Marty Smith says there is 'reason for tremendous optimism' under Elko

Just 38 days away from Fightin' Texas Aggie football, ESPN and SEC Network personality Marty Smith joined TexAgs Radio on Wednesday morning. Smith discussed his initial thoughts on head coach Mike Elko, quarterback Conner Weigman and more storylines around the SEC.

Key notes from Marty Smith interview

• Mike Elko is a very measured leader with a quiet intensity, and I think in College Station, that is probably welcomed right now, based on how the last couple of years have gone. I will sit here right now and say that Jimbo Fisher is a good football coach, but it just didn't work.
   
• Bringing Mike Elko in, someone who instantly flipped the culture, and there is a different energy down there. He understands the overall culture down there, having been on Jimbo’s staff. He has been a part of some pretty big games as the defensive coordinator.
   
• I would use the word measured — measured but intentional. It also seems like the players have gravitated to that difference in approach. Opening with Notre Dame in Kyle Field builds a sort of urgency in camp. I think everyone is going to really focus on being intentional with one another.
   
• When it's time to get between the lines, you have to have that cohesion. I think you will see that from the jump because of Mike Elko’s leadership. There is reason for tremendous optimism.
   
• I think Conner Weigman is a great player, and I would have loved to have seen how it would have unfolded had he stayed healthy last year. When you have a guy like that coming back, who not only has shown really good play, but also something to prove in his own mind, I think it's really good.
   
• I think the skill players around him are really good. You lost a little bit on the receiving side, but your running backs are really good. I am very high on him too. Jordan Rodgers knows what he’s talking about. He is great at seeing who has the total package for the position.
   
• I'm kind of chomping at the bit because we are getting to the beginning of August, where we are going to really play some football and leave the talking behind. I think a lot of us look at Georgia as a standard to be measured by, so they look to be the team to beat.
   
• I am very impressed with Texas as well. I’m a humongous fan of Steve Sarkisian, and I was thoroughly impressed with Quinn Ewers. If you just look at the difference in the way he was viewed, managing with all the buzz around him, I was really impressed.
   
• That Florida schedule isn't even fair for Billy Napier and his guys. That opening week vs. Miami is where we are going to be. Both Billy Napier and Mario Cristobal need that game like they need oxygen. That game decides the trajectory of your season. 
   
• Are we going to rewrite what good is or what acceptable is? Georgia beat the brakes off of Florida State last year, but I don't think that is held against Florida State at all. The College Football Playoff can be a skewed meter of success, and now that we go to 12 teams, there are going to be teams that don’t make it, even if they had “good” years.
   
• That Texas A&M game is going to be in Gainesville as well, where it’s going to be 200,000 degrees. It’s just merciless as you look through it. Fans of other conferences mock how the SEC talks about their gauntlet. I truly don't envy what Billy Napier has ahead of him, but there's a lot of noise down in Gainesville.
   
• I can't wait to see how Kalen DeBoer and his staff further develop Jalen Milroe at the position. Early in the season last year, Milroe was erratic, got benched, and then came back a completely different player.
   
• If you go back and watch tape of Milroe against A&M, he was throwing receivers open. It was an extremely impressive performance of throwing the football. That is where I think the narrative changed for him.
   
• There are so many good quarterbacks in the league. There are the names that everybody is talking about, but I feel like the vast majority of teams have somebody who, if healthy, can get it done. That position is so valuable, and it is so hard to win in this league if you don't have a stud.