Click here to view Texas A&M’s Tuesday press conference.
Spring is about competition.
Speaking at a pre-spring press conference on Tuesday, head coach Mike Elko emphasized the point.
When a slate of 15 spring practices begins on Friday morning, there will be plenty of competition as the Aggies hone in on the development necessary to improve on 2025’s 11-2 finish.
“It’s just good to get ready to get out on the grass and start playing football and start building the identity of what this team is and of what this team is going to be this fall,” Elko said. “We have more SEC-ready players. Now we have to find out to what level that is. Can we be as good? Can we be better? Is there still work to do? That is ultimately what we’ve got to find out in spring, but it’s going to be a very intense competition.
“In college football, spring is about development. It’s the one time of year where you’re in pads 80 percent of the time, 85 percent of the time. You’re able to be more physical. You’re not worried about getting ready for an opponent. You’re literally focused on building the identity of your team and getting better at the game of football, and that part is really cool.”
It has been well documented that A&M led the country in the number of players invited to last month’s NFL Combine with a baker’s dozen, many of them key contributors last fall.
As the page turns to 2026, those spots are up for grabs.
“Whether you’re a returning player or an up-and-coming player, a new player, there’s a lot of people who want to see their name in the starting 11 when we go line up next year against Missouri State (on Sept. 6), and that all starts now,” Elko said. “A lot of people talk about competition and talk about opening up jobs, but if you don’t really mean it, the players will know, and then you’ll never get it to where you want it to go.
“We legitimately have, by graduation and by a lot of the incoming players we’ve brought in here, so much competition for what the starting jobs will look like, what the opportunities to get on the field will look like.”
There are also so many new faces entering said competitions.
Via the portal, A&M added 17 transfers, headlined by wide receiver Isaiah Horton and a quartet of offensive linemen with SEC experience. Beyond that, the Aggies inked 29 youngers in the class of 2026, and all but one (Evan Jacobson) have arrived on campus.
As the 12th Man eagerly watches the battles in the trenches or in the secondary, perhaps the most important battle is at a spot where seemingly without any competition.
Now an entrenched starter, quarterback Marcel Reed’s job is secure, but his internal battle to get better is key. You know by now that Reed threw four interceptions in A&M’s final two games — both painful losses to Texas and Miami.
“He now has a full season under his belt. He has been through the wringer,” Elko said of Reed. “That allows you to really hone in on him.
“You’re really able to specify the plan to him. He has spent a lot of time with coach (Joey) Lynch. They’re doing a lot of things one-on-one in the mornings, in and around workouts, where he’s just coming up and doing a lot of extra film work, and a lot of that is just his mechanics, his decision making, his processing. What is he seeing? What is he feeling? I think that takes it to another level.
“What we’re looking for is him consistently being at his best more often.”
An improved Reed and the ever-present cliche of “iron sharpening iron” should allow the Maroon & White to again contend for College Football Playoff inclusion.
Sure, it’s hard to think about such goals in March, but the work begins now.
The challenge of replicating fall success starts on Friday.
“I think we have a unique opportunity to double down on success, which is probably the next step for us as a program,” Elko said. “We have found ways, at times over the years, to hit one-year peaks. The next step for us is consistently being a top-10 team, consistently being a playoff team, consistently being a team that finishes and gets to Atlanta and starts competing for hardware.
“The challenge for this group is with a lot of new names and a lot of new faces who are going to be out there in the starting lineup, whoever that ultimately becomes, is showing that this program has a staying power to continue to compete at the level that we were able to do last year.”
NOTE
Elko provided an “injury update” at the beginning of his Tuesday availability. The following individuals will be “limited” during spring practices as they continue to recover from in-season injuries: WR Jerome Myles, TE Micah Riley, OL Isendre “Papa” Ahfua, CB Jamar Beal-Goines, S Dalton Brooks, S Rashad “TomTom” Johnson Jr, CB Dezz Ricks and DT Chace Sims. Elko added that each expects to be cleared by the summer and “ready to roll” for summer workouts.
Additionally, Elko announced that DT Jermaine Kinsler and CB Deyjhon Pettaway are dealing with “longer-term” injuries and will miss the entire spring.
