Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko held his first game-week press conference of the 2026 season on Monday afternoon, as he gets his team ready for the season opener against Missouri State in College Station on Saturday.
There has been no shortage of college football storylines over recent weeks, especially in the Southeastern Conference. In Aggieland, the primary focus is going 1-0 against the Bears to open the new campaign. Missouri State competed in the Xbox Bowl in its first year at the FBS level, after compiling a 7-6 record and a 5-3 mark in Conference USA.
Elko led his team to their first 11-0 start since 1992 and first playoff appearance in 2025, but the first year of a nine-game conference schedule makes repeating and surpassing that success
much more challenging this season.
Here is everything Elko said in his Week 1 press conference, as the Aggies prepare to host the Bears at Kyle Field on Saturday:
Elko mentions the Slocum statue reveal on Friday and what his legacy means to the university
"Really excited for the R.C. Slocum statue reveal. That will be Friday at 2 p.m," Elko said. "He's a guy that epitomizes what being an elite head coach at Texas A&M is all about."
"To me, I view him as a legend. That's how I've always seen him. I appreciate what he means to this community. I appreciate what he means to this football program," Elko said. "I have a ton of respect and admiration for who he is, and I want to make sure he knows he's always welcomed around. This is his home. … He means so much to this university."
The time for talking is up
"It's finally game week. Finally, we get to stop talking. We get to stop talking about what we're going to be about. We get to go out of the tunnel and compete," Elko said.
Elko's key to the season opener
"Like a lot of openers, it's going to be about ourselves and getting ourselves ready to play the best football that we can," Elko said.
Elko on the goal and mindset entering Week 1
"I always function in quarters. To me, that's how football makes sense. Your first quarter is your first three games," Elko said. "Right now, it's about focusing on what we are, what we're capable of."
Elko discusses the competition at offensive guard
"We're getting closer to knowing what it'll look like. It has been a competitive battle, which has been good to see," Elko said. "It has played out like we hoped it would. You've had a strong competition where, at the end of the day, whoever runs out there for the first snap, there will still be a lot of guys who can play."
Elko on the offensive line as a whole
"We're still searching for what the best five is and what it will look like, as you don't know until you get those game situations," Elko said.
Elko anticipates linebacker Daymion Sanford will be able to play on Saturday
"Right now, yes. Probably still a little bit of a game-time decision. To ask me right now, I anticipate him being out there," Elko said.
Elko on Illinois transfer kicker David Olano
"He's a really good kicker. He was hurt in the spring and didn't get to kick much. Asher (Murray) did a really nice job, and that created some competition," Elko said. "They went back and forth. It was very, very close, and it was very, very tight because both guys were phenomenal."
Elko discusses offensive line play
"For us, it's about operation and functionality than it is the cohesive part of it," Elko said.
Elko on what junior quarterback Marcel Reed must do at the helm to succeed
"What Marcel (Reed) has to do is go out there and play consistently on Saturdays," Elko said. "He worked really hard and has gotten better. He has a better command of the offense, but he has to go out and play, and that's not just him; it's everybody."
Elko talks about defensive back Julio Humphrey earning the starting spot
"Tremendous work ethic. He has been really, really consistent all through spring, all through summer, all through fall camp," Elko said. "He has gotten a lot more comfortable and confident with what we're asking of him, and that has shone through."
Elko on what he's seen from the Aggie linebacking corps
"They made a really, really big jump, and some of that was naturally expected," Elko said. "The overall growth and development of the group really sticks out… There has been a lot of growth in that room, and it has been really, really cool to see."
Elko discusses what Texas A&M could be in 2026
"We have a chance to be really good if we have the ability to focus," Elko said. "They have a very, very high ceiling, but they have to go out and do it."
Elko on Missouri State and their recent success in moving to the FBS
"They were a bowl team last year in their first season. They won seven games. They're making tremendous investments in their program… They're definitely here for the long haul," Elko said.
Elko talks about what he wants the program to be
"We want our program to be about a couple of things. We want to be a gritty team… We want to be a team that has a tremendous amount of pride in this university and in playing for each other. We want to be an extremely physical football team on both sides of the ball," Elko said.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko said in Week 1 press conference
