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ND Should Be Thanking Ags For Stealing Elko

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Aggie Michael
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9:41a, 1/10/25
AG
Jimbo stole Elko (ND DC) from ND. This created the pathway that eventually allowed Marcus Freeman to become their DC. At one point, people thought Elko would stay at ND and possibly be their next HC. ND actually got better with Marcus Freeman calling the defensive shots (replaced Elko) and now they have their best team in 30+ years with Marcus Freeman running the show as HC.

For the Elko commentators - he's not really the story here. He was a good DC for A&M, the HC story is TBD.

Let's talk about Marcus Freeman and why he is getting results and recruits for a school that has less talent than A&M (academic requirements) and lower athletic expenditures:

1) Guy is charismatic. People like him and he speaks well. He is motivational, controls his anger, remains positive.
2) Guy knows how to motivate and relate to players.
3) He speaks from experience as an All Big Ten team member as well as a member of the Academic All-Big Ten team. He went pro with firsthand experience.
4) He is humble and creates a positive culture. It's all about the team (no "I"s or "me"s). Despite the most injuries and setbacks out of any playoff team, they are still winning. They don't complain about injuries or disadvantages. They play to win as a team (no excuses).
5) He believes in hard work and ethic. He cares about effort, appearance (he stays in-shape similar or our Dan Campbell). Players respect that. Do as you preach type attitude.
6) He actively works with alums and gets buy-in from everyone in his new vision and gets people to invest / take chances with him leading it as they simply believe in him.
7) He got the media and everyone else to buy-in to ND and root for them. He changed the culture and the appearance.

Hats off to ND. Even if they don't win the national title, its been an amazing season. There is a lot A&M can learn from ND and Marcus Freeman.

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Aggie Therapist
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9:44a, 1/10/25
AG
Is ND gunna run a train on us in South Bend?
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TyperWoods
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9:48a, 1/10/25
TLDR, but garbage take.,
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greg.w.h
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In reply to TyperWoods • 9:51a, 1/10/25
AG
TyperWoods said:
TLDR, but garbage take.,
How do you know it is a garbage take if it was too long: didn't read???
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vander54
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9:52a, 1/10/25
S
Elko was there 1 year in 2017. Freeman didnt arrive until 2021 and he was their DC for 1 year.
World's worst proofreader
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vander54
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In reply to greg.w.h • 9:52a, 1/10/25
S
greg.w.h said:
TyperWoods said:
TLDR, but garbage take.,
How do you know it is a garbage take if it was too long: didn't read???


The opening statement is misleading to false information
World's worst proofreader
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JJxvi
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9:57a, 1/10/25
AG
We went from mediocre to one of the top defenses in the country (and better than Notre Dame) in the two years we hired Elko as DC. Notre Dame (already really good) did maintain their level.
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TyperWoods
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In reply to greg.w.h • 9:59a, 1/10/25
greg.w.h said:
TyperWoods said:
TLDR, but garbage take.,
How do you know it is a garbage take if it was too long: didn't read???


I used the force.
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Shoefly!
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 10:03a, 1/10/25
AG
You should've known your post was going to be picked apart like an dead skunk on the side of the road
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Tamuco99
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 10:03a, 1/10/25
I, too am always pleasantly surprised when minorities demonstrate a command of the English language...
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RUGuys4Real
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In reply to vander54 • 10:03a, 1/10/25
vander54 said:
greg.w.h said:
TyperWoods said:
TLDR, but garbage take.,
How do you know it is a garbage take if it was too long: didn't read???


The opening statement is misleading to false information
CONTEXT does not matter with Aggie Michael!
Just say it however you want the narrative to go...
His list actually describes some of the cultural changes players like about Elko.
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cevans_40
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 10:10a, 1/10/25
AG
Aggie Michael said:
Jimbo stole Elko (ND DC) from ND. ND actually got better with Marcus Freeman calling the defensive shots (replaced Elko) and now they have their best team in 30+ years with Marcus Freeman running the show as HC.

Let's talk about Marcus Freeman and why he is getting results and recruits for a school that has less talent than A&M (academic requirements) and lower athletic expenditures:

1) Guy is charismatic. People like him and he speaks well. He is motivational, controls his anger, remains positive.
2) Guy knows how to motivate and relate to players.
3) He speaks from experience as an All Big Ten team member as well as a member of the Academic All-Big Ten team. He went pro with firsthand experience.
4) He is humble and creates a positive culture. It's all about the team (no "I"s or "me"s). Despite the most injuries and setbacks out of any playoff team, they are still winning. They don't complain about injuries or disadvantages. They play to win as a team (no excuses).
5) He believes in hard work and ethic. He cares about effort, appearance (he stays in-shape similar or our Dan Campbell). Players respect that. Do as you preach type attitude.
6) He actively works with alums and gets buy-in from everyone in his new vision and gets people to invest / take chances with him leading it as they simply believe in him.
7) He got the media and everyone else to buy-in to ND and root for them. He changed the culture and the appearance.

Hats off to ND. Even if they don't win the national title, its been an amazing season. There is a lot A&M can learn from ND and Marcus Freeman.


So much idiocy and incorrect information in one post it's comical.
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Aggie Michael
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In reply to JJxvi • 10:35a, 1/10/25
AG
If Mike Elko would have stayed there... they wouldn't have made moves that eventually led to Marcus Freeman.

The Elko HC reign is TBD but he was an effective DC for A&M. What we do know is that by taking Elko away from ND (some thought he was going to stay there and eventually be their HC), we helped create a pathway for Marcus Freeman to takeover.

We will see if Marcus Freeman stays there but is definitely the coach of the year.

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TexasAggiesWin
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10:39a, 1/10/25
S
What's next from the OP? The Ags stealing Dennis Franchione from Alabama (eventually - after the Mike Price hiring debacle and Mike Shula cluster F) led to Nick Saban?
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Muy
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In reply to greg.w.h • 10:40a, 1/10/25
AG
greg.w.h said:
TyperWoods said:
TLDR, but garbage take.,
How do you know it is a garbage take if it was too long: didn't read???


Because it's so long I didn't want to read it, and the bottom line could have been much more easily said
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A. G. Pennypacker
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10:42a, 1/10/25
AG
What I love is that Brian Kelly left ND for LSU, I presume because he believed he had a better shot at a national championship at LSU. Three years later his replacement has ND is in the championship game and Kelly's LSU hasn't made the playoffs yet.
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beerad12man
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 10:46a, 1/10/25
AG
Had Elko stayed at ND, he'd have likely got a HC job somewhere before Freeman got there anyways.

Either way, tons of speculation here. Freeman after years 1 and 2, many ND fans were talking the same as A&M fans are now. 9-4 and 10-3 against the two schedules he played with the program he took over having won on average 11 the previous 5, he was a little warm.

Now he's the flavor of the year. We can judge Elko after 3 years versus Freeman now. For now, Elko's year 1 was very similar to Freeman's year 1. Maybe better considering like I said, the two programs they took over (ND an 11 win program the previous 2 years, A&M was a 6 win program the previous 2 years) and their schedules.
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StinkyPinky
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10:47a, 1/10/25
AG
Serious question…..Who would win in Indian leg wrestling between Freeman and Elko?
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concac
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 10:52a, 1/10/25
AG
Goodness, your kneepads must be worn out.
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Aggie Michael
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In reply to beerad12man • 11:02a, 1/10/25
AG
I'm not trying to compare the two coaches. Simply saying we put into place a sequence of events that led to Marcus Freeman going there. If Elko can do something similar (and even learn from Freeman or Campbell) then even better.

That guy has been simply incredible and is having one of the best seasons you could possibly have with three consecutive top ten wins including over the SEC Champion. ND also has the most limitations out of any school that I've seen (especially academics in which they literally have to turn down people like Randy Moss).

It's all about the right people at the top and the culture. Hats off to them.

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Detmersdislocatedshoulder
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11:08a, 1/10/25
notre dame is not good but great this year due to riley leonard. yes they have a good defense running game etc but his personality as their team leader is what has put them over the top. there are not many nick sabans and the qb position is so vitally important that a qb like leonard can put a good team over the top.

in comparison we had a qb that lost his fastball and was not nearly the player he was before the injury and a replacement who has shown a lot of promise but was still just a redshirt freshman with one game of experience.

what we have been missing more than anything else is elite leadership and performance out of the most important position on the field.
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Aggie Michael
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In reply to cevans_40 • 11:09a, 1/10/25
AG
There is a reason why they are able to do so much despite having so many disadvantages...

Culture. Team Desire. Leaders. No excuses.

When I read these message boards by Aggies, all i hear about are excuses including about injuries, etc. Injuries don't make or break a team. Culture does.





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Aggie Michael
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In reply to Detmersdislocatedshoulder • 11:12a, 1/10/25
AG
A QB needs to be a leader. We haven't had that in a long time. Leaders / culture are the most important. Michigan won the national title last year with a similar philosophy / leaders.

Manziel was a leader on the field and he made people believe they could win. If he wasn't a party animal, who knows how many more Ws we could have gotten.
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CC00
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11:14a, 1/10/25
AG
NIL/Portal lowered the ceiling in CFB to where ND lives.

Alabama, Georgia, LSU etc have a harder and harder time creating monster teams with NFL depth that can continue to be dominant throughout a season and withstand injuries.

This creates parity (good) but the ceiling for teams is lower. ND has had multiple teams over the last 10-15 years that are as good as this year's team.

When Brian Kelly left ND he was right that Notre Dame couldn't complete at the level of the SEC teams team at the time. He didn't realize that the SEC and B1G were coming down to meet Notre Dame at their level.

The good news is this level of football is closer to where A&M lives as well. Hooray us.
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beerad12man
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In reply to Detmersdislocatedshoulder • 11:14a, 1/10/25
AG
Riley is a great leader, but we are missing much more than that. I think Reed is a fine leader. Leonard, with this defense, likely goes 8-5 or 9-4 with this team.

We have 3 expected draft picks this year. All basically the same position trying to play together. 5 techs with similar skills. Could have been a 4th with a healthy Moss, whom we were 7-1 with.

ND likely has far more draft picks this year along with multiple years in their systems. Look at their defense year one versus what they've become, for example. Spread out over multiple positions.

It's more than just a QB we lack. We have got to start producing closer to 8+ picks a year than 3-4 like we do every year if we want to win 10+ games instead of 8.
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Flavius Agximus
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In reply to concac • 11:22a, 1/10/25
AG
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RUGuys4Real
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 11:57a, 1/10/25
Aggie Michael said:
I'm not trying to compare the two coaches. Simply saying we put into place a sequence of events that led to Marcus Freeman going there. If Elko can do something similar (and even learn from Freeman or Campbell) then even better.
"ND Should Be Thanking Ags For Stealing Elko"..
What was your reason for following that title up with misleading, out context, stats - Elko vs Campbell?
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lagoag
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In reply to A. G. Pennypacker • 2:38p, 1/10/25
A. G. Pennypacker said:
What I love is that Brian Kelly left ND for LSU, I presume because he believed he had a better shot at a national championship at LSU. Three years later his replacement has ND is in the championship game and Kelly's LSU hasn't made the playoffs yet.
Yeah that's true but the lsu recruits have much better dance moves because of Kelly and his disco turning dance floor. Just saying.
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Trucker 96
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2:44p, 1/10/25
LOL at this take.
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cevans_40
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 2:53p, 1/10/25
AG
Aggie Michael said:
There is a reason why they are able to do so much despite having so many disadvantages...

Culture. Team Desire. Leaders. No excuses.

When I read these message boards by Aggies, all i hear about are excuses including about injuries, etc. Injuries don't make or break a team. Culture does.






You can have the best culture in the world and if you lose key players (QB, RBs (plural), DB) its going to be difficult to overcome. Especially playing in the SEC. Facts and excuses are often labeled the same.
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Aggie Michael
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In reply to cevans_40 • 3:33p, 1/10/25
AG
Good teams and good coaches overcome obstacles. Weak cultures/coaches can't overcome it and create a culture of excuses...

Besides, SEC is not the king. Big Ten is on a completely different level nowadays and is the new king. Every year the SEC has been dropping off in the new world order of NIL, etc.
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Ag1188
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4:00p, 1/10/25
AG
They're still awful at Passing-offense. None of their recent wins are impressive, minus the Indiana game momentarily, maybe. Maybe can get a participation trophy in the title game.
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cevans_40
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 10:53p, 1/10/25
AG
Aggie Michael said:
Good teams and good coaches overcome obstacles. Weak cultures/coaches can't overcome it and create a culture of excuses...

Besides, SEC is not the king. Big Ten is on a completely different level nowadays and is the new king. Every year the SEC has been dropping off in the new world order of NIL, etc.

The Big 10 is not on a whole different level. To say so is laughable.
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Who?mikejones!
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In reply to Aggie Michael • 11:01p, 1/10/25
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