Hiring process of Mike Elko was a mess, as is the current state of Texas A&M football
Texas A&M’s latest new head football coach is a Yankee from New Jersey who graduated from one of those liberal elite Ivy League schools.
On Monday afternoon in College Station, Texas A&M introduced Penn alum Mike Elko as head football coach.
If this works out, and A&M wins in the SEC and reaches the college football playoff, every Aggie would vote Democrat if necessary.
“One of the best leaders and coaches in college football has been named the next head football coach at Texas A&M. Welcome back to Aggieland, @CoachMikeElko!” Texas A&M Tweeted earlier Monday afternoon.
The Aggies also made similar statements when they introduced Dennis Franchione, in 2002. And when Mike Sherman was hired, in 2007. And when Kevin Sumlin arrived to fix it all, in 2011. And when Jimbo Fisher left Florida State to coach the Aggies to a national title, in 2017.
Texas A&M football can be a great job, but to make the Aggies a winner, and meet the expectations set by athletic director Ross Bjork, will require a bucket and a mop. Throw in a hazmat suit and a chainsaw, flame thrower and a stream of NIL dollars.
Jimbo Fisher, and Bjork, made a mess of this and the only thing that can save Boss Bjork is if Elko works out by winning 10 games in 2025. Bjork believes the Aggies are a 10-win team; A&M has reached double-digit wins once since 1999.
Elko was not Bjork’s first choice; that distinction belongs to Kentucky’s Mark Stoops. How that all came apart is a matter of whom you believe, and which lie you can stomach.
Stoops was reportedly telling people he had accepted the job. Then, it was reported the offer was pulled. Then, Stoops told people it wasn’t the right time to leave Lexington.
So, Stoops choose to stay at a “basketball” school rather than go to a place where football is regarded ahead of religion.
It sounds like Bjork preferred Stoops, and his board would not agree on the hire. These sorts of things happen, and the AD is tasked to find someone else.
Bjork offered the job to Jimbo’s former defensive coordinator, who in the past two years has won football games at Duke University. “Winning football” fits as well with “Duke University” as an Aggie does with a Longhorn.
How this works out will define Bjork’s tenure at College Station. If this flops, he’s finished.
He can’t be blamed for hiring Jimbo. That was made by his predecessor, current LSU AD Scott Woodward.
Handing Fisher that dumb contract extension, in 2021, is entirely on Bjork and the board that approved all of that guaranteed money.
The notion that A&M’s athletic department has a bottomless well of cash to fund anything and everything is incorrect. Firing Jimbo has consequences.
The first person to feel it will be Elko. Not just in terms of his incentive-laden contract, but the staff he can hire.
To finance the buyout of Jimbo’s contract may come from private funds, and A&M’s 12th Man Foundation, but cuts will have to be made. He will not be able to hire as many people as Jimbo had running around.
Jimbo admitted earlier this season that A&M had given him everything necessary to win.
Since the start of the 2022 season, A&M has landed top-ranked recruiting classes but seldom played to that level.
Whatever Jimbo had built at Florida State, he never did it at College Station. The team didn’t get along. There was all kinds of negative noise that players were jealous over money, and NIL deals.
Everything was consistent with a team that had expectations and never achieved them. Players were mad at players. Coaches were mad at players, and players were mad at coaches.
Elko would be wise to keep Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator, and name Elijah Robinson as the defensive coordinator. Petrino is a peculiar duck with baggage, but he knows how to coach an offense.
Keep him in the shadows, and he’s fine. Robinson has proven to be a good coach and effective recruiter.
The rest need to go.
The Aggies fancy themselves as a 10-win team, which in the SEC means pushing for a spot in the expanded college football playoffs.
Jimbo couldn’t do it. Maybe Mike Elko can.
He wasn’t their first choice, but now he is their best choice.
If this one doesn’t work out, the person who will feel it the most won’t be just Elko, but the guy who had to be told to hire him.
This story was originally published November 27, 2023 at 4:38 PM.
