle down a little bit and it’s gonna it’s going to circle back around to the things that matter most, which are good evaluations, developing relationships and recruiting, but then signing and developing guys, and that’s where Mike Elko will shine.” A&M’s bet on development and fit—not just firepower—may be the most dangerous long-term weapon in the SEC arms race.

But the coach is only half the equation. The other half? Quarterback. You have to have the right coach, and you have to have the right passer. And the ideal QB doesn’t have to be the best QB. Pate and the host pointed to Will Howard in 2024. Not the flashiest name, but the perfect piece for Ohio State’s system down the stretch. Now, eyes turn to Marcel Reed at A&M. If Reed can settle in and complement Elko’s system the way Pate envisions, things could escalate quickly in College Station.

Mike Elko addressed the current doubts during the Fort Worth A&M Club Coach’s Night. He didn’t pretend the noise wasn’t out there. Instead, he grounded the program’s confidence in internal belief. “I’m really excited about where we’re going,” Elko said. “And I think this year, we have a chance to really take this thing forward… from start to finish.” With 16 returning starters and 23 players entering their final year of eligibility, this is one of the most experienced rosters in the country.

That kind of veteran core is a rarity in the NIL era, where early exits to the draft and the portal are commonplace. The Aggies may have finished 8–5 last year, but they’re trending like a team finally syncing its resources with leadership and culture.

Mike Elko’s AD sets bold vision for in revenue-sharing era

Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts isn’t blinking. As college athletics prepares for a financial revolution, one that will see schools directly share revenue with student-athletes beginning this year. Alberts made it clear Monday morning that the Aggies aren’t just ready. They’re built for this.

“Texas A&M should be, and I believe is, well-positioned to navigate through the challenge,” Alberts said during a media sit-down at Kyle Field. That challenge? Starting now, schools will be allowed to distribute up to $18 million annually in direct athlete compensation, with that cap increasing 4% annually through the 2034–35 academic year. It’s a major shift. And Alberts didn’t sugarcoat the stakes.

“We talked to our coaches and basically said, no matter what happens we’re going to be OK. I believe Texas A&M can be more than just OK. I believe we can be elite,” he emphasized. “We need to chase it. We need to have the courage to unabashedly say this is our time, and we’re going to go get it done.”

For Texas A&M, football is still the golden goose—the only program generating revenue. But Alberts pointed to the long-term vision: building sustainable excellence across all sports. “In a perfect world — at Texas A&M, we’ve always advocated for autonomy for each institution,” he said. “If we have the resources, we’d like to fund as many scholarships as we want, and we’d like to have total access to all of the rev share. But today, our hard-cap number is $18 million.”